Remembering – Memorial Day – more than a picnic

The words of Abraham Lincoln at the dedication of the National Cemetery in Gettysburg sound forth truths we should be thinking about today.   Some of the words of the signers of the Declaration of Independence should also sound forth today, as well as on July 4th.   I copy them below.

With heart felt thanks

 The National Cemetery Address: 

 Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate—we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom— and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

From the Declaration of Independence, the final paragraph: 

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

As signers of what the King would see as a declaration of treason, many were hunted down, and indeed did give their Lives and their Fortunes to establish this great land.  They pledged their sacred Honor, to the cause of Liberty and Freedom.

On this Memorial Day may we remember those who gave so much, that you and I can have a peace filled day.  May we remember those who gave of their fortunes, and time to serve honorably. 

There are among us some who can not forget.  They have lost loved ones on the battlefields.  They are without a parent, a spouse, and child.  They sorrow, and they remember.   May we sorrow with them.  May we remember with them.  May we offer them comfort, and demonstrate that the price paid, was indeed worth it.

May we demonstrate this again for them when the polls open.  Here in CA on June 5th, may we turn out to vote.  May we actively participate in choosing leaders, who like the founders pledged their Lives, Fortunes, and sacred Honor.  May we vote for Statesmen, not Politicians.  May we vote for The People, not the party.  May we vote for ourselves, not just obey the Party or Organization that wants to tell us how to vote.  May we prove again that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

FAT Governmental analogy – Being overweight is a BIG problem

I work for a health care company. Our economic indicators show the long term impact of an increasingly overweight population.

Members of our party have taken on the issues of poor food quality delivered in our school cafeterias, and the junk food industry. This is an issue to be addressed as it is impacting current and future generations. Members of our party have taken on the issues of physical inactivity as well as food selection. Let’s Move!

There seem to be two ways our party members want to address this issue. Take away the opportunities for citizens to make bad choices, or encouraging citizens to make good choices through education.

It is reported that Michelle Obama told Topanga Sena, a young Scholastic News reporter, that ‘Let’s Move!’ is “not about having government tell people what to do, because government doesn’t have all the answers.” It would be good if party leaders focused on this reality.

We do NOT have all the answers, NOR do we have the power to force people to eat broccoli. We need to become a party that educates citizens on the short and long term impacts of being overweight. Eating that YUMMY fast food, drinking that sweet soda, sitting long hours at the computer to engage in social media, or play games that exercise our brains and fingers, but not our heart, lungs, and mussels.

75,000 fans in the stands, and millions on the couch, watching a limited few exercise is not a healthy recipe for our country. We need to personally engage in order for this to change. Government prohibition will not work. Government force, coercion, and manipulation will not work. We individually need to choose better. We each need to exercise for ourselves. EACH ONE OF US needs to be the one who initiates change in our own lives. EACH one needs to take responsibility for himself. As JFK would have said, “ask not what the government can do for you” but ask what you need to do for yourself.

Fast food, televised sports, and social media may provide short term pleasure, but it has short term consequences that grow worse over time. We need to WARN the population of the problem, and create opportunities for different choices that will lead to better personal and societal outcomes.

HOWEVER personal weight is not the ONLY issue we need to educate the population about. Poor short term choices, by our party leaders, ARE also leading to short and long term consequences.

WARNING….. WARNING….. WARNING….. WARNING

WE should be the Party that speaks to the choices of a bloated, overweight government. We should be the party that challenges citizens to exercise their voice in the political area. We should be the party who teaches personal accountability. We should be the party, who looks to “teach how to fish” rather than giving daily fish handouts.

Bloated government leads to a sluggish economy. Bloated government leads to greater dependency on government. As the number of people working for government grows, the number of people looking to the government to spend more on payroll and benefits (self interest), increases, and the Political Action Committees apply pressure to “feed me”.

When the issue of fast food was first being attacked in the SF Bay Area, the news media carried comments from single parents saying “I come home tired, I don’t want to have to cook, the kids want fast food, it’s what I can afford, what else can I do?” The days of cooking healthy food from scratch are going for an entire generation. The next generation will only be worse. My daughters got the pleasure of home cooked meals. They learned to cook. They like to cook. Their stories suggest that their peers did not learn the joy of cooking, but the joy of eating out.

When LBJ’s great society effort started they seemed a logical step, but they started us down the road of bloated government. They started us down the road of the Federal government, taking on the role of Religious institutions. Undermining the role of Religion in our society, lead to a less moral society. Some churches seem to have stopped asking their congregations to support the poor, and instead look to the government to do this vital work. A bloated government makes this issue grow.

As we know, bloated government can be in more than just the social issues our party champions. Bloat occurs when the government does what is should not do. Grossly overpaid contracts happen everywhere I guess. Last night’s news (05/25/2012) was filled with the news of corruption, even at the Vatican, with overpriced contracts, with kickbacks (?) being exposed. The news reported that rather than looking to clean up this problem, the first effort was to arrest the whistle blower.

We need to see bloat and remove it. We need to avoid becoming like Europe, with government employee protests, leading to closing down the nation, and preventing the government from doing the right thing.

WE SHOULD BE the party who elects statesmen, not politicians, and lead the way back toward a thin, trim and fit government, before we come to an untimely end, from the excess fat, clogging our economic arteries. We have members of the party who both see, and are willing to speak the truth. We need to elect them. If you see PAC money supporting a candidate, vote for someone else.

I am the only Democrat in the CA 13th congressional district race who has not taken PAC money. I will represent you, not the PAC’s. I will advocate putting the US government on a diet to return to health. I will not start it to death, but I will not try to get it healthy by feeding it more.  The time to get healthy is now.   The time to address the issue is now.   The time for change is now.

Please consider voting for a healthy choice.  

Good words to live by, but not by force of law

Good words to live by:

1 Corinthians 10:23-24  All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.  Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.

These words are spiritual.  They are religious words.  They are true words.  But they should not be government enforced words, when we have a first amendment prohibition on the establishment of Religion.

Citizens should be free to make choices.  They should be accountable to their Creator for the choices they make, but the US government should not make these choices for them, nor punish them when they choose to be selfish. Fair and equal treatment under the law, not unequal treatment under the law, should be the measure and standard of our democracy.

American’s have shown that a great many of us live with generous hearts, and think of the common good.  Some are selfish.  But to say only the rich are selfish is to ignore the truth.  Some want what others have, and want the government to take it away from those who have, to give it to those who do not have.   In a communistic society that would be expected to be law.  In a FREE society, that is not expected. 

We should think about what we can do to increase the number of people who do not  ”seek his own” but instead embrace the ideal of:  ”but each one (seeking) the other’s well-being”.  When we force this by law, it is resisted.  When we encourage this by example, and public discussion, and even preaching, we call upon all to examine how they ARE living and challenge them to think about how they COULD live. 

Obama has let us know that Warren Buffet says he should pay more in taxes, and uses that statement, to say all highly compensated people should pay more taxes.   Obama could remind Warren and any other wealthy person that they COULD give more to the government, or to charity, without the government needing to take it.  No one needs to wait to have it taken from him, the door to charity is open.  I am not sure if what Warren is really saying is:  IF you TAKE it from others, I will go along, but I will not GIVE it of my own choosing.   

What you and I choose to do, in the privacy of our own homes, should be our business.  What we do outside of our homes becomes our communities business.  Regulating what we do in public, for the public good, is what community laws are intended to do.  To regulate and clearly define the consequences of our public choices, so that we can choose what to do, or not do, in public, should be the act of government.   Clarity of what is helpful for others, and builds up society should be clearly understood.  Those public acts that are not helpful, but rather tear down, instead of building up society, should have consequences clearly defined. 

That’s what my daily devotional reading had me thinking today.

FEC filing – No PAC money here

I filed my Federal Elections Commission (FEC) financial statement for 4/1 to 5/16 (due 12 days before the primary).  My filing shows that I have no Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions.  I have not seen the filing for Barbara, but I expect is will show heavy contributions from various PACs who both support, and expect to acquire influence with their contributions. 

I only take contributions from citizens.  I only take contributions less than $100.01.   That means folks see that I am not for sale, but it also means I do not have the money used in this business called politics. 

I do not want to be a politician, I just want to make sure you have a choice of someone who is willing to serve, rather than needing to win to keep their career going.  The polarized Party are full of full-time politician who have made serving the Party their career choice.   I am not in this to serve the Party, or the Special Interests and PACs.  I am in this to allow voters a chance for change, by electing someone who wants to bring Honor to his God and Country, while REPRESENTING  THE PEOPLE, not the Party.

I am being clear about this, as I do not want voters to think I am another Party controlled, career politician. 

The PEOPLE will always have my ear.  Four years ago the promises of Hope and Change were offered.   We still need Hope and Change.  One vote will not change everything, but if we do not stand up to be heard, the Parties will remain gridlocked, and our voices will remain silenced by the voice of the Party interests, and the PAC special interests.

That’s what I’m thinking.  What are you thinking?

League of Women Voters of Oakland – Candidate Forum – YouTube

My thanks to the League of Women Voters of Oakland  for hosting the Candidate Forum.

Be an educated voter, and PLEASE VOTE to preserve democracy in America.

Here is the link to the Forum video on LWVO’s YouTube Channel:

US Representative, District 13:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5eOV-zvhFc&feature=youtu.be

 

The People vs. the Party

When the Party leaders defend our rights, because the agree with us, and remain silent to defending our rights because they disagree with us, WE THE PEOPLE must take note of their hypocrcy, and call them on it.  If we do not, then they remain free to DO TO US what they wish, rather than DOING FOR US what we wish.

Last Friday (05/11/2012) I listened to Barbara start a League of Women Voters forum with praise for the President for supporting homosexual marriage, which the people of CA voted against (twice), but on this video clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXhA_9YSgMI) (posted the day before) she defends our vote for medical marijuana.  Why is one vote to be defended, and the other vote not defended?   I think the simple answer is:  The Party platform, not The People’s choice.

I have said I will not attack anyone on a personal level.  That is the poison of politics.  But hypocrisy needs to be pointed out.   It is biblical to point out hypocrisy. As noted in Galatians 2:14-16 hypocrisy should even be called out between leaders:

But when I (Paul) saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?  We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,  knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

I am not asking Barbara to defend herself,  I am asking Barbara to defend US.  I am asking her to represent US even when she does not agree with how WE THE PEOPLE have chosen to vote. 

Whoever we have as a Representative should be CONSISTENT in that representation.  If our Representative disagrees with WE THE PEOPLE they should try to convince us to change our position, but they should not only support us when they agree with us.

WE THE PEOPLE can choose someone who is committed to being a voice for us, or we can choose someone who is committed to being a voice for the Party.   It is our choice, because some of your neighbors put my name on the ballot.

When did Presidents become dictionary authors?

I originally placed my name on the ballot two years ago because I thought that the Powers that control the Democratic Party had turned deaf to the interest of all Democrats who were not like them.  

The Powers that control the party  call themselves “Progressive”.  From Webster’s dictionary   “a : of, relating to, or characterized by progress  b : making use of or interested in new ideas, findings, or opportunities c : of, relating to, or constituting an educational theory marked by emphasis on the individual child, informality of classroom procedure, and encouragement of self-expression

 By their actions, some would call them “socialists”. From Webster: “one who advocates or practices socialism”  where socialism is defined as “any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods”

Government (not religious) control of Health Care, Welfare, Charity, To Big to fail enterprises, and more, are why some would see the Democratic leadership as Progressive Socialists.

Years ago I was offended when “the meaning of the word ‘is” was needing to be defined in a tortured way by the President to defend his actions.  Now Barack wants to torture the meaning of the word marriage.   “the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law.”  Because the states keep enacting legislation to preserve the original intent of the word, against an effort to add “same sex” to the definition.

Calling for the freedom to enter into “a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law” is understood, but to call it marriage is only an effort to redefine a word for the sole intent of defrauding the other party reading, or hearing the word.  

 They hear marriage, and by definition learned in grade school, and at their religious house of worship, they understand that an opposite sex relationship is being discussed.  They hear civil union and they understand a same sex relationship is being discussed.

Choosing to use the word “married” or “marriage” to refer to a same sex union, may make a same sex loving partner feel less vulnerable for their live style choice, but that does not justify the government entering into an effort to defraud.

If the government wants to reclassify all “consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law” as civil unions, for use in the legislative code, then that is fine.  But to confuse the truth, by altering the definition of marriage should not be an objective of the government, or any politician.

I am thinking that part of the reason the White House, and the Congress has such low approval ratings is because they are not trusted.  Citizens have learned they need to parse the words that politicians use, in to order to understand what is really being said.  

Plain speaking, truth-speaking, should be the example set by all elected officials.   Like the founding fathers, I hope we can find and elect, men and women with “Sacred Honor”, who speak the truth, in love.

If you missed the Candidates Forum it will be replayed

Be an educated voter, if you want to hear how the candidates do when answering questions off the top of their head, listen to the replay.   

These forums will be rebroadcast on KTOP on May 17th at 3:30 and May 18th at 7:00.  2nd half of the program is the House of Representative Candidates Forum. 

They said it would also be posted on YouTube but I do not see that link yet.  When they post the YouTube link I will add it to this post.

Candidates Forums   Friday, May 11
Oakland City Hall, Hearing Room 1
Superior Court Judge, Office #20, 6:15 pm-7:00 pm
     Tara M. Flanagan
     Catherine Haley
     Andrew R. Wiener
13th Congressional District, 7:15 pm-8:15 pm
     Justin Jelincic
     Barbara Lee
     Marilyn M. Singleton

 

Defining a “serious candidate”

From the San Francisco Chronicle:  “Stark has personified all the things that are wrong with Washington.  A gerrymandered district loaded with Democrats protected him from losing to a Republican; until now, no serious Democrat dared challenge him. No matter what Stark said, no matter how much his antics shamed Congress” – as the only Democrat to challenge him, I understand I was not considered serious.

From the Oakland Tribune:  “In the past decade, Stark has had only one primary challenger — whom he dispatched in an 84 percent landslide” that would be me, two years ago.

Spending no money, I received 16% of the Democratic primary vote. That should have embarrassed Pete, and my Party who protected him.

It taught me that we DO NOT HAVE a Democracy.   As the Party, and not the citizens, choose the candidates.  We are only allowed to choose from those the Party leadership has chosen and protected.  Career politicians, not citizens, are offered to us.  Any citizen who offers to serve is not taken seriously unless they sell themselves to raise money.

I suppose that because I consider myself bought at great price, by my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I can not be taken seriously by the FULL TIME POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT. I suppose that because I will not sell myself to special interests, and limit contributions to $100 to ensure that no one can buy my attention, I can not be taken seriously by the FULL TIME POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT, or the press who report on them and shape public opinion.

OUR HOPE as citizens is that we have candidates who are serious, but not for sale, and not already owned by the Political Parties.

We have the mess inWashingtonD.C.that we do, because we have FULL TIME PARTY POLITICIANS instead of full time servants and representatives of the people.

Maybe with social media and word of mouth we can change that.   I AM A SERIOUS CANDIDATE.  I am willing to serve THE PEOPLE, not the party.

VOTE FOR someone who wants to serve YOU. With redistricting I am not on the ballot with Pete, but with Barbara Lee.  Like Pete, the Party Power brokers (Ron Dellums)  choose her.  She has run unopposed by the Party.  

This year you have a choice.  VOTE for JUSTIN JELINCIC for YOUR Representative in the CA 13th Congressional district.

Meeting with the other two candidates today at the Oakland Tribune offices

There was a calm discussion of issues with the Oakland Tribune staff today. 

As I sat next to Barbara Lee and Marilyn Singleton to address the staff questions, I was thinking “this is the type of discussion that leads to results”.  There were no cameras for “photo ops” like there will be when the League of Women Voters hosts their forum in front of a live audience and television cameras on the 11th.  Just quite, thoughtful discussion of issues that were of interest to the editorial board members.

Ideas varied as you would expect given the three candidates.  As it was the first time I had met either Barbara or Marilyn it was a pleasure to hear them express their ideas.

Hopefully the voters will take the time to get to know the candidates, and make informed choices.  I admitted that I did not know that much about Barbara, as Pete Stark is my “representative” until redistricting takes hold.  I have not researched Barbara much.  I know that she has a high Progressive Socialist score, and I am told that I would have a low one.  If I am one of the top two to be on the November ballot I will need to learn much more about the other candidate, just as voters in the district will need to learn more about me.