Burial at Sea

I don't know if this is true and I don't particularly care. My heart was indelibly touched and forever more I will remember. For the first time in my life I stopped to consider what it must be like to spend your days notifying loved ones of the loss of their son, daughter, brother, son, father, mother, etc. on the field of battle. I beg you, as you read this, consider the sacrifices our soldiers make, right to the very end and live your lives accordingly, every day spent working as hard as you can to honor the freedom paid for through the bloodshed of a soldier.

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Burial at Sea
by Lieutenant Colonel George Goodson, USMC (Retired)

In my 76th year, the events of my life appear to me, from time to time, as a series of vignettes. Some were significant; most were trivial.

War is the seminal event in the life of everyone that has endured it. Though I fought in Korea and the Dominican Republic and was wounded there, Vietnam was my war.

Now 42 years have passed and, thankfully, I rarely think of those days in Cambodia, Laos, and the panhandle of North Vietnam where small teams of Americans and Montagnards fought much larger elements of the North Vietnamese Army. Instead I see vignettes: Some exotic, some mundane:

• The smell of Nuc Mam.
• The heat, dust, and humidity.
• The blue exhaust of cycles clogging the streets.
• Elephants moving silently through the tall grass.
• Hard eyes behind the servile smiles of the villagers.
• Standing on a mountain in Laos and hearing a tiger roar.
• A young girl squeezing my hand as my medic delivered her baby.
• The flowing Ao Dais of the young women biking down Tran Hung Dao.
• My two years as Casualty Notification Officer in North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.
  

It was late 1967. I had just returned after 18 months in Vietnam. Casualties were increasing. I moved my family from Indianapolis to Norfolk, rented a house, enrolled my children in their fifth or sixth new school, and bought a second car.

A week later, I put on my uniform and drove 10 miles to Little Creek, Virginia. I hesitated before entering my new office. Appearance is important to career Marines. I was no longer, if ever, a poster Marine. I had returned from my third tour in Vietnam only 30 days before. At 5'9", I now weighed 128 pounds - 37 pounds below my normal weight. My uniforms fit ludicrously, my skin was yellow from malaria medication, and I think I had a twitch or two.

I straightened my shoulders, walked into the office, looked at the nameplate on a Staff Sergeant's desk and said, "Sergeant Jolly, I'm Lieutenant Colonel Goodson. Here are my orders and my Qualification Jacket."

Sergeant Jolly stood, looked carefully at me, took my orders, stuck out his hand; we shook and he asked, "How long were you there, Colonel?"

I replied, "18 months this time."

Jolly breathed. "You must be a slow learner Colonel." I smiled.

Jolly said, "Colonel, I'll show you to your office and bring in the Sergeant Major.

I said, "No, let's just go straight to his office."

Jolly nodded, hesitated, and lowered his voice, "Colonel, the Sergeant Major. He's been in this job two years. He's packed pretty tight. I'm worried about him." I nodded.

Jolly escorted me into the Sergeant Major's office. "Sergeant Major, this is Colonel Goodson, the new Commanding Officer.

The Sergeant Major stood, extended his hand and said, "Good to see you again, Colonel."

I responded, "Hello Walt, how are you?" Jolly looked at me, raised an eyebrow, walked out, and closed the door.

I sat down with the Sergeant Major. We had the obligatory cup of coffee and talked about mutual acquaintances. Walt's stress was palpable. Finally, I said, "Walt, what's the h-ll's wrong?"

He turned his chair, looked out the window and said, "George, you're going to wish you were back in Nam before you leave here. I've been in the Marine Corps since 1939. I was in the Pacific 36 months, Korea for 14 months, and Vietnam for 12 months. Now I come here to bury these kids. I'm putting my letter in. I can't take it anymore."

I said, "OK Walt. If that's what you want, I'll endorse your request for retirement and do what I can to push it through Headquarters Marine Corps."

Sergeant Major Walt Xxxxx retired 12 weeks later. He had been a good Marine for 28 years, but he had seen too much death and too much suffering. He was used up.

Over the next 16 months, I made 28 death notifications, conducted 28 military funerals, and made 30 notifications to the families of Marines that were severely wounded or missing in action. Most of the details of those casualty notifications have now, thankfully, faded from memory. Four, however, remain.

MY FIRST NOTIFICATION

My third or fourth day in Norfolk, I was notified of the death of a 19 year old Marine. This notification came by telephone from Headquarters Marine Corps. The information detailed:

• Name, rank, and serial number.
• Name, address, and phone number of next of kin.
• Date of and limited details about the Marine's death.
• Approximate date the body would arrive at the Norfolk Naval Air Station.
• A strong recommendation on whether the casket should be opened or closed.
  

The boy's family lived over the border in North Carolina, about 60 miles away. I drove there in a Marine Corps staff car. Crossing the state line into North Carolina, I stopped at a small country store/service station/Post Office. I went in to ask directions.

Three people were in the store. A man and woman approached the small Post Office window. The man held a package. The Store owner walked up and addressed them by name, "Hello John. Good morning Mrs. Cooper."

I was stunned. My casualty's next-of-kin' s name was John Cooper!

I hesitated, then stepped forward and said, "I beg your pardon. Are you Mr. and Mrs. John Cooper of (address.)

The father looked at me-I was in uniform - and then, shaking, bent at the waist, he vomited. His wife looked horrified at him and then at me. Understanding came into her eyes and she collapsed in slow motion. I think I caught her before she hit the floor.

The owner took a bottle of whiskey out of a drawer and handed it to Mr. Cooper who drank. I answered their questions for a few minutes. Then I drove them home in my staff car. The store owner locked the store and followed in their truck. We stayed an hour or so until the family began arriving.

I returned the store owner to his business. He thanked me and said, "Mister, I wouldn't have your job for a million dollars."

I shook his hand and said; "Neither would I."

I vaguely remember the drive back to Norfolk. Violating about five Marine Corps regulations, I drove the staff car straight to my house. I sat with my family while they ate dinner, went into the den, closed the door, and sat there all night, alone.

My Marines steered clear of me for days. I had made my first death notification.

THE FUNERALS

Weeks passed with more notifications and more funerals. I borrowed Marines from the local Marine Corps Reserve and taught them to conduct a military funeral: How to carry a casket, how to fire the volleys and how to fold the flag.

When I presented the flag to the mother, wife, or father, I always said, "All Marines share in your grief." I had been instructed to say, "On behalf of a grateful nation..." I didn't think the nation was grateful, so I didn't say that.

Sometimes, my emotions got the best of me and I couldn't speak. When that happened, I just handed them the flag and touched a shoulder. They would look at me and nod. Once a mother said to me, "I'm so sorry you have this terrible job." My eyes filled with tears and I leaned over and kissed her.

ANOTHER NOTIFICATION

Six weeks after my first notification, I had another. This was a young PFC. I drove to his mother's house. As always, I was in uniform and driving a Marine Corps staff car. I parked in front of the house, took a deep breath, and walked towards the house. Suddenly the door flew open, a middle-aged woman rushed out. She looked at me and ran across the yard, screaming "NO! NO! NO! NO!"

I hesitated. Neighbors came out. I ran to her, grabbed her, and whispered stupid things to reassure her. She collapsed. I picked her up and carried her into the house.. Eight or nine neighbors followed. Ten or fifteen later, the father came in followed by ambulance personnel. I have no recollection of leaving.

The funeral took place about two weeks later. We went through the drill. The mother never looked at me. The father looked at me once and shook his head sadly.

ANOTHER NOTIFICATION

One morning, as I walked in the office, the phone was ringing. Sergeant Jolly held the phone up and said, "You've got another one, Colonel." I nodded, walked into my office, picked up the phone, took notes, thanked the officer making the call, I have no idea why, and hung up. Jolly, who had listened, came in with a special Telephone Directory that translates telephone numbers into the person's address and place of employment.

The father of this casualty was a Longshoreman. He lived a mile from my office. I called the Longshoreman' s Union Office and asked for the Business Manager. He answered the phone, I told him who I was, and asked for the father's schedule.

The Business Manager asked, "Is it his son?" I said nothing. After a moment, he said, in a low voice, "Tom is at home today."

I said, "Don't call him. I'll take care of that."

The Business Manager said, "Aye, Aye Sir," and then explained, "Tom and I were Marines in WWII."

I got in my staff car and drove to the house. I was in uniform. I knocked and a woman in her early forties answered the door. I saw instantly that she was clueless. I asked, "Is Mr. Smith home?"

She smiled pleasantly and responded, "Yes, but he's eating breakfast now. Can you come back later?"

I said, "I'm sorry. It's important. I need to see him now."

She nodded, stepped back into the beach house and said, "Tom, it's for you."

A moment later, a ruddy man in his late forties, appeared at the door. He looked at me, turned absolutely pale, steadied himself, and said, "Jesus Christ man, he's only been there three weeks!"

Months passed. More notifications and more funerals. Then one day while I was running, Sergeant Jolly stepped outside the building and gave a loud whistle, two fingers in his mouth...never could do that...and held an imaginary phone to his ear.

Another call from Headquarters Marine Corps. I took notes, said, "Got it." and hung up. I had stopped saying "Thank You" long ago.

Jolly, "Where?"

Me, "Eastern Shore of Maryland. The father is a retired Chief Petty Officer. His brother will accompany the body back from Vietnam..."

Jolly shook his head slowly, straightened, and then said, "This time of day, it'll take three hours to get there and back. I'll call the Naval Air Station and borrow a helicopter. And I'll have Captain Tolliver get one of his men to meet you and drive you to the Chief's home."

He did, and 40 minutes later, I was knocking on the father's door. He opened the door, looked at me, then looked at the Marine standing at parade rest beside the car, and asked, "Which one of my boys was it, Colonel?"

I stayed a couple of hours, gave him all the information, my office and home phone number and told him to call me, anytime.

He called me that evening about 2300 (11:00PM). "I've gone through my boy's papers and found his will. He asked to be buried at sea. Can you make that happen?"

I said, "Yes I can, Chief. I can and I will."

My wife who had been listening said, "Can you do that?"

I told her, "I have no idea. But I'm going to break my ass trying."

I called Lieutenant General Alpha Bowser, Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force Atlantic, at home about 2330, explained the situation, and asked, "General, can you get me a quick appointment with the Admiral at Atlantic Fleet Headquarters? " General Bowser said," George, you be there tomorrow at 0900. He will see you.

I was and the Admiral did. He said coldly, "How can the Navy help the Marine Corps, Colonel." I told him the story. He turned to his Chief of Staff and said, "Which is the sharpest destroyer in port?" The Chief of Staff responded with a name.

The Admiral called the ship, "Captain, you're going to do a burial at sea. You'll report to a Marine Lieutenant Colonel Goodson until this mission is completed... "

He hung up, looked at me, and said, "The next time you need a ship, Colonel, call me. You don't have to sic Al Bowser on my ass."

I responded, "Aye Aye, Sir" and got the h-ll out of his office.

I went to the ship and met with the Captain, Executive Officer, and the Senior Chief. Sergeant Jolly and I trained the ship's crew for four days. Then Jolly raised a question none of us had thought of. He said, "These government caskets are air tight. How do we keep it from floating?"

All the high priced help including me sat there looking dumb. Then the Senior Chief stood and said, "Come on Jolly. I know a bar where the retired guys from World War II hang out."

They returned a couple of hours later, slightly the worst for wear, and said, "It's simple; we cut four 12" holes in the outer shell of the casket on each side and insert 300 lbs of lead in the foot end of the casket. We can handle that, no sweat."

The day arrived. The ship and the sailors looked razor sharp. General Bowser, the Admiral, a US Senator, and a Navy Band were on board. The sealed casket was brought aboard and taken below for modification. The ship got underway to the 12-fathom depth.

The sun was hot. The ocean flat. The casket was brought aft and placed on a catafalque. The Chaplin spoke. The volleys were fired. The flag was removed, folded, and I gave it to the father. The band played "Eternal Father Strong to Save." The casket was raised slightly at the head and it slid into the sea.

The heavy casket plunged straight down about six feet. The incoming water collided with the air pockets in the outer shell. The casket stopped abruptly, rose straight out of the water about three feet, stopped, and slowly slipped back into the sea. The air bubbles rising from the sinking casket sparkled in the in the sunlight as the casket disappeared from sight forever.

The next morning I called a personal friend, Lieutenant General Oscar Peatross, at Headquarters Marine Corps and said, "General, get me out of here. I can't take this anymore." I was transferred two weeks later.

I was a good Marine but, after 17 years, I had seen too much death and too much suffering. I was used up.

Vacating the house, my family and I drove to the office in a two-car convoy. I said my goodbyes. Sergeant Jolly walked out with me. He waved at my family, looked at me with tears in his eyes, came to attention, saluted, and said, "Well Done, Colonel. Well Done."

I felt as if I had received the Medal of Honor!

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A veteran is someone who, at one point, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America ' for an amount of 'up to and including their life.'

That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand.

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Lieutenant Colonel Goodson, thank you so much for your years of service. More importantly, I do wish you to know that we are indeed a grateful nation for the great sacrifices our men and women make so that liberty may prevail. May God bless each one of our men and women in uniform, that they may know how deeply they are loved and appreciated by American citizens who know how to value true American patriots.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved by Candace E. Salima.

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An Evening with the U.S. Constitution and Mike Lee

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Every single day I receive phone calls, emails and Facebook messages from people begging me to give them the answers ... they want to know how we are going to rescue the U.S. Constitution and the Republic. I have been very public about the solutions: become educated about the Constitution and the Republic, American history and our founding fathers. Learn why they chose a representational form of government over a pure democracy. But the thing I've said once if I've said it a thousand times, "find a candidate you can get behind and thrown your support behind that person, 150%."

While Mike Lee has not formerly announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate and the seat Bob Bennett currently holds, he has made his intentions clear enough that everyone knows he will be throwing his hat into the ring in a matter of weeks. He is the one I'm throwing my support behind, 150%.

But this night is about the U.S. Constitution, why it was created, what it is all about. The Constitution is our rule of law, and as Mike Lee has said, every law and piece of legislation should be measured against the Constitution and then dealt with accordingly. Come and learn, be motivated and be inspired. Bring your friends, family and neighbors...leave no one untold about this incredible opportunity to learn from one of the most brilliant constitutional minds in our nation. I do not grant that title lightly, for I am related to another of the greatest constitutional minds in our nation.

This is an amazing opportunity for every Utahan. I love, support, stand for and defend the U.S. Constitution as our rule of law. This is your chance to strengthen your educational foundation as an American citizen. An educated and literate society cannot be overthrown...think about that for a moment, and then come meet Mike Lee.

I've created a flyer announcing "An Evening with the U.S. Constitution and Mike Lee" for willing Americans to hand out to their friends, family and neighbors. If you are interested in receiving one, please feel free to email me at ces@candacesalima.com and I'll send it right back to you.

Here's a little bit about Mike Lee himself:

Mike has a great love of the Constitution, which he holds dear and wants desperately to preserve. The Constitution - including everything from the Due Process Clause to the Presentment Clause - was discussed around the Lee family's dinner table, almost in the same way many families talk about the weather, school, or the day's events. As a result, at a very young age Mike acquired a great love and admiration for the Constitution and for the principles found therein.

After graduating from Law School in 1997, he served as a law clerk to Judge Dee Benson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah. He then clerked for then-Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr., who was serving at that time on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Court. From there he went into private practice, joining the Washington, D.C. office of Sidley & Austin, where he specialized in appellate and Supreme Court litigation. Several years later, Mike returned to Utah after being invited to serve as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Salt Lake City, preparing briefs and arguing cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He served as Governor Huntsman's General Counsel from January 2005 until June 2006, when he returned to Washington to serve a one-year clerkship at the U.S. Supreme Court with Justice Alito.

Mike returned to Utah (and to private practice) in the summer of 2007, joining the Salt Lake office of the Washington, D.C.-based law firm of Howrey LLP. Mike has earned a reputation as a truly outstanding lawyer based on his sound judgment, unsurpassed writing and courtroom advocacy skills, and thorough understanding of the Constitution (and of federal law generally).

Mike has a strong desire to bring about fundamental change in the way the federal government operates. In particular, he supports efforts to:

1. Secure passage and ratification of a constitutional amendment requiring Congress to operate on a balanced budget

2. Secure passage and ratification of a constitutional amendment imposing term limits on U.S. Senators and Representatives

3. Rein in entitlement spending

4. Reform campaign finance laws, many of which restrict core political speech in violation of the First Amendment and - while cleverly presented to the public as ethics-reform laws - are principally designed to give incumbent Senators and Representatives an unfair advantage over challengers

Mike, his wife Sharon, and their three children live in Alpine.

Mike is an administrator for The Article I Society, check it out: (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=143699482286&v=info#/group.php?v=wall&gid=143699482286)

And please become a member of "Draft Mike Lee to run for the U.S. Senate: (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=221765717795&ref=ts)

Keep an eye on this man. Michael Lee will be our next U.S. Senator. I am putting my "money" where my mouth is. This is how we will turn this nation around. Electing men and women with courage, strength, a deep and abiding love of the U.S. Constitution, America and an understanding of the American purpose in the world. Last night I heard everything I needed to hear to support this man.

Date: Thursday, January 14, 2010
Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: Noah Webster Academy
Street: 205 East 400 South
City/Town: Orem, UT

Candace Salima
OR28 Precinct Chair
Republican Party

...but more importantly, first and foremost,

an American citizen.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved by Candace E. Salima.

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Patrick Henry Caucus Unanimously Supports Lawsuit Against Feds

Contact: Rep. Carl Wimmer
801-608-4763
Email: cwimmer@utah.gov

**For immediate release**

UTAH PATRICK HENRY CAUCUS UNANINMOUSLY SUPPORTS A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN ORDER TO STOP THE FEDERAL HEALTH CARE BILL

Leading state sovereignty caucus strongly opposes the federal health care bill and supports lawsuits based on two violations of the U.S. Constitution.

The Patrick Henry Caucus adopted a unanimous position Wednesday, December 23, 2009, to oppose the Health Care Reform Bills, and to support a lawsuit against the federal government in order to stop the national health care bill from becoming law.

Calling the law unconstitutional, The Patrick Henry Caucus, which is comprised of legislators from both the Utah House of Representatives and the Utah Senate, vows to fight the federal law on multiple fronts. The Patrick Henry Caucus has an opt-out provision drafted and ready for presentation to the Utah Legislature next month. The opt-out would make it illegal for Utah agencies to implement any portion of the new federal law. The Caucus is calling on the State of Utah to join in with other States and take the lead on filing a lawsuit to stop the bill, should it receive final approval.

The Caucus believes the law is unconstitutional in at least two respects. First, the law unfairly gives preferential treatment to residents of Nebraska as a result of efforts by Senate Democrats to court the vote of Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson. The Caucus believes that this preferential treatment violates principles of due process and equal protection and is therefore unconstitutional under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.

Second, the law amounts to an excess of Congress’s enumerated powers inasmuch as it requires every American to acquire health insurance. This legislation marks the first time in history that Congress has required every single American to purchase a particular good or service, and cannot be reconciled with the notion that Congress possesses only those limited powers granted by the Constitution.

The Patrick Henry Caucus calls on the leaders from all States to join in the effort to file a lawsuit against the federal government in order to stop this wrongheaded piece of legislation. We must not allow Congress to commandeer one sixth of our nation’s fragile economy while simultaneously undermining the authority of the States.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved by Candace E. Salima.

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A Conversation on Facebook: How to Make a Difference Politically

On Facebook I posted this update:

32% of Americans still think this monstrosity that is Reid's healthcare bill is a good idea. I'm guessing either they haven't read it or they are soulless bastards who are beyond redemption. There's kind of no position inbetween there. We all know healthcare reform is necessary ... but what they're doing in Washington D.C. has nothing to do with healthcare reform.

Here are the responses which came:

Commenter 1: And how will we stop them? Phone calls and emails don't seem to do the trick, especially to my very liberal representatives. Any ideas?

Me: Find the conservative candidates in your state, figure out which one you want to support and throw your everything behind them. Learn about them, study what they intend to do and then spread the word far and wide. We can't stop them now, although we should never stop trying. But we can replace them in 2010 and stop them that way.

We have to elect candidates with backbone, integrity, loyalty and a deep abiding love of God. We need candidates who will defend the U.S. Constitution against all attacks, even from their colleagues. We need candidates unafraid to go to Washington D.C. and take a stand that cannot be mistake. We need candidates who, when they the party comes back into power, does not betray the trust their constituents have placed in them. We need candidates who will go to Washington D.C. and do what they said they were going to do. Represent "we the people".

Seek these men and women out and do your part to help them be elected.

Commenter 2: There are many people who believe that communism is good and in redistribution of wealth. Thank the public schools and universities for that.

Commenter 3: You are absolutely right, Candace, in that there is NO middle position on the liberals' healthcare takeover. You either believe the private sector is best at innovation and solutions, or you believe Obama and Pelosi and Reid and the Government is better at running your life and making your choices for you. There is no middle ground on this.

Commenter 1: What is depressing is that those men and women who have integrity and would stand up for the Constitution have to have money in order to run for office. Regular people can't compete with the big money and, in the end, we lose people with integrity to those who can finance a campaign. There's something wrong with that.

Me: That is true, to a degree, Rebecca. But I have believe we can take this back. I have to believe we are making a difference. We can make a difference, there is no question in my heart. You find the candidate you support and use social networking, neighborhood conversations, donate of your time and do all you an to spread the word far and wide of the... See More candidate of your choice. Not everyone will agree with you, that is the beauty of America. That is one of the freedoms we want to preserve. But if you truly believe in your candidate than fight for that candidate. Help with fundraisers, attend local meetings and events, volunteer to work the phone tree, whatever you can do while not neglecting your family. That is my suggestion.

Commenter 4: Hey, 1/3 of the hosts of heaven followed Satan, too. ;)

Commenter 5: I get so down about this issue. We have one chance to take this country back and it sarts with the 2010 election cycle. Here are some things you can do:

1.) Learn both the US and your state Constitution. It really is a lot easier than you think. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!

2.) Join your local GOP chapter, usually at the county level, and attend the events they hold. My chapter is very active and holds monthly breakfasts, etc. The GOP is badly dysfunctional right now, and needs to hear from us directly about our concerns for the Constitution. No more support for candidates who vote for legislation that violates the Constitution. Having an "R: by their name is not the reason to vote for them. Going into the 2010 election cycle the candidates will be out in force. In Georgia there are 12 gubernatorial candidates- do you think there's gonna be a lot of fighting to win votes? You bet there will be!

PS- I am NOT a fan of the GOP, I am highly disillusioned with the GOP. However, the GOP is our best hope to reclaim this country. A 3rd party will only keep Obama in office, assuming we still have free elections that ACORN hasn't stolen by 2012.

3.) Become a lobbyist yourself, especially if you live near your state capitol. In my state ANYBODY can be a lobbyist, all you really have to do is register. Then, go haunt the halls of your state legislature, and call the politicians on their abuse of the Constitution. Speak from conviction, and with your state and US Constitution at heart, and you'll start to make them uncomfortable. They've been making bad laws, they SHOULD be uncomfortable. Hit them right in the integrity.

4.) Go online and get all the names of your elected officials. Then go register for their email newsletters on their websites. This is a great way to find out about their platform and their local appearances.

5.) Show up to those meetings with questions in-hand. Nothing else but your health or that of your loved ones is more important. Divide and conquer if you must, but PTA's, kids sports and other interests are not as important as this. It is their future you want to ensure, the soccer team can wait till the brighter days. Be an agent to bring about those brighter days or they won't be here!!

♥ God Bless our Republic

Me: Excellent suggestions.

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The reason I posted this conversation because throughout it you will find many things you can do to make a difference today. I know we can do this, America. We must simply have firm resolve and stay the course until our Constitution is restored and America reinstated as that bastion of liberty to the world.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved by Candace E. Salima.

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My Oath to America

My oath to the United States of America:

"I, Candace Elaine Salima, do solemnly swear to protect and defend The Constitution of The United States from all enemies, both foreign and domestic. I do so without mental reservation or purpose of evasion, so help me God."

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved by Candace E. Salima.

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Mr. President, Here's How to Lift Our Economy by Gov. Mitt Romney

Posted on USA Today
3 December 2009

(I wholeheartedly support this 10-point plan to revitalize our economy. Gov. Romney's plan is the first I've seen in a long time that provides a light at the end of this long dark economic tunnel. -- Candace E. Salima)

By Mitt Romney

Today's White House jobs summit comes too late for millions of Americans who through no fault of their own have lost their jobs, their homes, their savings and, in many cases, the self-esteem and self-respect that come from work. Like other presidents before him, Barack Obama inherited a recession. But unlike them, he has made it worse, not better.

His failure to stem the unemployment tide should not have been a surprise. With no experience whatsoever in the world of employment and business formation, he had no compass to guide his path. Instead, he turned over much of his economic recovery agenda to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, themselves nearly as inexperienced in the private sector as he. Congress gave him and them everything they asked for, including a history-making three-quarters of a trillion dollar stimulus.

But it did little to stimulate the real economy — where jobs are created. Studies, initiatives and programs that liberal think tanks had long pined for were given life even as the private economy was on life support. The president's team assured us that their massive stimulus would hold unemployment below 8%. So with unemployment now at 10.2%, it is clear that their stimulus was a miscalculated failure.

In an attempt to disguise the truth, the administration has touted inflated figures of jobs "created." But every month, in good times and bad, jobs are created and jobs are lost. What matters is the net difference between the two numbers. Focusing solely on jobs created while ignoring the far greater numbers of jobs lost is Harry Houdini economics.

Growing government, as was done with the stimulus, inevitably depresses the private sector and job creation. Shrinking government and reducing government jobs is healthier for the economy, but this option was never seriously considered. That's no wonder: As White House guest logs for the first half of the year reveal, the most frequent visitor to the executive mansion was Andy Stern, the head of the Service Employees International Union, which represents government workers.

My 10-point plan

The president's economists insist that technically, the recession is over. But double-digit unemployment was neither prevented nor has it ended. To get people back to work as rapidly as possible and to restore America's economic vitality, the nation must change course. Here's the advice I would give:

• Repair the stimulus. Freeze the funds that haven't yet been spent and redirect them to immediate, private sector job-creation priorities.

• Create tax incentives that promote business expansion and hiring. For example, install a robust investment tax credit, permit businesses to expense capital purchases made in 2010, and reduce payroll taxes. These will reignite construction, technology and a wide array of capital goods industries, and lead to expanded employment.

• Prove to the global investors that finance America's debt that we are serious about reining in spending and becoming fiscally prudent by adopting limits on non-military discretionary spending and reforming our unsustainable, unfunded entitlements. These are key to strengthening the dollar, reducing the threat of rampant inflation and holding down interest rates.

• Close down any talk of carbon cap-and-trade. It will burden consumers and employers with billions in new costs. Instead, greatly expand our commitment to natural gas and nuclear, boosting jobs now and reducing the export of energy jobs and dollars later.

• Tell the unions that job-stifling "card check" legislation is off the table. Laying new burdens on small business will kill entrepreneurship and job creation.

• Don't allow a massive tax increase to go into effect in 2011 with the expiration of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. The specter of more tax-fueled government spending and the reduction of capital available for small business will hinder investment and business expansion.

• New spending should be strictly limited to items that are critically needed and that we would have acquired in the future, such as new military equipment to support our troops abroad and essential infrastructure at home.

• Install dynamic regulations for the financial sector — rules that are up to date, efficient and not excessively burdensome. But do not so tie up the financial sector with red tape that we lose a vital component of our economic system.

• Open the doors to trade. Give important friends like Colombia favored trade status rather than bow to protectionist demands. Now is the time for aggressive pursuit of opportunities for new markets for American goods, not insular retrenchment.

• Stop frightening the private sector by continuing to hold GM stock, by imposing tighter and tighter controls on compensation, and by pursuing a public insurance plan to compete with private insurers. Government encroachment on free enterprise is depressing investment and job creation.

The 10% unemployment crisis hangs like an albatross around President Obama's neck. Eventually, as with every recession and recovery, the economy will improve and jobs will be created, but those who were unnecessarily unemployed due to the president's faulty economic program will not forget. In order to most rapidly re-employ all Americans and to speed a strong recovery, the president must change course. If he does not, Republicans will bring a change of their own to Washington in the 2010 elections.

Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, was a Republican presidential candidate last year.

Posted at 12:15 AM/ET, December 03, 2009 in Business issues - Forum, Economy - Forum, Forum commentary | Permalink

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved by USA Today.

Does Liberty Have a Future by Jay Sekulow

I support the American Center for Law & Justice is everything they do. They defend our religious freedoms with great success. I urge you to support them. This is the message I received today.

Dear Candace,

What future does liberty have in America?

In Freedom From Religion Foundation v. Ayers, we're working in the heartof Washington, D.C., to answer this very real threat to freedom, to help preserve our nation's valuable Judeo-Christian heritage.

Stand up and speak out alongside the ACLJ.

I urge you to give an online gift now - it will be matched up to $875,000 through our Justice, Life & Freedom Matching Challenge for DOUBLE the impact!

Will America be a sovereign nation, ruled by OUR constitutional law and OUR courts? Or controlled by an international court - subject to the whims of hostile, anti-Christian, anti-American forces?

The ACLJ - along with the ECLJ, our Special Ops team in Jerusalem, and our newly established New York team - is firmly positioned to stand in the way of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and stand for the sovereignty of the U.S. and Israel.

We face many urgent issues at this moment ...

The "Cyber Security Act" in Congress - outrageous legislation that would grant the federal government virtually complete control over all electronic communication.

We are supporting Senator Graham's (R-SC) legislation to keep terrorists out of civilian courts and within the constraints of the military justice system - for the sake of our national security.

Please give generously today. Don't let the Matching Challenge opportunity pass you by. DOUBLE your impact for the sake of justice, life, and freedom in America!

Thank you!
Jay Sekulow

The ACLJ is an organization dedicated to the defense of constitutional liberties secured by law. American Center for Law and Justice is a d/b/a for Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism, Inc., a tax-exempt, not-for-profit, religious corporation as defined under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, specifically dedicated to the ideal that religious freedom and freedom of speech are inalienable, God-given rights. The Center's purpose is to educate, promulgate, conciliate, and where necessary, litigate, to ensure that those rights are protected under the law. The organization has participated in numerous cases before the Supreme Court, Federal Court of Appeals, Federal District Courts, and various state courts regarding freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Your gift is very much appreciated and fully deductible as a charitable contribution. A copy of our latest financial report may be obtained by writing to us at P.O. Box 450349, Atlanta, GA 31145-0349.

As always, let us know of threats to freedom in your area by calling (757) 226-2489. And tune in to our daily radio program, "Jay Sekulow Live!" Legal requests will not be answered through jsekulow@aclj.org. Legal requests must be submitted at www.aclj.org/Contact/.

Copyright 2009. All rights reserved by the ACLJ.

Review: The Blind Side

Last weekend, Alvin took me to see the movie about Baltimore Raven Michael Oher The Blind Side. What an absolutely amazing movie. I laughed, I cried and my heart was indelibly touched and permanently changed.

Michael Oher was a young man who was born into a severely disadvantaged life. One of 13 children, if sportscasters are to be believed, Michael struggled to get an education while getting all work he could to be a help to his brothers and sisters. As a young boy he was separated from his mother (she was drug addicted and DCFS took the children away) and placed into foster care. He ran away from one home after another, back to his mother, to take care of her. Enter a family who took Michael in, fell in love with him and made him one of their own. From that point, every life he touched was permanently changed.

I will leave you to go watch this movie, because the rest of the story, taking us to NFL rookie, Michael Oher, with a starting position on the Baltimore Ravens, is one every single person in America should see.

I am a new Baltimore Raven fan because of Michael Oher. It is my hope that this young man has nothing but joy and peace for the remainder of his life, for he certainly suffered enough in his childhood. More than any child ever should.

I give this movie a solid 5 Stars! Kudos to the writer, director, actors and every single person who brought this incredible story to the screen. And my thanks to Michael Oher for allowing this story to be told.

By the way, Michael Oher said he understands literary license and all, but he knew how to play football before he ever made the team of the private school he attended.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved by Candace E. Salima.

George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

President George Washington

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved by Candace E. Salima.

A Portent of Things to Come

If you have been long time readers of my blog, than you know the history of my father, Fritz Sluyter. I had posted Red Skelton's recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and he so deeply reminded me of my father I added Dad's eulogy. Why bring this up? We heard often and studied more about the rise and fall of Hitler in our home. Although my major in college was English (they didn't have a Creative Writing major at BYU back then) my minor was history with an emphasis in American History.

Because of this knowledge base, this "Hymn to Hitler" by Lori Kalner is pure truth and it is as I have stated over and over, America is on the path that Hitler took:

Hymn to Hitler
by Lori Kalner

In Germany, when Hitler came to power, it was a time of terrible financial depression. Money was worth nothing. In Germany people lost homes and jobs, just like in the American Depression in the 1930s, which we have read about in Thoene’s Shiloh books.

In those days, in my homeland, Adolph Hitler was elected to power by promising “Change.”

He blamed the “Zionists” around the world for all our problems. He told everyone it was greedy Zionist Bankers who had caused every problem we had. He promised when he was leader, the greedy Zionist bankers would be punished. The Zionists, he promised, would be wiped off the face of the earth.

So Hitler was elected to power by only 1/3 the popular vote. A coalition of other political parties in parliament made him supreme leader. Then, when he was leader, he disgraced and expelled everyone in parliament who did not go along with him.

Yes. Change came to my homeland as the new leader promised it would.

The teachers in German schools began to teach the children to sing songs in praise of Hitler. This was the beginning of the Hitler Youth movement. It began with praise of the Fuhrer’s programs on the lips of innocent children. Hymns in praise of Hitler and his programs were being sung in the schoolrooms and in the playyard. Little girls and boys joined hands and sang these songs as they walked home from school.

My brother came home and told Papa what was happening at school. The political hymns of children proclaimed Change was coming to our homeland and the Fuhrer was a leader we could trust.

I will never forget my father’s face. Grief and fear. He knew that the best propaganda of the Nazis was song on the lips of little children.

That evening before he said grace at the dinner table, he placed his hands upon the heads of my brothers and me and prayed the Living Word upon us from Jeremiah 1:4-g--

‘Now the Word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to The nations.”

Soon the children’s songs praising the Fuhrer were heard everywhere on the streets and over the radio. “With our Fuhrer to lead us, we can do it! We can change the world!”

Soon after that Papa, a pastor, was turned away from visiting elderly parishioners in hospitals. The people he had come to bring comfort of God’s Word, were “no longer there.” Where had they vanished to while under nationalized health care? It became an open secret. The elderly and sick began to disappear from hospitals feet first as “mercy killing” became the policy. Children with disabilities and those who had Down syndrome were euthanized.

People whispered, “Maybe it is better for them now. Put them out of misery. They are no longer suffering…And, of course, their death is better for the treasury of our nation. Our taxes no longer must be spent to care for such a burden.”

And so murder was called mercy.

The government took over private business. Industry and health care were “nationalized.” (NA-ZI means National Socialist Party) The businesses of all Jews were seized. (Perhaps you remember our story in Berlin on Krystalnacht in the book Munich Signature)

The world and God’s word were turned upside down. Hitler promised the people economic Change?

Not change. It was, rather, Lucifer’s very ancient Delusion leading to Destruction.

What began with the propaganda of children singing a catchy tune ended in the deaths of millions of children. The reality of what came upon us is so horrible that you in this present generation cannot imagine it.

Our suffering is too great to ever tell in a book or show in a black and white newsreel.

When I spoke to Bodie about some of these things, she wept and said she could not bear to write them. Perhaps one day she will, but I asked her, “who could bear to read our suffering?”

Yet with my last breath I warn every Christian and Jew now in the name of the Lord, unless your course of the church in America is spiritually changed now, returning to the Lord, there are new horrors yet to come.

I trembled last night when I heard the voices of American children raised in song, praising the name of Obama, the charismatic fellow who claims he is the American Messiah.

Yet I have heard what this man Obama says about abortion and the “mercy killing” of tiny babies who are not wanted.

There are so few of us left to warn you.

I have heard that there are 69 million Catholics in America and 70 million Evangelical Christians.

Where are your voices? Where is your outrage? Where is passion and your vote?

Do you vote based on an abortionist’s empty promises and economics? Or do you vote according to the Bible?

Thus says the Lord about every living child still in the womb:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you…”

I have experienced the signs of the politics of Death in my youth.

I see them again now.

Christians! Unless you stand up now, you will lose your freedom of religion.

In America priests and preachers have already lost their freedom to speak openly from their pulpits of moral danger in political candidates. They cannot legally instruct you of which candidate holds fast to the precepts of scripture! American law forbids this freedom of speech to conservative pastors or they will lose their “tax exempt” status.

And yet I have heard the words of Obama’s pastor Damning America! I have heard the words of Obama damning and mocking all of you in small towns because you “Cling to your religion…”

But I am a woman whose name is unknown. My life is recorded as a work of fiction. I have no fear of reprisal when I speak truth to you from the pages of a book. (Though the Zion Covenant books are mocked and condemned by the Left in America.) I am an old woman and will soon go to be with my Lord. I have no fear for myself, but for all of you and for your children, I tremble.

I tremble at the hymns to a political leaders which your children will sing at school. (Though even now a hymn or a prayer to God and our Lord Jesus is against the law in public school!)

Your vote must put a stop to what will come upon America if Barack Obama is elected. I pray you will personally heed this warning for the sake of your children and your grandchildren. Do not be deceived.

The Lord in Jeremiah 1:7-8 commands every believer to speak up!

“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth,’ for to all whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them for I am with you, declares the Lord!”

I am in Prayer for you, and for the Church!

Spoken to you in the authority of Jesus the Christ, the Name Above All Names, Lori Kalner

# # #

Ms. Kalner's impassioned plea was made to America during the last presidential election season. In fact, I think I even posted it on my blog at the time. But the portion of America who voted for Barack Obama did not heed her words, or the words of so many of us pleading with them, to vote with wisdom.

And now we are here:

American school children singing hymns to Barack Obama.

The Obama Administration grabbing control of one industry after another.

The Constitution being crushed into oblivion.

Portions of the healthcare legislation in the Senate will lead to the euthanization of those deemed unworthy to live or having lived past their usefulness to society.

Obama's civilian military he is quietly building.

Can you see it now, America? Are your eyes opened yet?

Do not despair for all is not lost...not yet. November of 2010 is the point where we can take America back. We must seek out and elect men and women of courage, strength, integrity, honesty with unfailing love and passion for America, the Constitution and the Republic. We must find men and women who still feel pride in this nation above all other nations. For America was chosen, ordained and set up by God ... those who deny this cannot make it less so. This landswas, and still is, favored above all others.

Our president is running around the world bowing and scraping to leaders of nations, apologies for this great nation falling from his lips as he stumbles and stutters his way through useless and meaningless speeches. But Americans have NOTHING to be ashamed of, for although our history is not perfect, we have grown and evolved into an incredible nation. And I will let no man, woman or child convince me otherwise. I feel great pride and admiration for our founding fathers and what they accomplished. I know the democratic republic form of government is superior to all other forms of government in the world. I know the U.S. Constitution was divinely inspired and as such, with the Bill of Rights, is perfectly suited to be the rule of law.

Study the founding of this great and beautiful nation. Learn about the lives of the founding fathers from authors you can trust, rather than those with a communist agenda in mind. Study the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights. Knowledge is power. History is lesson given in full and stunning living color, it is meant to be learned from, not ignored. As the light of knowledge begins to shine once more upon this nation, the likes of Barack Obama and his ilk will fall and cower from that light and they will cease to wreak havoc on the lives of the American people.

Stand for America.

Stand for the U.S. Constitution.

Stand for fiscal responsibility.

Stand for your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Just stand and let nothing or no one sway you from doing what you know to be right, defending America.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved by Candace E. Salima.

It's Your Time in History

The healthcare bill (HR3590) in the Senate right now funds public abortion, healthcare for illegals, robs Medicare of $500,000,000,000 (yes, that's 500 billion), public option (which will destroy the high quality of healthcare we enjoy now) and so much more. The 2,000 plus pages are a travesty of all that is good and right in this nation. I've provided the link so that you may read it for yourself. I urge you to do so and to contact your senators and lay the law down as they decided to abjure the law since January 20, 2009. Demand they listen to their constitutients and vote NO on HR3590. Take no prisoners in this my fellow citizens. The hue and cry raised to the heavens in April must be raised again with no delay or hesitation.

This reform is no reform at all, but a takeover of the American people and nation by the U.S. Congress and the Obama Administration. One sixth of the nation's economic future is tied up in this legislation and it carries with it a price tag that cannot be paid. America will be plunged into an economic disaster deeper and more devastating than we have ever seen. Then no one will have healthcare, plain and simple, not mention any quality of life.

I'm sharing with you Glenn Beck's message to the nation. His plan to restore America is brilliant in its simplicity. Read on:

Glenn Beck reveals the Plan
November 21, 2009 - 15:28 ET

Friends,

What an amazing few days on the road this has been. Your spirits have been high, your faith strong and your spine unbendable. I ended my multiday book tour at The Villages with what had been billed as a rally but could be better described as a candid citizen-to-citizen chat.

Today, I have stopped looking for a leader to show us the way out because I have come to realize that the only one who can truly save our country...is us. To change America's course we need to change ourselves, our expectations and our willingness to accept the unacceptable. When we refuse to allow our children to receive a trophy for participation, we are on the road to restoring the meaning of merit in our Republic. When we insist that no one is too big to fail, we will be able to learn from our mistakes, and when we demand that we are self-reliant, we will ensure that others can rely on us, not the government.

There is much to do, much to learn and time is of the essence. While I will be explaining the entire Plan over the coming weeks and months, I did want to give you a preview of some of the highlights:

- Education is key, and not just for our children. To that end, we will be conducting a series of conventions. These will be full-day experiences where you will be immersed in learning about topics ranging from self-reliance, community organizing, the economy and how to be a political force in your own neighborhood and country. The first one will be in Orlando at UCF Arena on March 27th. You will also be able to vote to have a convention in your region by clicking here.

- I have begun meeting with some of the best minds in the country that believe in limited government, maximum freedom and the values of our Founders. I am developing a 100 year plan. I know that the bipartisan corruption in Washington that has brought us to this brink and it will not be defeated easily. It will require unconventional thinking and a radical plan to restore our nation to the maximum freedoms we were supposed to have been protecting, using only the battlefield of ideas.

- All of the above will culminate in The Plan, a book that will provide specific policies, principles and, most importantly, action steps that each of us can take to play a role in this Refounding.

- On August 28, 2010, I ask you, your family and neighbors to join me at the feet of Abraham Lincoln on the National Mall for the unveiling of The Plan and the birthday of a new national movement to restore our great country.

# # #

I wish to echo Harold B. Lee's quote on America, for I find such peach and strength in the words of this prophet:

"Men may fail in this country, earthquakes may come, seas may heave beyond their bounds, there may be great drought, disaster, and hardship, but this nation, founded on principles laid down by men whom God raised up, will never fail. This is the cradle of humanity, where life on this earth began in the Garden of Eden. This is the place of the new Jerusalem. This is the place that the Lord said is favored above all other nations in all the world. This is the place where the Savior will come to His temple. This is the favored land in all the world. Yes, I repeat, men may fail, but this nation won't fail. I have faith in America; you and I must have faith in America, if we understand the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are living in a day when we must pay heed to these challenges.

"I plead with you not to preach pessimism. Preach that this is the greatest country in all the world. This is the favored land. This is the land of our forefathers. It is the nation that will stand despite whatever trials or crises it may yet have to pass through. (Ye Are the Light of the World, Harold B. Lee, p350-51)

This is your time, America, your destiny. Know that we stand at the precipice and it is now and at this time that historical decisions must be made. Do you stand or do you fall? Will you fight for your nation or crumple in defeat as communist traitors destroy all we hold dear? Will the Constitution stand or will it fall? I will fight 'til I have drawn my last breath. I stand with my fellow patriots across the land and say we will not surrender this great and divinely created nation. What say you?

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved by Candace E. Salima.

African American Literature Book Club Take on Shurtleff's Book

As posted on the African American Literature Book Club Website

Reviewed by Robert Fleming

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What a curious book to be written by Mark L. Shurtleff, Utah’s Attorney General!

This well-researched historical novel, Am I Not A Man?, goes into the mind of Dred Scott, an illiterate slave who endured the agony of bondage and all of its cruelty from his early days in Virginia until his classic legal battles to over-turn the restrictive laws of slavery. Shurtleff, a white author, never lets us forget these black men and women were human beings. He shows the reader that Dred and his wife, Harriet, were loving, caring people. He takes us into their minds and hearts and trusts us with their unrelenting humanity.

For those unfamiliar with the indecent American institution of slavery, Shurtleff includes a brief history of some of its landmarks of the political, commercial, and legal highlights through the years. The recreated dialogue with James Madison and Thomas Jefferson of the strategies of possessing Blacks as chattel is on par with any of the top-notch practitioners of current historical fiction. Although the novel is sometimes confusing in bouncing around in its narrative timeline, Shurtleff paints a balanced picture of the morally conflicted framers of the Constitution and the creation of the flawed democracy they envisioned. It provides a historical context for the Dred Scott tragedy.

However, the central character is Dred Scott, the young man working in the cotton fields of Southern Virginia, employed later as a house slave, and later retained as an assistant with soldiers. Some Blacks forget the importance of the abolitionist movement, including Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, of which the sympathetic Blow family, owners of Dred and Harriet, made it possible for the Scotts to sue for their freedom. The legal fight was difficult. In January 1850, a jury of whites, including some slave owners, declared Dred and his wife were forever free under the law of Missouri.

Some of the most stirring moments in the novel are the legal war-of-words before the white Justices in the High Court by Roswell Field, a firebrand abolitionist lawyer and defender of fugitive slaves. The abolitionists were determined to push the white political elite to confront the evil of the slavery issue. “I would humbly request that each of you, at some point during your deliberations, consider for just a moment what it would be like to lose your freedom. What it would feel like to be a slave – the chattel of another? What it would do to you to have the majority of those around you consider you as something less than a man? I believe that doing so, you will be at peace and able to fully and fairly do justice for the man who placed fifty years of trust in the system, and you are it.”

When the justice ruled against Dred and overturned the decision of the jury, returning the Scotts to slavery. It is to Shurtleff’s credit as a writer to portray the very real feelings of Dred and Harriet as they learn of the judgment. After the verdict, the sheriff cuffed Dred and said his jailing has to be because the law doesn’t know what to do next. Still, the Scotts survive the shattering ruling. Dred’s death is used by the abolitionists to win liberty for slaves and to influence President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Illuminating, sensitive, and powerful, Shurtleff’s fictional take on Dred Scott asks some timely questions of race and prejudice that have still not been answered.

Hardcover: 534 pages
Publisher: Valor Publishing Group; 1st edition (November 3, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1935546007
ISBN-13: 978-1935546009
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.8 inches
Order from Amazon.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved by Valor Publishing Group, LLC.

More than Wives, Husbands and Children miss their Soldiers

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved by Candace E. Salima.

Review: Farworld Land Keep by J. Scott Savage

I just finished reading J. Scott Savage's Farworld Land Keep, book two of the Farworld series.

The backliner reads:

Four mythical Elementals— Water, Land, Air, and Fire— have the power to save two worlds, Earth and Farworld, from a common enemy: the Dark Circle.

In book one, Water Keep, a portal has been opened between the two worlds, allowing Marcus, from Earth, and Kyja, from Farworld, to combine their unique gifts and begin their epic quest to find the Elementals.

In book two, Land Keep, Marcus and Kyja travel with Cascade, a Water Elemental, in their goal of gathering the other three Elementals— Land, Air, and Fire. However, their journey may come to an end before it even gets started.

Land Keep— home to the powerful and wise Land Elementals— is empty, deserted for at least a thousand years, and the rumor is that the creatures who once controlled all land magic are extinct. The only hope seems to lie in the Augur Well, a legendary Oracle protected by traps and trials set by the Land Elementals before their disappearance. But to get there, Marcus, Kyja, and Cascade must travel deep underground, where Cascade's water magic is weak. And if anything should happen, Marcus and Kyja will be unable to leap to the safety of Earth.

This sets the stage for an exciting story that was so impossible to put down I ended up ignoring all my responsibilities until I turned the last page. What a page turner.

As I read along, J. Scott Savage did an excellent job of pulling me thoroughly into the story. There were times when I wanted to smack Marcus, other times when Kyja need a little smacking. But all in all, the two grew closer and more questions were answered as the journey continued. There was no shortage of bad guys and confrontations.

I don't know how Scott came up with the creatures he did. Some were really quite disgusting, which will thrill boys to no end! And my favorite creature, the Ishkabiddle, made a brief appearance once again.

All in all, this is a marvelous continuation of the Farworld series and I anxiously await the next release. I encourage everyone to purchase Farworld Land Keep and add it to your home libraries. Savage's stories never get old and are wonderful places to revisit often.

Reading level: Ages 9-12 (although I'm 46 and enjoyed every single word!)
Hardcover: 374 pages
Publisher: Shadow Mountain (October 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1606411640
ISBN-13: 978-1606411643
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,646 in Books

Purchase Farworld Land Keep now.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved by Candace E. Salima.

Why Fort Hood Really Happened: Wall Street Journal

I'm not sure I ever thought I'd reach day when I would be posting an article from the Wall Street Journal on my blog. I've learned to take all the mainstream media and treat them with utmost caution. But Daniel Henninger of the Wall Street Journal has written a powerful article, published today, that I think needs to be spread across the United States. It is time for political correctness to disappear because it was the cause of the Fort Hood massacre.

Why Fort Hood Really Happened
by Daniel Henninger

Published 12 November, 2009
Wall Street Journal

The only good news out of the Fort Hood massacre is that U.S. electronic surveillance technology was able to pick up Major Hasan's phone calls to an al Qaeda-loving imam in Yemen. The bad news is the people and agencies listening to Hasan didn't know what to do about it. Other than nothing.

Next week, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I., Conn.) will convene the Homeland Security Committee to find out if someone in the Army or FBI dropped the ball on Hasan. At Ford Hood itself, grief has been turning to anger as news of possible dropped balls has emerged.

Earlier in the week at Fort Hood, President Obama spoke about the consequences of doing nothing. He named and described each of the 13 dead. That properly gave individual reality to what soon will become "the victims of Fort Hood."

This is how it always goes. For about a week after these awful incidents—such as the USS Cole bombing in Yemen (year 2000, 17 dead)—the rest of us feel, just a little, what the surviving families feel. This week, 13 American families are shattered, forever. It's a big deal, the biggest deal there is.

On Tuesday night at 9:06 p.m. in Virginia, the state executed the Beltway sniper, John Allen Muhammad, who gunned down 10 in 2002. The day before the execution, the father of a dead daughter described why he would witness it:

"I want to see what he made me see. He forced us to look at our little girl laying in a coffin. I want to see justice done. I want to see him take a last breath. I want to be able to describe it to the rest of the family."

Pretty rugged. But that is what they are feeling at Fort Hood. They think Hasan should have been caught. The reason we erect an apparatus of surveillance and intelligence in what some don't want to call the war on terror is to avoid this death and unfathomable grief.

The national grief won't last.

In our time, nothing was bigger than the nearly 3,000 killed on September 11. But anyone who got involved with the development of public policy then knows that for the next seven years the battle never stopped over the details of the Patriot Act, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, then Guantanamo, then waterboarding, renditions and secret prisons and all the other issues that for some could be summed up in two words: "Bush-Cheney."

This will never come up in the Lieberman hearings next week, but I think that nonstop policy battle is why Hasan's overseers dropped the ball.

The most-heard reason for the possible failure is political correctness. No doubt. But Sen. Lieberman's committee should avoid making this its main line of inquiry, because that is a problem without a policy fix. It minimizes the real problem.

The problem is confusion. The combatants at each end of the spectrum in the war over the war on terror know exactly what they think about surveilling suspected terrorists. But if you are an intel officer or FBI agent tasked with providing the protection, what are you supposed to make of all this bitter public argument? What you make of it is that when you get a judgment call, like Maj. Hasan, you hesitate. You blink.

Now everyone thinks the call was obvious. But it wasn't so obvious before the tragedy. Not if for years you have watched a country and its political class in rancorous confusion about the enemy, the legal standing of the enemy, or the legal status and scope of the methods it wants to use to fight the enemy.

In war, uncertainty gets you killed. It just did.

Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey recently described in these pages the fight over renewal of the Patriot Act, expiring at year's end. At issue is "lone wolf" authority—the ability to monitor a target not connected to a terrorist organization or foreign power, such as Zacharias Moussaoui, the "20th" 9/11 hijacker.

Mr. Mukasey noted bills sponsored by Democrats to narrow the scope of surveillance. This led to a debate in our letters between Mr. Mukasey and Sen. Russ Feingold over the meaning of "foreign power" and whether search warrants were or were not obtainable in the "lone wolf" surveillance of Moussaoui.

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Everyone has seen the pictures of inconsolable grief amid the coffins of Fort Hood. Only one person can resolve the confusion that let this happen: the president.

This is the president who told his attorney general to decide if the CIA officers who water-boarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed should be held criminally liable.

But two weeks ago, Mr. Obama met 18 coffins returned from Afghanistan. Whatever he decides about the Afghan troop deployment, what won't change is that over there or here at home, they will keep trying to kill us.

To give us better odds of protection than we had last week, President Obama should do two things: Call off the CIA investigation. Then call in the guys who didn't make the right call on Hasan and ask why not. Then, whatever set the bar too high, lower it. His "base" won't like it. So what? What he saw in Texas was worse.

Write to henninger@wsj.com
Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A23

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I am livid with Barack Obama and place the blame for the Fort Hood massacre directly on his shoulders. Because Obama has such a healthy hate on for America, the second he absconded with the presidency he started investigating the CIA. The CIA were the ones keeping us safe by doing their jobs and doing them well. Suddenly, under the Obama Administration, being a good CIA agent became criminal and each agent was facing potential criminal charges. Barack Obama has stated over and over that the "War on Terror is over." Sayin' it ain't so, doesn't make it so! What are you, Obama? Two?

We are at war with a people who have no compunction with committing heinous and monstrous act of war. We are at war with an ideology which demands the complete eradication of all peoples, governments and cultures that do not accept Sharia Law and Islam. We are at war and the enemy walks among us.

When I was in college I overhead some Lebanese students discussing blowing up a nearby dam. I remember thinking that I couldn't possibly have heard what I'd just heard. I vacillated back and forth for hours, trying to decide whether I should call the police or not because I didn't want to be calling wolf. Finally, in the wee hours of the morning, I decided I couldn't ignore what I'd overhead. I called the police. They called the FBI. By the next evening those students were gone. I don't know what happened. I know the dam stands to this day and no lives were lost because I chose to ignore what I'd heard.

As Americans we have a responsibility to be alert, attentive and aware of what is going on around us. If Barack Obama is going to hamstring law enforcement, then Americans must take up that task. We cannot allow this to happen again. We good citizens. When you hear troublesome information, immediately turn it over to the police. They will know whether to take it seriously or not.

In Utah, over 30,000 women carry weapons and that number is growing daily! I beseech all Americans who love this nation, believe the U.S. Constitution to be the superior rule of law and a Democratic Republic the superior form of government, to exercise your 2nd Amendment rights. Take the training. Learn how to shoot a gun. Get licensed and even get a Concealed Carry Permit. If our law enforcement cannot protect us, as the soldiers of Fort Hood should have been able to all be carrying, we must protect ourselves. If someone walks into to a building where you are and starts shoot, shoot back and shoot to kill.

I am sick to death of Americans behaving like ducks in a pond. We are descended of revolutionaries, patriots, soldiers, pioneers, noble and great peoples ... we cannot allow Obama's government to disarm us and make us helpless in the face of attacks on America.

May God bless this great nation and may we stand up, as a whole people, and demand the return of our nation.

I pledge allegiance to the flag,
Of the United States of America,
And to the Republic for which it stands,
One nation, Under God,
With liberty and justice for all.

This is my pledge. The U.S. Constitution is my law.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved by Candace E. Salima.

House Ways & Means on Pelosi's Healthcare

Committee on Ways & Means

Press Releases

PELOSI: Buy a $15,000 Policy or Go to Jail

JCT Confirms Failure to Comply with Democrats’ Mandate Can Lead to 5 Years in Jail

Friday, November 06, 2009

Today, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee Dave Camp (R-MI) released a letter from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) confirming that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained in the Pelosi health care bill (H.R. 3962, as amended) could land people in jail. The JCT letter makes clear that Americans who do not maintain “acceptable health insurance coverage” and who choose not to pay the bill’s new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.

In response to the JCT letter, Camp said: “This is the ultimate example of the Democrats’ command-and-control style of governing – buy what we tell you or go to jail. It is outrageous and it should be stopped immediately.”

Key excerpts from the JCT letter appear below:

“H.R. 3962 provides that an individual (or a husband and wife in the case of a joint return) who does not, at any time during the taxable year, maintain acceptable health insurance coverage for himself or herself and each of his or her qualifying children is subject to an additional tax.” [page 1]

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“If the government determines that the taxpayer’s unpaid tax liability results from willful behavior, the following penalties could apply…” [page 2]

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Criminal penalties

Prosecution is authorized under the Code for a variety of offenses. Depending on the level of the noncompliance, the following penalties could apply to an individual:

• Section 7203 – misdemeanor willful failure to pay is punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.

• Section 7201 – felony willful evasion is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years.” [page 3]

When confronted with this same issue during its consideration of a similar individual mandate tax, the Senate Finance Committee worked on a bipartisan basis to include language in its bill that shielded Americans from civil and criminal penalties. The Pelosi bill, however, contains no similar language protecting American citizens from civil and criminal tax penalties that could include a $250,000 fine and five years in jail.

“The Senate Finance Committee had the good sense to eliminate the extreme penalty of incarceration. Speaker Pelosi’s decision to leave in the jail time provision is a threat to every family who cannot afford the $15,000 premium her plan creates. Fortunately, Republicans have an alternative that will lower health insurance costs without raising taxes or cutting Medicare,” said Camp.

According to the Congressional Budget Office the lowest cost family non-group plan under the Speaker’s bill would cost $15,000 in 2016.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved by Candace E. Salima.