Quietly Staying On Point…

By: J Robert Giles

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@JRobertGiles

“A president who, after thousands of years of human history, a Harvard law degree, and four years in the White House, cannot tell us with certainty what he thinks marriage or life is, is not worthy of the trust of the American people or a second term in office.  It is time for leadership in America.  It is time again to stand for self-evident foundational truths.”  - Rick Santorum

 

No longer is the race for the 2012 GOP Nomination being run by just two men.  Yesterday, Rick Santorum had the kind of day many would consider to be a “good day".” He won all three of the caucuses held. Santorum defeated Romney in Colorado where several polls showed the latter enjoying a considerable lead as recently as Sunday. He won Minnesota which is still trying to prove it’s sanity despite the existence of Senator Al Franken (D-MN). And he won here in Missouri in a “non-binding” primary.

Who is he though? We all knew he was so much more than just a sweater-vest, but why should we vote for him? I made a case for Mitt Romney when he won Iowa. I made a case for Newt Gingrich when he won South Carolina. Here is the case for Rick Santorum. Santorum was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1990 at the age of 32. From 1995 until 2007, he served as a United States Senator.

As a member of the famous “Gang Of Seven”, Santorum loudly opposed many Congressional “perks” and investigated what would eventually become the House Banking Scandal and the House Post Office Scandal. His fierce opposition to what he viewed as governmental extortion led one Washington Post reporter to describe him as “a Tea Party kind of guy before there was a Tea Party.” In reading the information provided on his website, it is clear that Mr. Santorum’s family has inspired many of his political opinions. His views are those of a father and a husband, two titles from which he draws immense personal pride. He believes in empowering America to do what it does best, but he’s also willing to put laws into place that would make possible such noble endeavors.

Rick Santorum wrote and championed the “Born Alive Infants Protection Act” which protects a fetus that who survives an abortion procedure. This act received almost unanimous support when presented on the floor of Congress. In fact, there was only one Senator who opposed the bill. There was only one Senator with the “courage” to speak out against the bill on the Senate floor. There was only one Senator with a conscience small enough to allow him to support the possibility of a doctor having to stand in a room and watch as a human life faded before his bureaucratically tied hands. Can you guess who that Senator was? That’s right…..Barack Hussein Obama! When Pastor Rick Warren asked Obama in 2008 “at what point does a baby get human rights, in your view?” Obama, in full campaign mode at the time, responded “Well, you know, I think that whether you’re looking at it from a theological perspective or a science perspective, answering that question with any specificity, you know, is above my pay-grade.” Eloquent as ever, Mr. President but Rick Santorum believes that marriage and human life are issues that transcend a campaign cycle. Opinions of these fundamental subjects should be rock solid, no matter what a political advisor may suggest. Santorum believes that marriage between a man and a woman is special and should be protected as such. He believes that it’s special in that it is the only union upon which life itself depends.

Energy is another topic being tossed around a lot lately. In addition to the immediate implementation of the KeystoneXL Pipeline, Rick Santorum has a carefully articulated plan for America’s Energy Policy. Whereas Obama’s energy plan is similar to Clark W. Griswold’s infamous roller coaster ride at Wally World (he’s the deranged, fake-gun wielding, psychopath – John Candy represents the public), Santorum’s plan is logical and doesn’t involve loaning billions more of our dollars to companies that build products none of us want. Santorum believes that America’s dependence upon foreign oil sources not only drives up costs of almost everything within our borders, but it also severely limits our defense options. Obama restricts domestic exploration and facilitates America’s dependence upon unstable, often adversarial sources. Santorum believes that Americans should be given the right to invent, explore, and innovate our own way to energy independence. Obama has weakened an already burdensome regulatory process and imposed ridiculously unfair ideology where solutions are needed. Santorum believes in getting government the heck out of the way.

Speaking of defense, Santorum served 8 years on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Even before 9/11, Santorum led the fight to reform our military not for budgetary or political reasons, but for logical ones. He wanted to transform our military from the Cold War model by which we now operate, into a force capable of facing and dominating today’s threats. Germany is no longer a threat yet we spend billions of dollars each year maintaining, staffing, and supplying several bases in that country. Countries that actually pose a threat to our country are supported by either trade agreements, or our own laws.

When it comes to education, Senator Santorum believes in a “Put Parents First” kind of plan. This obviously makes him an enemy of big-unions whose very livelihood depends upon the current system of corruption, cronyism, and indoctrination. His education plan calls for flexible options designed to maximize the potential of the individual student. No longer would parents be at the mercy of the government to determine the education path of their own children. No longer would good teachers be stifled or driven into other careers because of union regulations, demands, and involvement. 

Obviously, Health Care is a huge issue in this election. Romney can’t possibly speak out against ObamaCare which scares me. Santorum, again with a “family-first” approach to his thinking, says he will repeal ObamaCare as soon as he takes office. Healthcare options should be between a patient and a doctor, not forced upon both by government regulations. His Barackness promised us that ObamaCare would lower our costs, yet the law itself specifically calls for increases in cost, taxation, and regulation. Businesses and our gasping economy can’t afford anymore of Obama’s “help” or “wisdom.” The Obama plan calls for tax incentives to encourage employers to stop providing coverage, leaving employees uncovered and in risk of penalty unless they succumb to the Obamanator’s Supreme Power and purchase government controlled healthcare plans. Santorum erases all that nonsense with a market driven healthcare plan that allows for premiums to come from pre-tax dollars. There is no religious conflict in Santorum’s plan as healthcare options are left up to the patient which, in and of itself, protects the religious freedom Obama is working so hard to strip away from us. (Liberals, feel free to insert “witty” anti-religion comment here…..the response is coming in the form of Friday’s article!)

Lastly, and the most important issue we all want addressed is the economy. None of this other stuff matters if we’re all broke and living in our Chevy Volts under constant fear of a battery fire. Rick Santorum has an economic plan which makes more sense than any of the others I’ve heard. Again, as is becoming a pattern, his plan is obviously the plan of a man who takes his family as more than just an obligation, or a photo-enhancer. Rick Santorum is a devoted husband and father of seven children. (That fact alone earns him some street-cred, don’t you think?) He believes the family is the first economy, and government should operate as a household operates. Santorum plans to simplify income taxes by reducing tax rates to either 10% or 28%. All others would be eliminated. He will also eliminate the Alternative Minimum Tax and other confusing, often manipulated code within our tax system. He will lower the Capital Gains and Dividend tax rate to 12%. (That oughta thrill the Occupy Wall Street types!) He plans to triple the Child Tax Credit for each child in the home. Marriage penalties, of any kind, anywhere they appear within our tax code, would be removed. He has several other points in his plan that would make it much easier and less costly for companies to expand and hire.

All in all, Santorum would be a fine candidate for President. He’s stood up to Obama in the past and has won. He’s got much more experience than people think. I do believe that despite the popularity of the sweater-vest, it’s time to put on a suit and start acting Presidential. I’m not asking to sit on your lap while you read me stories, I’m asking you to run my country.

As always, thanks for playing!

 

J. Robert Giles

 

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Somebody To Lean On….

By: J Robert Giles

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“Individuals play the game but teams beat the odds.”  - US Navy SEALS

 

It would take you less than a millisecond to identify an example of moral decay in the world around you. It’s sad, and it’s something about which we all complain, yet the problem persists. Things and topics once considered to be off-limits for public discussion are now acceptable without question. We consider ourselves to be adults yet we have all allowed ourselves to fall prey to the old “well, he did it first” policy for our lives. Attention is heaped upon those who dare to smite the Word of God. Those who openly and happily share their Faith are considered weak by those seeking a life free from the restrictions of purity. Bullying is condemned when charity dollars are in play, but praised via YouTube far more often. The horrendously disrespectful behavior of our children is treated as a medical condition for which pity and telethons are required. We have officially become the most arrogant herd of sheep in the history of the planet. 

Why is this so true? Why is it that we continue to allow decay where reinforcement is so readily available? The sad, simple answer is that we are a nation of cowards. Don’t bother sending me a bunch of stories about bravery and courage from generations past. I’m not saying there are not brave individuals within the borders of this country. I’m not saying that America is scared of other countries. What I am saying is that the wrong teams seem to be more and more attractive to us now than they were in other parts of our limited history. Each and every one of us are players on at least a dozen different teams. Our families can be our team, but they are often the hardest ones to lean on when leaning is needed. I would take an 8 second inhale inside Hillary Clinton’s sweaty gym socks if it spared my brother from that same terror. The same can be said, perhaps more eloquently, of any of the ‘teams’ to which you have pledged allegiance. The problem is that in order to reap the benefits offered by our teammates, admission of weakness is usually required. Pride keeps us from admitting weakness to those we look up to. We allow ourselves to believe we can “fix it” on our own before a member of the team must lend support. You can’t. History has proven time and time again that the greatest victories are those that you share. The same can be said of defeat if there is such a thing as a great one.

Comparably, that huge team we all play for……the one to which we have pledged allegiance with hand over heart……we’re losing that tournament badly. We’ve settled rather than confront so many of the issues promoting our demise. We’ve accepted immorality rather than question the fame of Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, and all the other panty-averse celebrities out in the land of Pelosi. Their team is ‘sexier.’ (Despite the fact that Pelosi’s image has been successfully tested as an immediate antidote to Viagra.) We accept the notion that questioning Obama’s leadership makes us racist. Their team is more ‘progressive.’ The once powerful guidance of religion and morality has been overrun by science, sin, and opinion. Their team is ‘louder.’ To live your life in a conservative, Christian manner is to follow the lunacy of Westboro Baptist Church, but to point out the fact that every single one of the cowards that downed the planes on 9/11 was of Middle Eastern descent means you are intolerant. We now live in a world where moderation is penalized and limits are constantly challenged and adjusted to accommodate lowered social standards. Negativity is the expectation, conflict is the tone. The elected leaders of this flagship team we call America have lost their way. But we allowed them to do so. We cast more votes for the “feel-good” story; the eloquent speaker; and the myriad empty promises because we got caught up in the temporary hype of another team.

The good news is that room can always be made for you on any team with which you choose to associate. Maybe you’ve been on a team that promotes an ideology with which you don’t necessarily agree. In it’s infancy, perhaps it appealed to you but through the years the team’s “progress” has taken it to destinations you didn’t intend to visit. Perhaps you voted for a man that charmed the world and dispatched his minions to enhance his appeal but now regret that decision. It’s not too late. Switch teams. Perhaps your contract was recently purchased by a demon you believed to have been defeated years ago. Luckily, we are not restricted by the same shackles of professional sports. Your contract is perpetually for sale and you are your only agent. The team with whom you choose to play says a lot about you as a person. Loyalty can be questioned when it’s bestowed upon categorically unworthy recipients. Collusion is the mistress of popularity and both have found a voice in mainstream media. As if the straightforward attacks weren’t bad enough, they are now bombarding our heads with subliminal weaponry. If you have built a core team around you, no one can truly defeat you. Your personal weaknesses may knock you down from time to time, but there is more than likely someone on your team to give strength where you have none. When I have taken the path with all the shiny appeal, someone on my team has been there to smack me in the forehead with a big hammer of lucidity. A loyal teammate will not dwell on your weaknesses but will instead defend you against the threats you don’t see for yourself. They do so with the belief that you will do the same for them if the situation ever calls for it. Those who now stand with heads hung low under the weight of their Obama-laden vote in the 2008 election must now be protected from the carnivorous monsters who will soon come calling for what they view as their rightful property. We cannot allow them to go.

Here’s another analogy. All year long, we’ve been told of Aaron Rodgers’ and the Green Bay Packers eventual return to the Super Bowl. It was as if the rest of the league was competing for second best. Rodgers. threw for an average of eighteen touchdowns and 750 yards per game according to several of the more loyal announcers on NFL Network. He completed passes to coaches, opposing cheerleaders, commentators, and in one instance completed a game winning pass to the Chipwich guy. So legendary is Rodgers that these stats actually enhanced his numbers for the season. Yesterday, Mr. Rodgers had what we like to call an “off-game.” I am not, in any way, trying to insinuate that Aaron Rodgers is a subpar quarterback. He’s an excellent quarterback. The problem yesterday is that his team put all the responsibility of victory on his arm. When his arm failed him, and the frozen fingers of his receivers dropped almost as many balls as they caught, the rest of the team was incapable of compensating. They had ridden the strength of one man to the playoffs and when that strength failed them, they were exposed. While this example may be terribly painful to the Packer nation, it serves as a poignant reminder that a team, no matter how great it’s superstars, is nothing without an equal effort from each and every member. Had the running game been able to step up and bail Rodgers out, we might be discussing the hated Giants today.

We often do the same things to ourselves. For whatever reason, we allow ourselves to believe that we are bigger than our team. We allow ourselves to believe that all responsibility of victory should be on our shoulders and when we let our teammates down, it’s often devastating to our confidence. The reality is that a true teammate is not disappointed when you think he is. A true teammate hurts for you without judgment. A true teammate will defend you even when the sting of your personal defeat hits them in ways you can’t imagine. A true teammate feels your moments of sadness, loss, defeat, and suffering as they would feel their own but they often conceal their tears to encourage your own well-being. Win or lose, you go down together and you go down swinging. That’s what being on a team is like. Are you part of a real team?

There are many people out there holding unsigned contracts in their hands. They are looking for a team. For some reason or another, none have made them an offer they could stick with and to this point in their lives, they have been wandering. These people need someone with whom they can identify and advance. While the love of a family is unconditional in it’s most accepted depiction, that love is not always the shield we hope it to be. Sometimes the shoulder we want to cry on is not the one being offered, and sometimes the advice we give sounds better passing the lips of another person. Right now, as a country, there are a lot of people who want to cry on the shoulder of the democratic party but that shoulder is not being offered to them. Instead, that shoulder is being used to carry the very source of so many tears. That shoulder is being used to support the very man with whom so many have become disillusioned. Do we shun them away from our mission because of past transgressions? Do we offer them safe haven while they fully absorb the mistake they made in 2008 or do we let them stay home with their vote in a good old fashioned pout-fest? In our families, there are those who have made mistakes. They have suffered what may seem like an insurmountable defeat, yet this is when they are truly loved the most. Scars make us human. If none of us ever made a mistake, this would be a very boring world and movies, sports, politics, and celebrity gossip shows would SUCK!

 

As always, thanks for playing.

 

J. Robert Giles

 

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We Take Issue With Your Issues….

By: J Robert Giles

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“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.”   - Jim Rohn

 

With the results of the New Hampshire Presidential Primary still buzzing around the screens of almost every major news outlet, we are reminded yet again of the fact that a president is only as capable as the people he represents. All the political change in the world will not do us a bit of good if we, the people asked to carry out the bold  predictions of those seeking office, are not willing to put in the work necessary to get there. Right now, we’re not at that point. That’s not to say that we’re lazy. We’re not. The world likes to paint us as lazy, unhealthy, greedy, narcissistic morons but the world is jealous. The world is jealous of the freedom we so often take for granted. The world is jealous of the advancements that freedom has bestowed and the creativity it has possibilitized. (That’s right! My beautiful bride is not the only one who can make up a word and then use it with emphatic authority.) The issues our government identifies as the ones that are important to us are the ones on which campaigns are run, but the changes the candidates promise to deliver are not the changes we need. Even the mighty Barack Hussein Obama missed the mark……I’ll give you a moment to gather your emotions……today when he delivered his pathetic speech about “insourcing.” The changes we need have to start within our own homes and they will start at a time of our own choosing. I think we’re all on the verge of making that choice. The bottom line is that in order to get to where the candidates promise to take us, we have to get government out of our way. Are any of them truly capable of delivering that order? (Settle down, Ron Paul supporters…..it wasn’t an invitation to scream and type a lot! You’re getting there, and I know I’m speaking your language, but this is not necessarily a political article.)

We often complain about government’s constant interference in our lives yet we seem to stop caring right about the time an opportunity for justified action presents itself. Ron Paul, with his consistent rise in popularity, throws around the phrase “Restore America Now” wherever he may be speaking. It’s all over his website, and all of his merchandise. It’s a great slogan and one that I’m sure Mr. Paul actually believes in. The problem is that the phrase, in it’s use as a presidential campaign slogan, assumes that the restoration process will begin within the hallowed halls of a government building. It will not. The restoration of America will start at your dinner table. It will start with the ideals and the morals you pass onto your family. The only way the government will be involved is by stepping aside and watching with a proud tear in it’s eye as the people of this country make it great once more. Restoration starts in the hearts and in the minds of those people. The restrictions from which we are so desperate to free ourselves are not exclusively those imposed on us by our own government. but rather the mental restrictions we have placed on ourselves. We doubt our own abilities so we see no reason to take the first step. We fear that our actions won’t make us gazillionaires, so we don’t nurture our own ambitions. Our greed allows us to believe that no salary is worth our precious attendance so, like Cousin Eddie, we “hold out for a management position.” Pessimism has run rampant for the better part of the last decade and it’s time to pack it up, toss it in the attic, and enjoy a few years of optimism. Not the kind of optimism that gets described from the stage at a political event but the kind that infects and entire family. The kind that then cause that family to go out in the world and infect more families. How do we start? Well, as is so often the case, we start with the kids.

Kids are the most abundant source of positive energy known to man. Their world has not yet been poisoned with the travesties of greed, responsibility, sexuality, or hatred. Their world is one in which their own imaginations shelter them. Their innocence protects them, and their naiveté grants them pardon. If we’re not working to secure a better world for them than the one into which they were born, then what is it all for? What are we striving for? Is this as good as it’s ever going to get? Have we ‘begun our initial descent?’ I don’t believe that we have. I believe we have been in a decline for a number of years, but I also believe that all great changes are usually preceded by chaos.The changes we make today must be enforced by our children in the future. We must pass on the lunacy that terrible ideology delivered to our country, but only as a lesson, not as a lifestyle. We must educate our children to the farthest extent to which they, as individual children, are willing to travel. For decades, the idea of a voucher system for public education has been kicked around in heated debates and closely contested campaign battles. Unfortunately, once the votes are counted, the issue is thrust back into dormancy where it will remain until the next election. No more, it’s time for change. Union control of our children’s education is literally destroying their brains along with the future of our country. The dumbest kid in my school would be on the honor roll, possibly pre-writing his valedictorian speech, in today’s public school system. Good teachers are silenced by those with unionized tenure. It’s time to allow our kids to study among children who will encourage their success with their presence alone. More importantly, it’s time for our children to be able to go to a school specifically tailored for their abilities, aptitudes, and strengths. The days of “all for one” are over. If your kid is more interested in video games, lethargy, and public indecency then he/she should not be receiving the same education as the kid who’s interested in becoming a cardiovascular surgeon. A voucher system would allow such progress.

My grandfather died in 1985. If he were to return, would I be able to justify the enormous decline in decency that floods our streets today? Could I look him in the eye and say “this is what we’ve done with the world you left us”? In so many ways, we view ourselves as so far ahead of where we were then. Technology has boomed. Medical  advancements of today might very well have saved his life back then, and communications are today what science fiction films were back then. Seriously, has anyone watched Back to The Future II lately? My grandfather, and I’m guessing many of yours. would be appalled if he saw what children today are wearing, or heard how they speak to adults. The world my grandfathers left to me still had quite a bit of it’s decency. Today, that’s all gone. We’ve come to accept disrespect as a “phase.” Dirty and uneducated has somehow come to mean “courageous.” Disruptive is now funny, while intelligence is frowned upon.kids are afraid to succeed because of what the process would take away form their social calendar. There are changes needed in that regard for which a president simply can’t impact, no matter how big of a check he may write.

I want my son to grow up with the same pride in America that I felt when I was about his age. There was hope. There was laughter. They have to see an example of someone pulling themselves up from the depths of a brooding, nationwide depression and smack the snot out of those who hold us down. Our kids need to see us say “enough is enough” and take this country back from the dangerous hands in which it is now entrusted. We can no longer afford to sit back and hope that someone else delivers change to our door, it’s time to build the change behind our own doors, and then deliver it to someone else when it’s perfected. Living within the guiding coordinates of God’s compass is a great way to live, even if you’re one of the unfortunate souls who hasn’t seen God’s work in your life yet. It’s a great way to raise your family. It’s a great centering point for the confused, often scared minds of your kids.

 

As always, thanks for playing.

 

J. Robert Giles

 

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They’re Counting On the Sheep…..

By: J Robert Giles

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“I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep, I’m afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.”  

- Alexander the Great

 

As so many of my ideas seem to arrive in my head, so did the launching point for today’s article whilst sitting in Church yesterday. (As did the idea to toss a “whilst” at you from the opening line of said article!) Anyway, during the very well received sermon yesterday morning, Isaiah 53:6 was read……”We all, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way.” While I’m sure there have been many more clever ways of expressing the same sentiments over the years, surely none have carried more weight. Their impact comes from the truth they carry. We have lost our way, but not just spiritually. Oh no, my friends…..we have a long way to go before we even reach the starting point of a spiritual journey. I’m talking about all the other paths we have chosen to follow as a country. We’re sheep. I know it’s a tired, played out analogy that radio hosts like to throw around amidst annoying sound effects and shameless plugs, but it doesn’t make it any less accurate. We are sheep. Each and every one of us.

Sheep are dumb. Sheep are happily oblivious to the fact that they are being led to slaughter. They are only concerned with following. They willingly walk to their deaths for the sake of being “part of the crowd.” Do we not do the same thing? Again I ask you, if we are not mindless sheep following the ideas and say-so of someone else, then how do you explain Ugg Boots? How do you explain the popularity of Chihuahuas? Someone popular did it, so we must also do it. It’s ingrained in us at an early age and sadly, it gets worse the older you get. Sheep are defenseless. Have you ever seen a sheep taking charge and leading the herd? They move as an amorphous blob, with no identifiable leader or direction among them. They are completely dependent upon outside influence. Again, if someone can draw a legitimate difference between the behavior of a herd of sheep and the majority of the US Population then I will gladly hear it. I’m betting anyone with enough intelligence to articulate such a thought also has enough wits to know one would be inaccurate. We follow. No matter how strong a person believes themselves to be, they are following something. There is someone ahead of you that keeps you moving in one direction. You don’t have to admit out loud, we all know it’s true. The rich follow the expense. The beautiful follow the attention. The weak follow the loud. The strong follow the challenge. We all follow something, even if that something is leading us to the slaughter. Sheep are filthy. Dogs clean themselves; birds have bird baths: cats even have the luxury of plopping down in the most inopportune spot and doing that weird, stretchy leg, butt to ankle in one swipe of the tongue thing. (Seriously, it’s creepy!) Have you ever seen a sheep bathing itself? No! Can you imagine wearing a thick, wool suit into the pool? A sheep’s hygiene really has nothing to do with this analogy, I just wanted to put that cat image in your heads. Sorry.

We’ve all been led astray. Those who deny such a claim have been led astray by their own arrogance. There is only one Shepherd’s Call to which our ears should be tuned, but unfortunately that’s just not the way He designed His flock. While living our lives, and running our country, and our homes according to the Word of God would be a terrific way of doing things, it’s simply not possible from where we stand today. There are myriad common sense changes we must make just to clear the path to the starting line of a collective spiritual journey, but that’s not to say we don’t get out the machetes and start the revolution. That’s the general feeling I get as we open this new year. Americans are sick of the “doom and gloom” mentality. The world is not going to end this year and we’re sick of being told to prepare as if it is. The United States of America is not too far gone and the people who make up this great country are getting a good old fashioned revolutionary feeling in their bones. It has nothing to do with the horrendous political landscape before us but more to do with the overall attitudes being shoved down our throats. There seems to be a general feeling of community as we look at the months ahead. There seems to be a sense of hope and encouragement no politician could possibly deliver. This is the kind of determined will that only the people of the United States can deliver to the world. It was not a politician that brought about the industrialization of the world. The presidents overseeing the information age have had about as much to do with it as I had to do with the Miracle on Ice. The American spirit brought about the significant ages of our country and the same will hold true in our very near future. We have to take that first step. Unelecting (that’s copyrighted, by the way) our current President will be a good start, but even more important is who succeeds him. Will it be another politician stubbornly loyal to the views of his party or will it finally be another “step back and let America do what America does best” type of leader. (Yes, any kind of ‘leader’ would be an improvement!) The changes we want can only be delivered by us, and I think people are finally starting to wake up to that fact. We need to make some common sense changes, but we are the ones who will make them.

CEO salaries when compared to the average employee are running at a ratio of 320:1. depending on which source you believe. Some list it as high as 475:1 but with the convoluted mess we have allowed to fester in terms of pay structures and stock options and incentives…….okay, I get it! Some changes are needed but to demand a ratio of 1:1 is even more absurd. Everyone in this country is not equal.  Everyone in this country could be given the chance to contribute equally to a common goal, but such a dream is centuries away from the world we’ve built around ourselves. Common sense will tell us that CEO’s are taking advantage, in some cases, but not all of them. Do I believe that the guy smoking pot out behind the Jack In The Box up the street from my house deserves to make the same salary as the genius behind all those commercials? NO!! I do not! Changes are needed but they will not be the over-inflated, skewed changes depicted in carefully written political speeches.

Morality waved bye-bye to the United States about the time Paris Hilton was given a primetime TV show. Kids in California are being read stories by an active pornstar and driven to same sex wedding ceremonies during school hours because both have been deemed “teachable moments.” You know what; you’ve derailed! America is ready to take back the futures of our children from the catastrophic failure that is our Public School System. PLEASE do not read that as me saying there are no good teachers out there. There are terrific teachers in almost every school in the country. They are sincere in their mission but restrained by the greed of their unions and the system they own. There seems to be movement in the attitudes on that front as well. We’re ready to inject morality back into the lives of our kids who are learning confusing concepts well before the innocence of their youths have expired.

Free speech is a concept worth defending, but America seems ready to take it back from those who use it as a channel for their own lunacy. Yes, you have the right to say what you want, but that does not mean you get to impact the life of my children because your own beliefs are somehow more protected than my rights as a parent. That’s not what the founding fathers had in mind. I will gladly defend the idea of free speech in this country but I believe such a concept gives no shelter to men like the cowards at Westboro Baptist Church. The concept of free speech assumed that the men and women of this country would apply enough common sense to it’s use that law would not have to intervene.

This country is tired of being led to the slaughter by sadistic shepherds. Our leaders spend our money on things we don’t want. They spend our money on things that do absolutely nothing to enhance the future we hope to see. They do all this while we continue to follow one another to the slaughtering house. No more. Like a gawky, teenage boy entering puberty, our collective voices are beginning to change from the timid bleats of the lambs our leaders believe us to be into the intimidating roars of the lions we have always been. We will take back control of not only the political leadership in this country, but also the general direction in which we seem to be headed. Take control wherever you see an opportunity. Demand more from those who call themselves our ‘leaders.’ In fact, demand they refer to themselves as our ‘servants’ because that’s all they are. This idea that an elected official is better than the people they represent has come to an end. This is our year, dammit!

As always, thanks for playing!

 

J Robert Giles

Time to Believe....

By: J Robert Giles

Christmas Series 2011 (Part 3)

 

"I truly believe that if we keep telling the Christmas story, singing the Christmas songs,
and living the Christmas spirit, we can bring joy and happiness and peace to this world."  

- Norman Vincent Peale

 

 

 

I love Christmas. Christmas, like no other time on the calendar, is a celebration of faith. Christmas brings out the child in even the most rigid of men. Strangers seem a little more familiar when they display evidence of a mutual belief. Christmas provides clear proof of this fact. The disgustingly rude blob that works behind the counter at the local convenience store displays an “It’s all about CHRISTmas” button on his shirt yesterday and suddenly he’s a little less revolting. The genuinely pleasant guy at Starbuck’s with the giant bolt in his face and those lovely, see-through earlobes says “Merry Christmas” with a smile on his face and suddenly he seems like a teammate. I have no idea if these men will celebrate the season with any similarities whatsoever to the festivities and traditions of my own home, but Christmas is the one time of year that allows me to believe they will. We’re bred at an early age to behold the majestic beauty of the Christmas spirit. Santa is one of the first real examples of faith a human being will ever know.

Santa, especially to a 7-12 year old kid, is the ultimate test in faith. At that age, the understanding of the most important kind of faith is limited at best, and conversations are pretty minimal. Santa, however, is easily understood. The physics of chimney accessibility, global travel, and quadruped aviation are irrelevant. As an adult, faith is even more unfathomable when God is the recipient of our belief. On almost a daily basis, we are asked to defend our faith in a God that can’t be seen. We are forced to humbly accept the ridicule from the progressive enlightened bunch. Our faith is twisted and manipulated to support certain causes for which it should never be asked to represent. Through it all, we have faith. We have faith and we have peace. It’s that peace that allows us to smile at the grossly arrogant doubt that oozes from nonbelievers. True magic occurs when someone with adamant faith in both God and Santa is found.

Kids understand their belief in Santa. It can’t be questioned. The fact that they have never seen him delivering the presents doesn’t even make a dent in the encasing armor of their faith. Why is it then that adults sometimes seem to stumble when pressed about their faith in God? Why is it that questioning someone about their belief in God can be done from a platform of assumed superiority but to question a child about their belief in Santa with a condescending tone will bring about a public beating? Why are the two not regarded with the same respect? Christmas has become more of a statement than a celebration. It’s become more about defiance than joy; on both sides of the argument. Those of us who accept that our best Christmas gift was delivered to a manger in Bethlehem feel that we must remain defiant in the face of opposition. Our public celebration of Our Savior’s birth is our signature on the enlistment papers. Those who feel that Christmas and all of it’s faith is something beneath their level of intelligence should not be allowed to celebrate the tangible, earthly benefits of Jesus’ Birthday Party as they mock it’s true origin yet their defiant opposition seems to be their battle cry. Those who worship another, less “fact-based” God…..well…..what the heck are you doing reading this article?!?! Belief in Santa, however, is encouraged in kids born into both sides of the argument. All of us would absolutely welcome the discovery of Santa’s Workshop. If your favorite TV show was interrupted with news that everything you ever heard about Santa Claus was just proven to be true, you would cry with joy. You would be free to be a kid again. You’re smiling right now just thinking about it, aren’t you? I sure am!

We believe that Santa lives at the North Pole, but we can’t believe that Jesus lives everywhere? We believe in Santa’s magical flying sleigh, but we can’t believe that Jesus walked on water? Santa brings joy once every year and we look forward to his visit with eager anticipation yet we shun Jesus’ constant presence and guidance. Santa slithers down your chimney, uninvited, in the middle of the night; eats your cookies and possibly takes pictures of you while you’re sleeping. Kind of creepy, right? Jesus, however is more of a gentleman. He knocks at your door and waits patiently for your invitation to enter. You have to wait in long lines at the mall to see a Santa that smells like old Mac n’ Cheese and paint thinner but a conversation with Jesus only requires the mention of His name. We believe that Santa leaves gifts under our tree and under the trees of every other kid on earth but we can’t accept that God gave us the gift of Jesus? We haven’t ever seen Santa yet our faith remains. God can be seen everywhere if He is truly sought. God can be seen in happy times just like Santa, but God is also present in sadness. God can be seen in the lessons learned from heartbreaking loss. God can be seen in illness and He can be seen in friendship. His presence can be seen in disaster but only to those willing to see it.

Christmas is a celebration of faith. Proudly display yours!

 

 

SEEING JESUS

I’m sure you’ve heard stories before of Jesus being seen in varying circumstances. You may have even heard the story I’m about to re-tell (with a bit of good old fashioned creative license) before. Once again, cliché stories take on magical meaning when told against the backdrop of Christmas!

In 1962, there was a young preacher travelling through the Midwest at Christmas time. The preacher was single and he was leaving his job in Indianapolis to go to his family home in Michigan. Anyone who has ever spent any time in the Midwest this time of year knows that the weather conditions can get downright nasty. It was one of those days. Blowing snow racing along the surface of the interstate like an advancing army; a painful bite to the wind, and temperatures so cold it makes breathing a task. There was ice in spots, but it didn’t stop the young preacher from racing down the virtually traffic free interstate in his Corvette.

Several hours into his trip the preacher saw a soldier standing under an overpass with his government issue cap pulled down over his head as tightly as it would go. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets as he weathered the howling winds and the fine powder of old snow it carried in it’s momentum. His large, stereotypical duffel bag, stuffed as full as physically possible, stood at rigid attention beside him.

The preacher, travelling much faster than he should have been considering the road conditions, sped past the soldier. As he did, he noticed the young man jerk one of his hands out of his pocket and extend his thumb. The preacher gave little thought to altering his course for this stranger. Not because he was a mean man, but simply because he was driving a two-seater and the seat not caressing his own derriere was piled high with gifts and clothes for his Christmas vacation in Michigan.  The trunk of a Corvette is just big enough for two pints of Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked Ice Cream (I suggest you go ahead buy three though. Eat one on the way home! IT’s THAT good!) so it wouldn’t prove to be much help even if he did want to stop and pick up this inconvenient stranger. He whipped past the shivering, camouflaged soldier and tried to put his blossoming guilt out of his mind before it grew.

He was unsuccessful in those attempts. The Christian in him simply wouldn’t allow him to leave a fellow human being out in the cold like that…..especially a soldier…..at CHRISTMAS! He was a preacher for heaven’s sake! He did a u-turn after about five miles of begrudging inner negotiations, and hoped the whole way back to the bridge that someone else had stopped and picked up the Army-cicle. No such luck. He stood there in the same position he had been on the first pass only now he looked more forlorn and miserable than before.  His eyes were closed as if the cold had begun to shut down the nonessential functions of his body.The preacher pulled up as the soldier opened his eyes and walked excitedly to his car. The poor man’s teeth were chattering. Thick collections of ice could be seen in his eyelashes and eyebrows as he approached as quickly as his frozen, often dragging feet would allow.

The grateful soldier was determined but proud. When the preacher began to explain the limited space, the soldier never accepted defeat. The preacher pulled away from that bridge having stuffed the soldier into the passenger seat, his duffel bag between his legs, and all of the clothes and presents in his lap. The poor man couldn’t see out of any windows and boxes slid around in his lap, but never once did he complain. Feeling began to return to his extremities, and with it came his voice.

He explained that he was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. “Didn’t I see you go by a little while ago? Not many Corvettes out today, kind of sticks out in my head.”

“Yes, that was me?” the preacher replied.

“You mean you turned around and came back?” The astonished soldier inquired. “Why would you do that?”

“I was raised in a home where helping others was always viewed as a gift that was never to be squandered. Plus, I’m a Christian minister. Leaving you out there in the cold just wouldn’t be right. I didn’t really think you would fit in the car, so I thought I could offer my assistance without having to actually do anything to be honest, but apparently God saw through that little ploy.” The preacher explained. “Honestly, if I wasn’t a Christian I’d probably still be racing along without a second thought whatsoever. Jesus guides me to do some things that I simply wouldn’t consider without Him.”

The soldier was silent. He just stared at the preacher for several minutes before he spoke. Even if he had been able to see out any of the windows around him, he probably would have stared at the young minister just the same. When he finally spoke it was with the shaky chords of a man using every mental weapon in his arsenal to fight back the tearful emotions attempting to seize control of him. “You have no idea how that convicts me.” he said in a shaky but confident tone. “I’m no Christian, sir. My wife is a Christian and she’s just about the greatest woman alive. She takes our kids to Church every Sunday despite my constant encouragement to just stay home with me instead. A few weeks ago, I was turned down for holiday leave because I got drunk and caused some trouble on post. I was sick about it. When another solider found out his parents were coming to spend the Holidays with some nearby relatives, he offered to relieve me of my duties so that I could get home. I had already loaned my care to another platoon-mate, and I had spent all my money on these gifts I was going to ship home to my wife and kids.” he patted his duffel bag. “I decided to start hitchhiking. My family doesn’t even know I’m coming home.”

The preacher, who had been a little put-off by the inconvenience this stranger was causing him, was now completely enthralled.

“I had been standing out there under that overpass for three and a half hours and it occurred to me that some of those passing cars had to have been carrying Christians, right? I began to get kind of bitter about it until I started to accept the fact that if I were them, I wouldn’t have stopped either. I wouldn’t have even considered it. In fact.I might have tried to splash me if I was one of the drivers! Anyway, I got so cold, so lonely, and so desperate that I began to pray. I’ve never really done it before but I’ve heard my wife say ‘just have a conversation with Him’ so many times that I just started to talk to God. I prayed that he would please send someone to help me and you want to know the embarrassing part……you showed up as soon as I opened my eyes from that prayer.”

The preacher made no attempts to hide the tears flowing freely down his cheeks. “I wasn’t going to come back but your image just wouldn’t leave my brain. Everything I preach would have been discredited if I had left you there.”

The pair of now familiar strangers pulled up to the soldier’s much missed home and sat in the driveway. The preacher honked his horn as instructed and a few moments later the front door opened just a crack. A curious child could be seen peering through the frosted glass, only able to see a car in the driveway, not it’s inhabitants. Finally, the soldier stepped out of the car and yelled toward the house “Hey, Buddy! Daddy came home for Christmas!”

Before the shakily joyous words escaped his lungs, the door swung open and a woman in a bathrobe and house slippers came bursting out into the snow covered yard. It was dark but the joyful tears could be seen flowing down her cheeks as she embraced her husband and let her emotions flow freely. The soldier hugged all three of his kids several times as tears of his own flowed more freely than the preacher had ever seen on the face of a man before.The wife and the kids thanked the preacher and explained that they had been praying for the last week that Christmas would somehow deliver “their daddy.”

That young preacher was given a lesson that he would never be able to teach a congregation. He was able to see firsthand the work of God. He was able to acknowledge the power of God in his own life and admitted that Jesus is truly in control. We can’t all rescue a soldier from frostbite in 1962, but we can all witness the power of God in our homes this Christmas. Spread it around and do your part to keep that Faith going year round.  

 

 

As always, thanks for playing!

 

J. Robert Giles

 

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Only at Christmas….

By: J Robert Giles

CHRISTMAS SERIES 2011 (Part 2)

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“We Make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”  - Winston Churchill

 

 

'The Christmas Angels'

Original Story by: Susan Fahncke

 

It was December 23, 1993. For a single mom who was going to college and supporting my children completely alone, Christmas was looking bleak. I looked around my little home, realization dawning like a slow, twisting pain. We were poor.

Our tiny house had two bedrooms, both off the living room. They were so small that my baby daughter's crib barely fit into one room, and my son's twin bed and dresser were squeezed into the other. There was no way they could share a room, so I made my bed every night on the living room floor.

The three of us shared the only closet in the house. We were snug, always only a few feet from each other, day and night. With no doors on the children's rooms, I could see and hear them at all times. It made them feel secure, and it made me feel close to them -- a blessing I wouldn't have had in other circumstances.

It was early evening, about eight o'clock. The snow was falling softly, silently, and my children were both asleep. I was wrapped in a blanket, sitting at the window, watching the powdery flakes flutter in the dimming light, when my front door vibrated with a pounding fist.

Alarmed, I wondered who would stop by unannounced on such a snowy winter night. I opened the door to find a group of strangers grinning from ear to ear, their arms laden with boxes and bags.

Confused, but finding their joyous spirit contagious, I grinned right back at them.

"Are you Susan?" The man stepped forward as he held out a box for me.

Nodding stupidly, unable to find my voice, I was sure they thought I was mentally deficient.

"These are for you." The woman thrust another box at me with a huge, beaming smile. The porch light and the snow falling behind her cast a glow over her dark hair, lending her an angelic appearance.

I looked down into her box. It was filled to the top with delicious treats, a fat turkey, and all the makings of a traditional Christmas dinner. My eyes filled with tears as the realization of why they were there washed over me.

Finally coming to my senses, I found my voice and invited them in. Following the husband were two children, staggering with the weight of their packages. The family introduced themselves and told me their packages were all gifts for my little family. This wonderful, beautiful family, who were total strangers to me, somehow knew exactly what we needed. They brought wrapped gifts for each of us, a full buffet for me to make on Christmas Day, and many "extras" that I could never afford. Visions of a beautiful, "normal" Christmas literally danced in my head. Somehow my secret wish for Christmas was materializing right in front of me. The desperate prayers of a single mom had been heard, and I knew right then that God had sent his angels my way.

My mysterious angels then handed me a white envelope, gave me another round of grins, and took turns hugging me. They wished me a Merry Christmas and disappeared into the night as suddenly as they had appeared.

Amazed and deeply touched, I looked around me at the boxes and gifts strewn at my feet and felt the ache of depression suddenly being transformed into a childlike joy. I began to cry. I cried hard, sobbing tears of the deepest gratitude. A great sense of peace filled me. The knowledge of God's love reaching into my tiny corner of the world enveloped me like a warm quilt. My heart was full. I fell to my knees amid all the boxes and offered a heartfelt prayer of thanks.

Getting to my feet, I wrapped myself in my blankets and sat once again to gaze out the window at the gently falling snow. Suddenly, I remembered the envelope. Like a child, I ripped it open and gasped at what I saw. A shower of bills flitted to the floor. Gathering them up, I began to count the five, ten, and twenty-dollar bills. As my vision blurred with tears, I counted the money, then recounted it to make sure I had it right. Sobbing again, I said it out loud: "One hundred dollars."

I looked at my children sleeping soundly, and through my tears I smiled my first happy, free-of-worry smile in a long, long time. My smile turned into a grin as I thought about tomorrow: Christmas Eve. One visit from complete strangers had magically turned a painful day into a special one that we would always remember...with happiness.

It is now several years since our Christmas angels visited. I have remarried, and our household is happy and richly blessed. Every year since that Christmas in 1993, we have chosen a family less blessed than we are. We bring them carefully selected gifts, food and treats, and as much money as we can spare. It's our way of passing on what was given to us. It's the "ripple effect" in motion. We hope that the cycle continues and that, someday, the families we share with will be able to pass it on, too.

 

Susan’s story is a perfect illustration of what Christmas is all about. Her story could have taken place at any time of the year and the immediate effects enjoyed by her family would have been the same. They would have been grateful for the food and money, but it wouldn’t have had the lasting impact that this season tends to deliver only to those of us willing to accept it.

Obviously, it’s loads of fun to receive gifts. Everyone loves it. I’m not going to lie and tell you that I don’t enjoy the thrill of opening up a carefully wrapped present on Christmas morning any less as an adult than I did as a child. That elated curiosity that brings a smile to your face as you reveal the contents to a waiting audience. That’s a terrific feeling no matter what the occasion, but Christmas carries a weight with which no other celebration can compete. Something about the spiritual celebration that takes place in the hearts of Christians this time of year just makes us remember the events a little more vividly. Like a movie that you truly connect with. You remember not only the lines spoken and the facial expressions displayed, but you remember your own emotional reactions to each and every scene. For most of us, that seems to be the case with Christmas as well, but can any of you truly imagine the joy Susan felt that morning when the “angels” visited her?

If you think long and hard about it, I bet you would be surprised at just how easily all of us can relate to Susan’s story. All of us have gone through that one Christmas where money was especially tight, options were bleak, and panic seemed to have you one negative event away from thinning out the population around you. We’ve all been there. The fact that you’re reading this article tells my keen sense of deduction that you survived the nightmare. For many of us, there was a shining moment, in the midst of those dark hours, that we can point to as the moment we knew we would get through it. For some, it was a generous gift from an unknown source. For others, it was the perfect gift given by your perfect person. Maybe your shining moment came when Christmas morning delivered the first smiles since the recent funeral of a much loved family member. Whatever the moment, we got through it. Susan tells a dramatic story, from the perspective of a desperate woman. What separates Susan from the people seeking handouts and expecting free luxury is that her prayer was not uttered out of self-centered greed. She had accepted the label of “poor.” Her prayer was for her children. In the midst of putting herself through college, and struggling on her own, she prayed for the ability to deliver happiness to her children. Not expensive gifts, not extravagant trinkets they would forget within a month. She prayed for the ability to deliver happiness to her own children.

And what about the family that God asked to deliver His answer to Susan’s prayer? It’s safe to assume that at some point, that family sat down and made a conscious decision to help a needy family. There’s a huge difference between needy and lazy. Susan was needy and she received blessings as such. Had she been simply lazy, such good fortune would not have come her way. Yes, she may have received the food. She may have received gifts to give to her children, but those were not the actual gifts she received that day. Those were the earthly representations of her gifts, but through her Faith she was able to see the lesson beyond the tangible objects. She was able to see that the true gift was her own ability to accept the generosity of others. Many of us don’t really see acceptance of someone else’s generosity as a gift. Sadly, it comes all to naturally in this “give it to me now – just charge it and worry about it later – do whatever feels good to you” society we live in. That seems to be all we do anymore is receive, take, and discard. Susan, like so many of what seems like an overwhelming minority, realized that she would only realize the full blessing of that generous gift if she strived to one day be on the other side of the transaction.  As much as the food and the money helped Susan and her blossoming family that year, the true gift has been in her ability to give the same joy to others. Only the recipients can determine if they gain the same experience Susan and her children gained from the generosity of strangers, but somehow Christmas allows us to believe that they will. Christmas, and the defiant birthday celebration it was intended to be, add special impact to normal events. Generosity goes further at Christmas than any other time of the year so get out there and give something. Give time, energy, or money but just make sure your experience doesn’t end upon delivery.

As always, thanks for playing!

J. Robert Giles

Share the Season…

By: J Robert Giles

CHRISTMAS SERIES 2011 (Part 1)

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Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.   - Hebrews 13:2

 

 

Original Story By Nancy W. Gavin

1982

It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.

It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas---oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it-overspending...the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma---the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.

Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church, mostly black.

These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.

As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears.

It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.

Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them."

Mike loved kids-all kids-and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came.

That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.

On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me.

His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years.

For each Christmas, I followed the tradition---one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.

The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal it's contents.

As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn't end there.

You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more. Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad.

The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope. Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.

May we all remember each other, and the Real reason for the season, and His true spirit this year and always. God bless---pass this along to your friends and loved ones.

That story is the first of several I will share over the next eleven days. It’s that time of year. As I sit here writing this, surrounded by political absurdity, sports misery, and looming poverty; it’s stories like the one Mrs. Gavin told in 1982 that remind us all what this season is truly about. Mike Gavin was right; if the only thing you care about this time of year is the commercialized aspects of this Holiday, then you are a lost soul. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ. We are in a fight to keep the right to celebrate it as such, but in our own homes, where our Christmas memories are made, we are free to celebrate Christmas as it was meant to be celebrated. The traditions, like the one enjoyed by the Gavin family to this day, are what the Christmas season is all about.

Occupy Wall Street hippies and ACLU morons can oppose Christmas all they want but they will never force us into retreat. Beyond the commercial greed, and the billons of dollars spent on gifts, decorations, and electricity for the front yard light displays, Christmas is about love. It’s about giving of not only gifts to the ones you love, but to people you wouldn’t normally notice. Those gifts need not be fancy or expensive. They need not be wrapped in delicate ribbons or beautiful paper. They can be gifts of generosity or time. As long as they are given from a genuine heart they have earned the title of “gift.”

Give your gifts. Give things at Christmas you wouldn’t normally give. Embrace the very foundation of this holiday and cherish the spirit that consumes you. Set aside arguments with forgotten sources. Surrender control and welcome with open arms the full force of Christmas. The songs, the sounds, the smells, the tastes…..as soon as they leave, you’ll miss them. Enjoy them while they’re here so that you can anticipate them again next year. There will always be those who refuse the gifts delivered on the day that launched this annual celebration. The biggest gift you can give this year is to pray a selfless, heartfelt prayer for those who have not discovered the power behind such actions for themselves. We all have close friends who do not share our religious views. We have family members with values that more closely resemble the values of our enemies than our own. Pray for them. Pray that they discover the power to see the world as you see the world at Christmas. Pray that they can one day enjoy not only the memory of their mother decorating the house, but that they can enjoy the celebration of Christ that kept their mother happy as she did so. Pray that they can not only enjoy the memory of a grandmother’s monkey bread, but also the guiding hand of Christ that kept heart attacks at bay as a recipe consisting of mostly butter and sugar was consumed. Pray that they come to know the joy of seeing their kids anticipate a candlelight Church service as an important and non-negotiable part of their budding Christmas traditions. Christmas is about sharing, so share Christmas. Share it or lose it to the misguided opposition.

The Spirit of Christmas allows for indulgence and encourages laughter. Christmas is the one time in our year when thoughts of political landscape can be set aside for a few days while tradition is honored, loved ones are remembered, and family is gathered. Enjoy this time, take lots of pictures, and we’ll get back to the lunacy on Friday!

As always, thanks for playing!

J. Robert Giles

 

I’ll Vouch for That…

By: J Robert Giles
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“The tendency to whining and complaining may be taken as the surest sign symptom of little souls and inferior intellects.”   - Lord Jeffrey

 

A story broke here in Saint Louis over the weekend that just screams of so many unaddressed problems in our current system of education. The story itself is ludicrous but the bigger issues behind the story are issues that quite frankly don’t get enough attention. First…..the story.

There’s a school here called Shaw Visual Performing Arts Elementary. I’ll give your mind a second or two to digest that information. Assumptions of conservative reasoning are shunned by the school’s moniker alone, but here are a few statistics about the school anyway. (For source information, please click on the link.) Shaw Visual Performing Arts Elementary is in the St Louis City School District. It is comprised of 63.5% African American students and 33.6% White students. It performs well below the accepted averages in almost every measurable category. In Mathematics, for example, Shaw ranks at an average of 19.34% compared to the Missouri State average of 49.67%. Now, apparently this school has a long standing tradition of Caroling at Christmastime to raise money necessities that parents are unwilling to provide themselves. Any thought of referring to “Christmas” or the “Birth of Christ” was removed long ago, but only last week did the school make news. Last week, the Principal at Shaw Visual Performing Arts Elementary, during practice for the upcoming concert, asked if there were any students who did not wish to participate in the ceremonies. Out of 350+ students, only a handful raised their hands to indicate some sort of opposition to the melodious tradition. Those students were then led outside to the hallway so that the 300+ kids who were interested could go ahead and practice.

That’s it. That’s the story. Not much there, right? Well, it has been expanded and enhanced so that it has now become one of those non-issues of race despite the fact that no racial slurs, comments, or actions were used. The parents of the kids who were asked to go sit outside the auditorium are now demanding that the principal be fired. Over what? On what grounds should this principal be fired? Because she wouldn’t let your stubborn little turd of a child sit in a classroom and disrupt the rest of the student body? Should she be fired because she didn’t enforce the beliefs, "values", and traditions of your family upon the other 300+ families celebrating the heavily altered traditions of their ancestry? It’s virtually guaranteed that any liberal reading this has already labeled me a racist, so here’s a little economic profiling for you…….Shaw Visual Performing Arts Elementary gives away 70.2% of the meals that are served in it’s cafeteria. That means that for every meal a hard-working family buys, two other families get one for free. Before you go all nuts and start sending me hate mail that claims I hate children and want them to starve, let me explain the significance of that math. Let’s say there were 20 kids that left the auditorium while the rest of the school practiced their Christmas songs. Now, out of that 20, how many do you suppose got some of those delicious “free meals” that day? Honestly think about it. We’re not just talking lunch either. Kids show up to school at 6AM these days. They eat two, sometimes three meals a day at school, and I have no problem with that. What I do have a problem with is the fact that the woman who most likely benefits heavily from the free meals is the one hanging out at the school, on a work-day, taking pictures of what she views as “segregation” with her Smartphone.  She's not working so that she may one day repay some of the mandatory generosity so many others have bestowed upon her children. She's not self-conscious in the least about the fact that not only is her child receiving a free lunch, but she now believes a school principal should be fired for not bending to the will of her spoiled little entitlement-baby. Isn’t that kind of like a Japanese pilot demanding free admission to the Pearl Harbor Memorial; or an illegal alien demanding free souvenirs from the gift shop at the Alamo? I’m just saying…

That principal has EVERY right and obligation to make sure that the concert given to the people who donate the money that keeps free lunches flowing into the dissenters' bellies is a good show. The people who donate the "lunch money" deserve at least that much, right? If there are a measly handful who choose not to participate, then by all means, get them the heck out of the way. This event raises a bunch of money to provide children with meals that apparently over two thirds of the parents at this school cannot provide on their own. Isn’t it about time that people who depend on others to raise their children stop being the first and the loudest to complain when it is not done to their satisfaction? The principal acted appropriately in my opinion but perhaps she could have avoided the entire situation before it began. To be honest, I cannot think of a more shining example of the need for a voucher system of education in this country. This story is isolated to a school here in Saint Louis, but I’m absolutely certain that at least one such example can be found in every school district in every major city in the United States. I would love a school that promoted my family’s traditions within it’s walls. I would love to drop my son off at a school that is allowed to sing “Christmas” songs at “Christmas” time. Children who come from conservative, Christian families could pool their allotted education dollars with the children of like-minded families. Feelings would cease to be hurt over traditions not supported by the boisterous minority. No longer would I be forced to feed the children of families who only send their kids to school for free meals and hopefully a chance to bring a big money, civil suit against “the man” someday. No one is claiming that the “secular holiday songs” were religiously offensive. The bottom line is that the handful of kids just didn’t “want to participate.” Do any of you recall a time in your youth when you were asked if you wanted to participate in an event at school? Do you remember a time when you were given a choice in anything that school demanded of you? If these parents want to voice their political, cultural, or non-religious views through their children, then perhaps we should allow them to do so. Perhaps these kids would be more comfortable at My Mom’s a Nosy Fool Looking for a Payday Elementary. Kids shouldn’t be forced to be the voice of their parents any more than they should be given a choice in what they do at school. A voucher system would allow for a world in which the minority of students who do not celebrate Christmas for whatever reason would never have to see a Christmas tree and would certainly never be asked to sing a “secular holiday song.” I’m willing to bet that, in such a world, the student body at the school to which I choose to send my kids is much, much bigger than the one serving 70.2% free lunches.

Like I said, I assume I will get all sorts of “you don’t know what it’s like” messages from the left-leaners who for some reason continue to read my articles, but their opinions are as irrelevant on this topic as they are on any other. A school voucher system is a good idea for American education. It would allow disruptive kids like the ones at Shaw to be taught by overly sensitive, social barnacles like yourselves while my kid is free to compete and rise to the top on his own merit. I don’t want my kid to make the honor roll in a school where every kid is praised regardless of effort. I want my kid to make the honor roll in a school where he is actually challenged. Our current system caters to the laziest, most uncooperative segment of students while leaving the ones who truly enjoy learning unchallenged and demoralized. Isn’t it about time we create, for our children, a society in which achievement is encouraged, not ridiculed? Isn’t it about time we create, for our children, a system in which education and retention are more important than fashion and celebrity gossip? Isn’t it about time we stop letting unions tell us which teachers we are allowed to promote and which ones we should force into alternative career paths? These things are all fun to rant about, but it’s time to take action. It’s time to get up off our fat, lazy, entitled asses and create a better world for our kids than the one they’re about to inherit. I do NOT owe your disruptive, proudly uneducated, poorly guided, morally ignorant, socially inconsiderate burden a free meal and I certainly don’t owe any credence to his/her/your self-serving demands of special treatment. Get over it.

As always, thanks for playing

J. Robert Giles

Here’s a few more links to illustrate just how bad the American Education system has become.

1) Four Top Tier Universities Offering Classes on Lady Gaga

2) Problems Facing American Education System

3) America The Uneducated

4) Texas Beats Back Their Liberals

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