Turning the Tide...: July 2013

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Senators Call For Defunding of ObamaCare in Upcoming CR

Lee Calls On Americans to Co-Sign With Senators

WASHINGTON—Today, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and 11 of his Republican colleagues sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), stating that they will not support a continuing resolution that funds further implementation or enforcement of ObamaCare.

Signers of the letter include Senators Rubio (R-FL), Cruz (R-TX), Risch (R-ID), Paul (R-KY), Inhofe (R-OK), Vitter (R-LA), Thune (R-SD), Chiesa (R-NJ), Enzi (R-WY), Fischer (R-NE), and Grassley (R-IA).

Lee also announced an initiative calling on Americans to co-sign the letter to Sen. Reid. (http://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/dont-fund-it)

“The Obama Administration's recent decision to delay Obamacare's employer mandate and eligibility verification for the individual exchanges is further proof the law is a failure that will inevitably hurt businesses, American families, and the economy.

“In light of this admission, I and several of my colleagues will be informing Senator Reid that we will not vote for a continuing resolution that funds Obamacare.

“I call on all Americans who oppose the unfair implementation of the president’s health care law to join us in the effort to fund the government, but not Obamcare. If the president can't follow his law, then the American people shouldn't fund it.”

The full text of the letter is available below:

Dear Leader Reid:

We view the Obama Administration’s recent decision to delay ObamaCare's employer mandate and eligibility verification for the individual exchanges as further proof the law is a failure that will inevitably hurt businesses, American families, and the economy.

In light of this admission, we believe the only way to avert disaster is to fully repeal ObamaCare and start over with a more sensible, practical approach to reforming our healthcare system.

However, if Democrats will not agree with Republicans that ObamaCare must be repealed, perhaps they can at least agree with the president that the law cannot be implemented as written. If the administration will not enforce the law as written, then the American people should not be forced to fund it.

This is a matter not only of fiscal prudence, but of fundamental fairness as well. The president cannot seriously expect to waive ObamaCare’s onerous mandates on large businesses, while simultaneously forcing individuals and families to pay to implement an individual mandate the public has opposed since before the law was even passed.

For these reasons, we will not support any continuing resolution or appropriations legislation that funds further implementation or enforcement of ObamaCare.

Sincerely,

Sens. Lee, Rubio, Cruz, Risch, Paul, Inhofe, Vitter, Thune, Chiesa, Enzi, Fischer, and Grassley.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

The Blueprint: How the Left Hopes to Capture America

I'm guessing this is why the Koch Brothers are trying to buy up liberal newspapers and turn them conservative. I pray to God they are successful. But the fate of this nation lies in the hands of her people. If we do not stand up and fight this, the America we know and love will be gone. The American Dream will be dead, and hope will become a hiss and a byword.

By James Simpson, Organization Trends, July 2013

Summary: The Left’s strategy for unhindered political power continues to be refined. In this electoral juggernaut, an increasing role is played by statewide networks of nonprofits that battle in the fields of media, the courts, think tanks, and grassroots organizing. Colorado was one of the first states to fall, but now the Left has its sights set on no less than Texas.

The American Left has made no secret of its ambition to create a “permanent progressive majority” to transform our system of government. To this end, America’s radical Left hopes to have a working majority in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2014 elections. But perhaps its greatest ambition is to create an Electoral College map that will guarantee left-wing presidents for the foreseeable future and render the opposition irrelevant in national elections. They aim to accomplish this by turning the states of Texas, North Carolina, and Arizona Democrat blue.

Left-wingers are now pouring resources into Texas in hopes of capitalizing on favorable demographic trends (read: illegal alien amnesty). The newly formed left-wing organization Battleground Texas lays out their strategy:

Over the next several years, Battleground Texas will focus on expanding the electorate by registering more voters—and, as importantly, mobilizing those Texans who are already registered but who have not been engaged in the democratic process. And we’ll use the data-driven, people-focused approach that has helped win grassroots campaigns around the country.

That last sentence describes, at least in part, how Obama won the 2012 election. A post by Jonathon Moseley at the American Thinker website put it in perspective:

Democrats can now completely bypass the media with their new massive micro-targeting databases. Democrats are able to talk directly to voters, unfiltered, without having to beg reporters to cover the issues or people they want, while controlling the spin placed on each news tidbit.

Obama takes credit for the high-tech 2012 ground game, but a lot of the credit must go to groups like Democracy Alliance and other radical left funders, who quietly built the infrastructure that allowed Obama to win the day.

According to Texas GOP Chairman Steve Munisteri, Democrats have been working on this plan for a while. It’s nothing new. Texas Governor Rick Perry calls Democrats’ dream of turning Texas blue with Hispanic voters a “pipe dream.”

Read More of this terrifying plan to turn America into a socialist democracy, completely eschewing everything America stands for...freedom.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Movie Corner: Pacific Rim

by Candace Salima | US Daily Review Senior Contributor
posted on 14 July 2013, 08:20 a.m.

Movie: Pacific Rim
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi
Rating/Runtime: PG-13, 132 Minutes

I was able to attend the Utah Premier of Pacific Rim at the Larry H. Miller Megaplex at the Jordan Commons in Sandy, Utah. I'm not impressed with how Warner Brothers and Megaplex handled the premier or the tickets. You'd have thought the President of the United States was attending. The security, the nonsense, the ridiculous distribution of the tickets (the first 50 people in line got 350 of the tickets). It will be the last time I attend something like that. But, I digress, on to the actual movie, Pacific Rim.

I like a good action movie as much as the next person, but Pacific Rim is something only a ten-year-old boy would love...well, the boy and my 30-year niece. About thirty minutes into the movie, my husband turned to me and said, "There's no story." He's right. The movie is long on aliens and robots fighting and really short on story line. I did a little research, and much to my "not amazement", Pacific Rim was a video game first.

As war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, and on; a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon a.k.a. gigantic (humongous might not be overstating it) robot, in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse.

Did I mention that Pacific Rim is REALLY short on story line? Nonetheless, there is a brief one, that's it up there. There's nothing more to the movie. No subtlety, context, story arc, or anything else, pretty much just big robots and giant ugly aliens duking it out, a ten-year old boy's dream.

So what was good about the movie?

The special effects were amazing. It is truly amazing to see how far we have come in live animation. The battles were epic, although I just can't get worked up over the robot/alien thing, which comprised the entire movie.
The acting, considering they were working with a really lame script, was relatively decent.
The directing...well, it seems as if Guillermo should have insisted on a real storyline, other than one that strung one battle after another together. So, I can't give him props for directing.

And that's it. That's all that was good about it. I give Pacific Rim 2 out of 5 stars, and I believe I'm being very generous in that. I'd say if you're going to watch this movie, get a big ol' soda (sorry if you live in New York City) and the biggest tub of popcorn and munch and slurp away. That will be the best entertainment you'll get in those 132 minutes.

On a side note, Thor: The Dark World is hitting theaters November 8th of 2013. So at least we have something to look forward to...where gods battle aliens, but SO much better.

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Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Meet the Colonial 1% That Created America

by Jamie Weinstein, Senior Editor on The Daily Caller, 9 July 2013

A new book details the role played by America’s conservative founders, who were “every bit as important as Washington, Jefferson, and Adams,” in shaping the destiny of the country.

“Most histories of conservatism trace its origins back to 1790 when the British statesman Edmund Burke penned a famous essay attacking the French Revolution. I discovered a group of American Founders who advocated the same ideas a decade and a half earlier,” David Lefer, an industryprofessor at Polytechnic Institute of New York University, told The Daily Caller in an interview about his recently released book, “The Founding Conservatives: How a Group of Unsung Heroes Saved the American Revolution.”

“Frankly I was also astonished to learn about the crucial role these men played in winning the War of Independence and in crafting America’s basic political structures. Collectively, the founding conservatives were every bit as important as Washington, Jefferson, and Adams. Yet, history has forgotten them.”

Lefer, whose previous book “They Made America” was made into a PBS mini-series, says these conservative founders could be considered ”the colonial 1%.”

“They were members of the upper classes — the colonial 1%, if you will — who were among the most ardent defenders of American rights,” he said. ”Many fought with distinction against British Redcoats. But they also wanted to preserve as much of the old order as possible. What the founding conservatives feared was that revolution would bring ‘the dissolution of every kind of authority,’ as James Wilson, a prosperous Philadelphia lawyer and staunch free-market advocate, put it. Their role, as they saw it, was to keep the revolution from spiraling out of control.”

Their influence can be seen in many areas of American society, including the U.S. Constitution, says Lefer.

“Conservatives put these principles into practice during the framing of the Constitution,” he said. “Many of them openly admired Britain’s system of government, which had stood the test of time. Yet, they also understood that the American people would never accept a return to monarchy. The key was to make America’s new government as similar to England’s as possible and to shun any political framework based solely on abstract principles. ‘Experience must be our only guide,’ John Dickinson told the Convention during a memorable debate. ‘Reason may mislead us.’”

Lefer says he is a registered Democrat, but his research has led him to a deep respect for conservative principles.

“I’m a registered Democrat, but after learning about these right-wing revolutionaries I have developed a tremendous new respect for conservatism,” he said. “The idea that we should respect social institutions that have evolved organically over hundreds of years and that we should not assume the new will automatically be better than the old makes incredible sense.”

Why did you decide to write the book?

The former journalist in me sensed a scoop. Most histories of conservatism trace its origins back to 1790 when the British statesman Edmund Burke penned a famous essay attacking the French Revolution. I discovered a group of American Founders who advocated the same ideas a decade and a half earlier. Frankly I was also astonished to learn about the crucial role these men played in winning the War of Independence and in crafting America’s basic political structures. Collectively, the founding conservatives were every bit as important as Washington, Jefferson, and Adams. Yet, history has forgotten them.

Read more of this article on The Daily Caller

Monday, July 8, 2013

Where are the Statesmen?

by Candace Salima, US Daily Review Senior Contributor

posted on 8 July 2013, 06:00 a.m.

Candidates, do you have what it takes to be called a "statesman"? For statesmen are what America needs. We have no need of more panderers, slanderers, and philanderers, but of wise, skilled political leaders. Are you ready to answer the call?

In the political landscape of today we have a dearth of statesmen in Washington, D.C. and the state legislatures. We are most certainly missing statesmen in the White House and most of the governor's mansions across America. A statesman, as defined above, is someone whose true north shines brightly, who uses the U.S. Constitution as his governmental guide and God as his moral and religious guide. We can find them throughout history, for we had an abundance of them at Independence Hall in 1776: George Washington, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Patrick Henry, and moving forward in history: Calvin Coolidge, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan, and to modern times: Senator Mike Lee, Senator Ted Cruz, and Lt. Colonel Allen West (Ret.).

But America, we do have statesmen among us. We see them at school plays, at the ballpark, at the grocery store, at church, at political gatherings, running businesses and corporations, even leading out among the grassroots. America produces statesmen like crazy, but we tend to overlook them because the media is determined that we never find them. It is time to find them though, America is desperately in need of this type of leadership.

The American people have lost their sense of responsibility to the Republic, for with great power comes great responsibility. But the way the Founding Fathers framed our nation was like this: From God sprang We the People, and from us came the U.S. Government divided into the Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches, and with that came the United States of America. If one part of the tree dies, the whole tree of liberty dies. It requires each of us to accept our responsibility as American citizens, roll up our sleeves and work to get America back on track to a strong, prosperous nation. This can only happen with the combined efforts of We the People and Statesmen chosen from among us.

Statesmen emerge from all across the world, nor is it restricted to men. Yeah Samake comes to mind, as does Winston Churchill, and Margaret Thatcher. We see them rise to the top from wherever they are living, and we must seek them out. We have been given a charge to seek out good, honest, wise men to lead our nation. So here are a series of question to ask yourself when looking for a statesmen:

Is he/she Conservative?
What is his/her view of the U.S. Constitution?
What is his/her view of bloated government verses a mean, lean government?
What is his/her view on the sovereignty of the United States of America?
What is his/her view on government spending?
Is he/she a Christian?
What is his/her view on the family unit, including traditional marriage v. same sex marriage?
Does he/she have a true north that they hold to?
Is he/she unimpeachable and able to withstand the corruption of Washington, D.C.?
How does he/she feel about America?
What does he/she think about the American people?
Where does he/she stand on the constitutional rights of the American people?

I'm certain there are many more questions out there, but this will get you started in whittling down the field of candidates for 2014. Two hundred statesmen, such as mentioned by StatesmenPAC, really will transform Congress and America. Begin your search for the statesman to represent you, and make sure they get elected in 2014.

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Saturday, July 6, 2013

Day 2: Moneybomb for Yeah Samake

Day 2 ‎Moneybomb, will you help Mali? This is ‎Yeah Samake, and he speaks of one of the very strong reasons I've chosen to support his bid to be president of ‎Mali. Text YEAH to 50502 to donate $1 to $5,000, every amount helps. Watch and see why he is the one to lead Mali out of poverty. Can you open your hearts to help in a very small way? From small contributions come huge things. Help Mali free itself by supporting Yeah Samake.

"A victory is not just an election. A victory is to make Mali a model of change, of success. What Mali needs is an awakening. But I cannot do it without help." ~ Yeah Samake, Candidate for president of Mali.

Mr. Samake was a presidential candidate in 2012 until the election was derailed by a coup in response to the government’s lack of support in the face of the radical militant invasion of Mali. This month, finally, the election is moving forward and Yeah has the opportunity to do for his nation what he did for his home town.

As a BYU graduate, Yeah took the principles he learned in America back home to help his people. As Mayor of Ouélessébougou he took hold of his town’s governance and its economic growth rocketed from a poor ranking of 699 out of 703, to a current top ten position within one term. He increased Ouélessébougou’s tax collection rate from below 10% to a prosperous 68% by increasing citizen participation and transparency through a tribal council system he set up, and by challenging the culture of corruption. His successes earned him the respect of his peers and led to his appointment as vice president of the League of Mayors.

Learn more about him here (website) and watch this video, Yeah Samake: Restoring Democracy to Mali.

Then participate in the Moneybomb for Yeah Samake going on now! As we celebrate our independence, let's help the people of Mali find theirs. Text YEAH to 50502 to donate.

Why should you help?

Mali is rich in resources! Its people should be wealthy.

Mali’s secular government has been targeted by jihadists. Their intention is to force Sharia Law in this poverty-stricken nation. We, as Americans have a unique opportunity, to assist in bringing freedom and prosperity to this impoverished nation in a region that is desperate for the benefits that come from principled government. If he wins the election on July 28th, Yeah Samake has pledged to do for Mali what he did as Mayor of Ouélessébougou, only this time bringing prosperity to his entire nation. We have a rare opportunity to effect this profound change for a nation that teeters between freedom and liberty or disease and poverty, through peaceful means. Please lend your financial support.

As America approaches her 237th birthday, we will enjoy our long since hard fought freedoms by watching fireworks, having BBQs with loved ones and cheering at parades. But we can do a much greater work by assisting the people of Mali attain the freedom we have enjoyed for so long. Celebrate liberty with this rare opportunity by joining two organizations which have stepped up to help. On July 28th the presidential elections in Mali will finally take place. The Statesmen PAC and STAND4UT are launching a Moneybomb on July 5th, 6th and 8th for Yeah Samake, in his last push to fund his election effort. How can you help?

It is simple. Yeah Samake, STAND4UT, and StatesmenPAC ask you to: Text the keyword YEAH to 50502 and donate any amount from $1 up. That’s it.

It isn’t often we can help one of the poorest nations in the world rise out of poverty. Yeah Samake is dedicated to raising his people up. We struggle to maintain the American Dream. Let us do this one small thing to help the people of Mali.

Donate to Yeah Samake by texting YEAH to 50502, you'll receive a text back with a link to donate any amount, from $1 to $5,000, every little bit helps.. We have been blessed in America with more wealth and prosperity than any other nation in the world. We have been given the opportunity and the ability to help Mali.

Let us engage in this wonderful cause of liberty!

Movie Corner: The Lone Ranger

by Candace Salima on US Daily Review

6 July 2013, 06:00 a.m. CST

Movie: The Lone Ranger

Directed by: Gore Verbinski

Starring: Armie Hammer, Johnny Depp

Rating/Runtime: PG-13, 149 minutes

The Lone Ranger is a childhood hero of mine. I never missed an episode, ever. So when this movie about the Lone Ranger made it's appearance I was really excited to see it. One hundred forty nine minutes later, not so much.

The whole movie is one big flashback told by the decidedly odd Tonto played by the equally odd Johnny Depp. Armie Hammer plays the Lone Ranger, but a wimpified one. The Calvary are bad guys. The business guys are bad guys. The bad guys are REALLY bad, revolting and disgusting. And the Native Americans, they are the good guys who were picked on; not really much to do with the Lone Ranger at all.

Some of the scenes were really too graphic both in content and picture for me to watch. Bad guy eating the heart of a Ranger. Another bad guy scalping someone he'd just shot. And it goes on and on. They tried entirely too hard to make it a good story and instead made it perfectly ridiculous.

In fact, it would seem Gore Verbinski set out to completely destroy the Lone Ranger so that no one could hold his character up as a hero again. Tonto, who had great dignity in the original Lone Ranger television series, is nothing more than a ridiculous nutjob in this latest rendition. And Armie Hammer, what can I say, except for the last ten minutes of the movie, he bore no resemblance to the Lone Ranger whatsoever, not in look, motivation, or action.

I walked out of the theater thinking I might give the film 1/2 star for cinemaphotography. Alvin argued that they at least deserve one star. I allowed that the acting had been great, as had the directing, although the storyline was boring, and horrible.

Here's how it boils down. I don't recommend children see this movie. In addition, it isn't worth what a movie costs these days, in fact, I felt decidedly robbed. The Lone Ranger gets 2 out of 5 stars, and that's being generous. This is a definite thumbs down.

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Thursday, July 4, 2013

Happy Birthday, America

by Candace Salima

Posted on US Daily Review

4 July 2013

Happy Birthday, America! Thank you for your sheltering shores, mountains, plains and valleys. Your rivers, lakes and oceans have provided for us for centuries, as have your rich, nurturing soil and abundance. The Founding Fathers of this great nation dedicated their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to preserve upon your land the eternal principle of freedom. Because you have provided for us so amply, and the Founding Fathers gave us a government to endure if we protect it, we are a blessed people whose founding principles are the last best hope of the earth. May God bless you, protect you and may He inspire us, her people, to stand for righteousness in all things, all times, and all places.

It is my hope that every American across this land, as well as our visitors, will stop amid the chaos of the magnificence of our celebration and realize that freedom is never free. It often comes at great personal cost of heroes from all walks of life. Throughout our 237 years in existence, America hasn't been perfect, but she has stood tall for liberty and been a template for a republic form of government that can withstand the test of time if her people stand with her.

One of our Founding Fathers, Thomas Paine said,

"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death." Thomas Paine, (1737 - 1809)

And how true those words are, to really treasure that we have, it must have come through the sweat of our brow and dedication to the cause. On this day of celebration independence, let us remember how dear the cost, and just for a moment, remember how very blessed we are as a nation.

I'll close with the words of John Quincy Adams, who said:

"Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it." -- John Quincy Adams

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Senator Mike Lee: Freedom and Responsible

The Declaration of Independence, the founding charter of our nation, is one the greatest assertions of human rights and dignity ever written. Its moral argument for liberty, equality, and responsibility rings as true today as did in 1776.

We have to go back to, perhaps, Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount to find a declaration more steeped in self-evident truths.

In fact, the two bear many similarities. They both speak deep, hopeful truths about the nature of man in language so clear and inspiring that they have literally changed the world every day since they were first delivered.

And, perhaps often overlooked, they were in fact both merely introductions, not conclusions.

The Sermon on the Mount is at the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel, not the end. The Declaration of Independence was signed five years before the Battle of Yorktown, and seven years before the Revolutionary War officially ended.

Both two millennia ago and two centuries ago, identifying human rights was only the beginning of the story. Whether following in the footsteps of Christ or reviewing the experiences of America’s founding generation, this is a crucially important lesson.

The lesson is that with rights come responsibilities. Rights are only the beginning.

The rest of the story involves what we do with those rights. This is especially so in America today.

Here, self-government is not just a political system; it must also be a personal ethic. We can govern ourselves as a nation only to the extent that we govern ourselves as individuals. An assertion of rights is empty without a corresponding acceptance of responsibility.

The rights we enjoy are vast and significant. Our government recognizes that we are created with the God-given rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit happiness.

Because our rights are endowed by our Creator, our duty is to serve Him. And of course, the way we serve our God is by serving our neighbor.

Human rights are the beginning of the story. Service: that is the rest of the story.

In this light, we can begin to see more clearly exactly what it is we celebrate on the Fourth of July.

Properly considered, independence, liberty, and equality are not simply moral principles; they are moral challenges. So you’re free – what are you going to do with your freedom?

The challenge issued to us, two millennia ago in Galilee, is to be a light on a hill, to provide comfort to the needy, to repair the world one day and one decision at a time.

The great gift the Founding Fathers gave us two centuries ago in Philadelphia is a nation where success depends on service.

Our free enterprise economy takes a lot of criticism for promoting greed, materialism, and competition. But no matter who you are or what you’re seeking, the first question anyone in our economy must ask is: how can I help?

Businesses do not survive unless they take care of their customers, their suppliers, their employees, and their neighborhoods.

The very same process is at work every day in our voluntary civil society: our civic, charitable, religious, and social organizations do not survive unless they succeed in achieving their objectives.

Both in our free-enterprise economy and our voluntary civil society, success in America is ultimately based not on competition, but cooperation. We look out for ourselves by looking out for everyone else.

Freedom, properly understood, doesn’t mean you’re on your own. It means “we’re all in this together.” As it is with our economy and our civil society, so it is with our republic as well.

On Independence Day, as we celebrate with fireworks, parades, and snow cones, we also recognize this annual event as an opportunity to cherish the God-given rights that make us free, strong, and able to carry out our responsibility to do God’s work on the earth.

Let us stand together as the watchman on the tower, the city on the hill, the candle that must not be hid under a bushel, and the salt of the earth. As Americans, we have been born with God-given rights which, if properly understood and righteously asserted, will enable us to continue to establish this nation as the world’s last great hope.

Senator Mike Lee

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

A Cause Worth Perfecting...Liberty for Mali

"A victory is not just an election. A victory is to make Mali a model of change, of success. What Mali needs is an awakening. But I cannot do it without help." ~ Yeah Samake, Candidate for president of Mali.

Learn more about him here (website) and watch this video, Yeah Samake: Restoring Democracy to Mali.

Then participate in the Moneybomb for Yeah Samake on July 5th, 6th, and 8th! As we celebrate our independence, let's help the people of Mali find theirs. Text YEAH to 50502 to donate. We'll notify you when the Moneybomb begins and about its progress. Why should you help?

Mali is rich in resources! Its people should be wealthy.

It is simple. Yeah Samake, STAND4UT, and StatesmenPAC ask you to: Text the keyword YEAH to 50502 and donate any amount from $1 up. That’s it.

Donate to Yeah Samake. We have been blessed in America with more wealth and prosperity than any other nation in the world. We have been given the opportunity and the ability to help Mali.

Let us engage in this wonderful cause of liberty!

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

The Tree of Liberty

"The other morning I awakened with this in my mind. I opened Photoshop and promptly recreated what I had seen. Consider, that We the People spring from God, for He put us here. The federal government springs from We the People. The United States of America springs from all three, remove one part and the Tree of Liberty dies." Candace E. Salima

Monday, July 1, 2013

Yeah Samake, Presidential Candidate for Mali

by Candace Salima US Daily Review Senior Contributor
as posted on US Daily Review
06:00 a.m. on 2 July 2013

In 2010, at a Mike Lee event (before he became a U.S. Senator), I met a man named Yeah Samake. He was introduced to my husband and me as the next president of Mali. We were able to visit with him for nearly thirty minutes, before we all had to move on. Intriguingly, Samake had attended, and graduated from, Brigham Young University with a Masters in Public Policy, and was associating with American statesmen to learn all he could. Taking all he learned, he returned to Mali and became director of the Mali Rising Foundation which has built twelve middle schools, to date, throughout Mali.

In 2009, Yeah Samake ran for mayor of his home town, Ouélessébougou. Using principles learned in America, Samake took hold of his town’s economic development and rocketed its economic growth from a poor ranking of 699 out of 703, to a current top ten position within one year. Samake also increased Ouélessébougou’s tax collection rate from below 10% to a prosperous 68% by increasing citizen participation through its tribal council system, and by challenging the culture of corruption. His successes earned him the respect of his peers and led to his appointment as vice president of the League of Mayors.

In 2012, when the presidential election of Mali was supposed to take place, a coup happened instead. With the presidential elections delayed indefinitely, so too was Yeah Samake. But he held tightly to the principles he knew would lift his country out of the corruption that was keeping Mali so poverty stricken.

He was awakened one night by his wife, after the coup had taken place, and told to get up and do something about the situation in Mali. So he did, but that is a story for another time and place. The point is, he did not sit quietly in his home despairing for his country. He got up, he walked through the military checkpoints and met with the leader of the coup. He told him he could not rule Mali by force, and the presidential elections had to go forward.

Yeah Samake, with some bumps in the road, is living out the American Dream in the African nation of Mali. One of eighteen children, his father worked night and day to make sure each of his children received a college education. They were raised in poverty, but knowledge was the gift his father gave them. And now, Yeah is running for election for the top position in his nation, and the election is on July 285h. This is the very epitome of the American Dream, but now it has become the Malian Dream.

Why should you help? Mali has been listed as a target by jihadists in the Middle East. Their intention is to instill Sharia Law in this poverty-stricken nation. We in America have a unique opportunity, as the citizens of America, to help a man be elected president in that nation that will effect change for good in the region. Not through force, but through the power of the people. On July 28th, when the corrupt regime will hopefully be replaced, Yeah Samake has pledged to do for Mali what he did for Ouélessébougou, bring prosperity to his homeland.

As America approaches her 237th birthday, we will see fireworks, BBQs, parades and more. And, as we celebrate our liberty, two groups have stepped up to help Mali achieve that same liberty on July 28th when the presidential elections in Mali will finally take place. The Statesmen PAC and STAND4UT are launching a Moneybomb on July 5th, 6th and 8th for Yeah Samake, in a last push.

How can you help? It is perhaps the most simple thing Yeah Samake, STAND4UT, and Statesmen PAC can ask of you: Text the keyword YEAH to 50502 and donate as low as $1.00 and as high as $199. That's it, nothing more complicated than that.

It isn't often we can look to one of the poorest nations in the world and know we can help them make that rise from poverty. Yeah Samake is dedicated to that to raising his people up. As we fight day and night for the American Dream to be restored, we can do this one small thing to help the people of Mali, donate to Yeah Samake.

NOTE: As an additional note, I invite you to opt in to the following campaigns and organizations:

Text the keyword ADAMS to 50502 to opt into the Statesmen PAC. Please donate $1.00 to $199.00 receive updates on candidates, community and politics.
Text the keyword STAND4UT to 50502 to opt into STAND4UT. Please donate $1.00 to any amount to receive updates on community, events, legislative sessions, candidates, and politics.
Text the keyword STEVENS to 50502 to opt into John G. Stevens for updates on politics, business, community, and movies! John is running for the seat in House District 57 in Utah.

There are more to come, as more and more discerning candidates and organizations leap into this bold, fresh new style of communicating with We the People.

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