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Hello Patriots,
Now that the new Patriot Academy website has been launched under the leadership of our wonderful Governor Dulin, the Patriot Academy blog will be moving. The new address is http://www.patriotacademy.com/blog, or you can just go to http://www.patriotacademy.com and click the “blog” tab at the top. If you subscribed to this blog via email, you will need to resubscribe at the new blog. See you there!
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THE PATRIOT PRESS
MARCHING TO THE DRUMBEAT OF FREEDOM
Feb. 15, 2009 Vol. 2 Issue 4
What You Say Matters
I was speaking with a woman who is dear to my heart recently and she informed me that her father-in-law, who at that time had been in the hospital for five weeks, was being moved into the Cardiac Care Unit. Bob was doing alright, but the day before he had suffered a little bit of a heart attack. My first response (please go back and read the sentence that said he was alright) was to laugh. Saying someone had a little bit of a heart attack is like saying someone is in a bit of a coma or has a touch of Ebola. She conceded the point with a laugh as well but then admitted she wasn’t sure how to tell her daughters. One could be informed that Bob had a minor myocardial infarction and was now in the CCU and, due to her background she would know exactly what that meant and the ramifications. Her other daughter could have a panic attack over a hangnail. The topic had to be danced around.
All of this is just a preamble into the fact that what we say and how we say it matters. Definitions are important. The audience also dictates how you should express yourself. Let’s look through some of the terminology surrounding the major issue of abortion.
Do you know the difference between an abortion and a medical termination of a pregnancy? Most people use the two terms interchangeably. However, the majority of women who have had a miscarriage have the diagnosis of ‘spontaneous abortion’ or ‘incomplete abortion’ in their medical records. The difference and the point were driven home over a family dinner when the topic came up. My sister, who had recently suffered her second miscarriage, was very upset by the use of the word ‘abortion.’ It wasn’t something she had caused or chosen. Since that day I have been very careful to distinguish between abortion and medical termination of a pregnancy. The choice of words matters to your audience.
The two main parties in the abortion argument are Pro Life and Pro Choice. If you are Pro-Life does that mean you are for life or anti-abortion? What I mean is, are the people who are for life concerned only with the time from conception through gestation and delivery? Or are they concerned with all life? Are they just as concerned with end of life care, DNRs, and passive suicide as they are with a fetus?
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“We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.”
–Thomas Jefferson, letter to Samuel Kercheval, 12 July 1816“The multiplication of public offices, increase of expense beyond income, growth and entailment of a public debt, are indications soliciting the employment of the pruning knife.”
–Thomas Jefferson, letter to Spencer Roane, 9 March 1821“It might be demonstrated that the most productive system of finance will always be the least burdensome.”
–Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 35“I think all the world would gain by setting commerce at perfect liberty.”
–Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Adams, 7 July 1785“War is not the best engine for us to resort to; nature has given us one in our commerce, which if properly managed, will be a better instrument for obliging the interested nations of Europe to treat us with justice.”
–Thomas Jefferson, letter to Thomas Pickney, 29 May 1797“If Congress can do whatever in their discretion can be done by money, and will promote the General Welfare, the Government is no longer a limited one, possessing enumerated powers, but an indefinite one, subject to particular exceptions.”
–James Madison, letter to Edmund Pendleton, 21 January 1792Quotes courtesy of The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)
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THE PATRIOT PRESS
MARCHING TO THE DRUMBEAT OF FREEDOM
Feb. 1, 2009 Vol. 2 Issue 3
Abortion By Anna Becker
In 1973, a young woman named Norma McCorvey with two young women fresh out of law school, Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee, made history by taking the most important case in U.S. history to the Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court issued the ruling that legalized abortion on January 22, 1973. “We recognize the right of the individual, married or single, to be free from unwarranted governmental intrusion into matters so fundamentally affecting a person as the decision whether to bear or beget a child. That right necessarily includes the right of a woman to decide whether or not to terminate her pregnancy . . .” (ROE, v. WADE, 410 U.S. 113).
Many people applauded this ruling since it finally gave women the freedom and liberty long refused them. A woman has the right to choose in something that would affect her life so deeply. Who, after all, knows better than she what would be best for herself and her future, and in the case of rape or incest, the woman should not be punished with a baby! Additionally, it is not fair to the child to be brought up in a home where he is not wanted and loved. Such conditions would only make a hardened criminal of him and place an added burden on society at large. Roe v Wade finally gave women the right to be free and independent.
However, many girls who terminate a pregnancy by abortion erroneously believe that it is just a blob of tissue. The Bible clearly disproves that belief and even medical science has proven that it is a living being. By four weeks of age, a heartbeat can be heard and ears, eyes, and small hands are visible by the fifth week. One of the Ten Commandments is that “Thou shalt not kill” Exodus 20:13. In Ecclesiastes 11:5, an unborn child is clearly just that, an unborn child! “As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all” (Eccl 11:5). Adoptions are a viable alternative to abortions. A woman, no matter how she became pregnant, has no right to “choose” to kill another human being. America has had approximately 50,000,000 abortions to date. Just imagine how many future taxpayers, lawyers, doctors, and scientists we have ruthlessly killed.
Josh Davis was a swimmer in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, the only man in the world to win three gold medals there. His mother became pregnant out of wedlock and gave birth to Josh in 1972. She later told her son that she would have aborted him if abortion was legal in 1972. Abortion is murder and breaking God’s laws will never bring His blessing upon our land. “In the multitude of people is the king’s honour: but in the want of people is the destruction of the prince.” Proverbs 14:28
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DeMint’s ‘American Option’ Smart Alternative to Stimulus
Tuesday, February 3, 2009 6:10 PM
By: Ronald Kessler
The Democrats’ stimulus bill is a “sham” that could pass unless enough angry voters besiege Congress with calls and emails, Sen. Jim DeMint, chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, tells Newsmax.
Citing a new Gallup poll showing that three out of four Americans oppose the stimulus in its current form, the South Carolina Republican says Americans are beginning to understand what the stimulus bill is: a grab bag of spending measures that Democrats lusted after for years and that will do little to stimulate the economy.
“When people see bike trails and hiking trails and golf courses, they know this is not designed to stimulate the economy and create jobs,” DeMint says. “It’s just basically special-interest pork barrel spending. I think the real shame is when people here know that Americans are hurting, and people are losing jobs, and to use that as an excuse to spend money is really terrible.”
Appearing on MSNBC, ChuckTodd of NBC has cited private conversations with Democrats who “admit the Republicans have won the spin war here.” To counteract that, President Obama has gone on a media offensive, conducting interviews in the Oval Office with ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and FOX News.
But DeMint says the Democrats are being driven not by polls but by special or parochial interests. “No longer are politicians working for the good of the country,” he says.
As chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, DeMint heads the caucus of conservative senators that includes the majority of the Republican Conference. As an alternative to the stimulus bill, he has introduced legislation co-sponsored by Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, aimed at creating nearly 18 million jobs over the next 10 years by cutting taxes.
The measure — called the American Option — would cost almost as much as the $1.2 trillion bill passed by the House last week.
“The question here is not whether we do something, it’s how we do it,” DeMint says. “Essentially what we’re talking about is how do we put an extra trillion dollars in our economy for people to spend and businesses to use to hire people and buy capital equipment? There are two basic approaches to that. One is you take the money out of the private economy as the government, and then decide where you want it to go. That’s what we’re seeing from the Democrat bills in the House and the Senate. The other way to do it, which is more of a common-sense way, is consistent with free people and free markets. It’s just to leave the trillion dollars in the economy and not take it out through taxes.”
Obama met with the steering committee last week. He was open and listened, DeMint says.
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1. How did you get started in politics?
Politics has been a life long interest for me, and in 1998 I was elected GOP county chairman. This was the first elected political position I ever held.
2. What motivated you to run for office?
My wife, Ann, & I have always felt a need to stand up for the liberty of the unborn. The pro-life issue was the first issue that drew us into politics, yet we care deeply about many other conservative causes
3. What do you know now about serving as a legislator that you wish you had known when you were first elected?
Instead of filing bills, look for moving bills and offering amendments on
the floor. For example, I filed a bill that would allow for the death penalty to be sought in for child molesters. The bill never got a sub committee hearing. There was a movement around the county to pass “Jessica’s Law”, which increases penalties for child molesters and calls for electronic monitoring of these predators. When the bill was on the Senate floor, I introduced an amendment calling for the death penalty of child molesters. This sentencing immediately got the attention of the press and the people of SC interested. With the public behind this amendment, the legislature was forced to vote and now it is the law of the land.
4. What has been the biggest challenge for you as a Conservative Senator?
The greatest challenge has been fighting the reckless spending habits of the legislature.
5. What has been your biggest accomplishment so far?
The greatest accomplishments so far have been passing the death penalty for child predators, and passing an ultrasound requirement before abortion.
6. What advice would you give to a young person who is interested in running for office in the future?
Keep involved in politics, and start with a career in business. Retail is great to learn people skills.
7. What do you consider to be the most important element(s) necessary for running a successful campaign?
The most important elements are organization, keeping in touch with supporters and never taking any support for granted.
8. What do you see to be the biggest challenge conservatism will face in the immediate future in terms of political battles, and what can we do to win?
Republicans controlled washington for 6 years and doubled the national
debt. Trying to identify as a true reformer has been a challenge.
9. In what ways can concerned citizens in the private sector influence and impact the decisions and policies of the legislature?
Get to know your elected officials, and pray for your elected officials.
10. We hear a lot about “reaching across the aisle” and working with Democrats. Tell us what actually doing that looks like. Is it possible to do it without betraying principle?
Some times it is possible. Many liberal democrats are warming up to school choice for example, especially minority Democrats. When it comes to drawing the line with the political give-and-take, this involves some very tough decisions. I normally look at the issue this way. If this is the only chance we’ll get to “take a bite out of the apple”, I normally am reluctant to compromise and take an all or nothing position. If the compromise is a baby step in the right direction, I sometimes swallow a compromise if I see the possibility of a future opportunity the further the issue.
11. How do you handle negative press?
In my district negative press by liberal media helps, as my constituents know the liberal slant. Keeping a blog updates my constituents also.
12. How do you detect and counter under-the-table tricks the opposing side may attempt in order to further their agenda?
As Reagan put it, try to trust, but verify.
13. How do you keep your family so involved in your role as a Senator?
It is a struggle and they get tired of it sometimes. I often find myself having to force myself to “turn the wheels” off and focus on my wife and kids and make sure their needs are met. I don’t try to drag them to everything, just encourage them to do as much as they can without any pressure.
14. How do you deal with discouragement when it seems like you’re fighting a losing battle?
When I’m taking a principled stand, defeat does not bother me too much. I am grateful to have a conservative constituency that appreciates a good fight.
Thank you so much, Senator, for sharing with us and for your exemplary service in the SC Legislature. May God bless, prosper, and protect you and your family as you fight for conservative values.Click here to visit Senator Bryant’s blog.
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How much do you know about our nation and how it works? Here’s an interesting quiz that can be very revealing in its results! After you take it, come back and take the poll – you don’t have to reveal your name or anything! Be sure to look at the findings; they are astounding, depressing, challenging, and motivating to our cause.
At the close of every election cycle it seems that there are always some who cry for the abolition of the Electoral College, due to the “unfairness” of the current system. A poll taken in 2007 found that 72% of Americans supported the the idea of replacing the Electoral College with a direct election. Organizations have been founded with the goal of making our elections more “fair” (see www.fairvote.org), and some states have already taken steps to undermine the Electoral College (see National Popular Vote Interstate Compact – Wikipedia).
The reason the idea of a national popular vote finds such acceptance is not because the majority of Americans have weighed the choices with which the Founding Fathers were faced and disagree with their conclusions. On the contrary, the problem is simply that the great majority of Americans simply do not understand how the Electoral College works, and why the Founders chose that system over a popular vote.
Since that is the case, it is time for us to step up to the plate to help address this issue. We would like to challenge all our Patriots to:
1. Read David Barton’s article about the Electoral College
2. Write an opinion editorial or a letter to the editor of your local newspaper in defense of the Electoral College
You don’t have to be a great writer to write an op-ed or a letter to the editor. Strive to do your best, but the main goal is to get your opinion printed. Here are some links with tips for successful op-eds.
How To Write A Successful Op-Ed
How To Write An Op-Ed Column
Remember, the first step to changing public opinion is to get your viewpoint out there. This is a great way to do that, and one we all should utilize regularly. When you have successfully completed your op-ed or letter and submitted it to your newspaper shoot me an email, and I’ll recognize you here on the blog!
Have fun and happy writing!
Hannah
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Hi friends,
My family and I are extremely grateful for your thoughtful calls and emails. They have been a great encouragement to us. As you know, we entered the race late. However, we compensated for our limited time and knowledge of how to run a campaign with a passion to bring true educational reform to Arizona and a dedicated campaign team.
We have learned and grown tremendously throughout this process. Although the residents of LD 29 elected the two Democrat candidates, we are eager to continue to serve our community.
Our family is here to stay. We strongly believe that we must be the agents of change we desire to see in our community. For this reason, we will continue to engage in issues affecting our State, and share our skills to bring about positive results. On behalf of the Ciscomani Family, we thank you for believing in our vision, contributing to our campaign and casting your vote in our favor.
My email address will remain active so I hope to stay in touch.
Best,
Juan, Laura & Zoe Ciscomani
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We wish a belated happy anniversary to Rick and Kara Green, who celebrated their 14th anniversary on October 22nd. Mr. and Mrs. Green, thank you for your example of faithfulness to God and to each other, and may He give you many more years together!
