“First I would dream it, then I’d plan it, then reality (aka challenges) would upend the dream … It seemed like I would forever bury all my dreams in the graveyard of regret. But then … !”
By Rebecca Witherspoon
When I was a kid, the world was my oyster. I was precocious, vivacious, passionate and creative. I was determined to travel the world and see all that it had to offer. I would pour over all the books and magazines about exotic and/or ancient locals, learn about the history of those places, and plan out itineraries to visit those places. Then I went to sleep one night and much like Rip Van Winkle the next time I woke up more than two decades had passed and I was divorced with two adolescent children, had never been out of the country, and was afraid of my own shadow. When did I stop being brave? When did I stop dreaming? It was time to take a look in the mirror and see just who I had become.
Through the years and decades of my life, there seemed to be a predictable pattern and timeline to all of my dreams and plans. First I would dream it, then I’d plan it, then reality (aka challenges) would upend the dream. In all but a very rare handful of exceptions, this is where my dreams would die. Oh, I would sometimes take a particularly fond dream out of its grave to stroke and attempt to resuscitate it by asking myself, “What if …?” But, it wouldn’t be long before that dream was safely tucked back into its protective grave. It seemed like I would forever bury all my dreams in the graveyard of regret. But then … !
“Lady Liberty” by Rebecca Witherspoon, copyright 2010
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
What is our battle? Is it Republican vs. Democrat, Conservative vs. Liberal, or Democracy vs. Socialism? No. The true battle is Liberty vs. Tyranny.
According to the Miriam-Webster Dictionary, Liberty is defined as the quality or state of being free: (a) the power to do as one pleases; (b) freedom from physical restraint; (c) freedom from arbitrary or despotic control; (d) the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges; and (e) the power of choice. Tyranny is defined as: (1) an oppressive power, especially an oppressive power exerted by government, the tyranny of a police state; (2) a government in which absolute power is vested in a single ruler; or (3) an oppressive, harsh, or unjust act.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Second Amendment
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Third Amendment
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Fourth Amendment
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Fifth Amendment
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Sixth Amendment
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.
Seventh Amendment
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Eighth Amendment
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Ninth Amendment
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Tenth Amendment
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Some questions to ask yourself:
(1) what was the intent of our Founding Fathers by including these particular Amendments;
(2) are these Amendments being honored and protected, or are they being infringed upon and to what degree; and
(3) what, if anything, can be done to stop to the erosion.
“It is human nature to stay where you’re comfortable. But, sometimes through a course of events, through a long train of usurpations, we have to become uncomfortable. Change will not happen without movement. And, when we’ve been sedentary, when we’ve been comfortable for a very long time, movement is uncomfortable. We have been training our generations in the wrong information about our government. We’ve been training them to be submissive and compliant to authority. We have forgotten that We The People are the rulers over government, and we have allowed government to be the rulers over people. If we truly want that to change, we have to stop looking for leaders and start BEING them.”
Over the past number of years, I have become disturbed by a seeming lack of knowledge about our founding documents including the Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution, and our Bill of Rights (which just so happens to be the first 10 Amendments to our Constitution). Public education appears to be inconsistent in its duty to provide a common foundation of knowledge upon which our young adults have an equal opportunity to pursue the American Dream—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. There are many explanations, some more valid than others, for why we have found ourselves where are are today.
Many citizens of these United States of America seem to no longer understand that the Constitution was written by We The People to clearly state what our natural human rights are and to limit our government from infringing upon those rights. We The People wrote the Constitution. Our government did not exist until our Constitution was written. The government did not “bestow” rights on We The People, but was rather created to protect the rights of We The People. The primary and most basic duty of the government of these United States of America is to protect the rights of the people. Unfortunately, too many citizens have forgotten this basic truth.
So, exactly what does the U.S. Constitution do? It
outlines our basic human rights as citizens;
formed a new and limited government;
placed structure to and parameters around a newly formed government, including significant limits, checks and balances to slow and/or stop anticipated inevitable future attempts of governmental abuses of power;
outlines the primary duties of our newly formed government, which primary duties were to protect the rights of the people and to protect our newly formed borders from threats by outside forces;
clearly outlines those natural rights of the people that government is absolutely prohibited from infringing upon; and
specifically reserves back to the people everything not clearly delegated by the Constitution to our government.
I encourage everyone to explore our country’s founding documents and to allow the clear meaning of words of those documents to illuminate the intent of our Founding Fathers. It’s time that We The People take back our inalienable rights and to hold our government accountable for the harm it has done to our country.
I am a wife, a mom, and a grandma, an outspoken Village Board Trustee where I live, a blogger/writer and sometimes vlogger, the owner and operator of a travel agency, an avid photographer, and a dabbler in graphic design and videographer. Oh, I’m also a former and now occasional substitute school bus driver, and in my “spare” time I work full time as a legal assistant. I love the music of the late 1960s, ‘70s, and early ‘80s—it really was the best time for modern music, despite that time now being half a century in the past. I love to read and watch movies. I’m passionate about maintaining a healthy, beautiful, and productive environment. My favorite thing to do is to travel the globe. And last, but certainly not least, I am an American Citizen passionate about the health and vitality of my country, and someone who believes that fighting to ensure our Constitutionally protected freedoms are no longer infringed upon is of paramount importance. In short, I’m you. I’m your neighbor. I’m your friend. I’m your relative. I like to think I’ve gained some wisdom through the years as a direct result of both my failures and successes. I’ve experienced fear and courage, grief and ecstasy, success and failure. I’m your average, ever-day American who is simply trying to live my life according to the same principles our Founding Fathers used to create this great nation—to live my life free to pursue happiness as I see it.
I’m so incredibly sad for my country and the direction it is going. Am I meant to pursue public service as an elected official? I’ve been pretty effective at the local level, but I don’t know if I’d be effective or even electable at a higher level of office. And, I don’t know if I even want to be at that higher level. People in this country seem hell bent on abolishing our Constitution, our Constitutionally protected freedoms, and implementing a repeatedly failed Marxist/socialist society that oppresses and ultimately destroys a society. Why are people doomed to repeat the very things that have been proven time and again to destroy? As a country, we have lost our way, and I believe it is the beginning of the end of the country my ancestors fought so hard to create and that I grew up in. I’m so tired of fighting all the time to try to get others to see the truth. I’m just so very tired.
I want to escape the coming destruction in this country. But where would I/we even go? Florida has both its pros and cons. Weather is the main con in that it gets extremely hot in the summers and has hurricanes in the falls and early winters. The current governor will not always be the governor—Florida has term limits (pros and cons again). Unless he is working to mentor the next governor I fear that Florida will be on the chopping block in the next election as far as freedoms go. I have zero desire to live in an actual physical border state, because of the dangerous illegal alien surge that is being allowed by our current administration—shockingly illegal and yet completely allowed. Why the hell do we continue to put up with this bullshit?
I fear that being an entrepreneur in this country will soon be on the chopping block as well. The far left will see to that. Despite what they claim, they absolutely hate self-made success stories because they cannot be controlled, their thoughts cannot be directed, and their actions cannot be dictated.
My body, my choice. They want the right to kill their babies, but they don’t want us to have the right to choose what we allow to be injected into our bodies. They want to be able to mutilate the bodies of our children, and stop parents from even knowing or having a say so in what happens to their children. They want us to follow the science, but they themselves refuse to follow the science—they can’t even define what a woman is. They want to abolish the police and all the while try to take our ability to protect ourselves away, at the same time they themselves use private security they can afford but we cannot to protect themselves—two tier system. They want to indoctrinate the minds of our children and tell us that our children don’t belong to us and that we have no say so in what our children are taught—they call us domestic terrorists if we raise concerns. They are trying to normalize pedophilia and now are trying to change the term to minor attracted as a way of making the sick perversion into something “normal.”
We saw city after city burned and looted with people physically assaulted and sometimes even killed for three months during the summer of love (2020) and yet those riots were called “mostly peaceful protests,” then when a bunch of idiots were literally escorted into the Capital and allowed to get out of hand in a short-lived riot, they call them domestic terrorists and “insurrectionists” and continue to push an untrue narrative about those who dare to use their Constitutionally protected right of free speech to question blatantly questionable actions during the election of 2020. Three people died on J6, all were protestors who got caught up in a protest that got out of control—possibly as a direct result of government law enforcement interference and instigation, but of course we will never know the truth because we aren’t allowed to question the “acceptable” narrative. One was an unarmed, white, female veteran who is on video attempting to stop destruction of public property and yet was cold-bloodedly executed on video by a capital police officer who admitted in a very publicized interview that he broke the law when he shot her—aka, he murdered that woman and is not being charged with any crime. Another was an unarmed, white, female protestor who got caught in the crush of people at one of the entrances to the Capital Building and who was crushed to death as a result of capital police illegally discharging tear gas in an extremely confined space resulting in panic when people could not breath and at least one police officer beating the defenseless woman after she had fallen to the ground—another illegal action on the part of the police officer. The third was an unarmed, white, older male who suffered a life-ending heart attack, again as a result of unconscionable actions on the part of the capital police. Another victim of the capital police included an unarmed, white, man who was literally pushed off a ledge by a capital police officer—another illegal action on the part of the police. There are many more examples, but I’ll stop there. Each of these incidents can be easily found if you’re willing to do your own research. Not one police officer to my knowledge has been charged with any crimes of police brutality as a result of J6–I guess it’s okay when the illegal brutality is against white folks. Not one police officer died that day, some were hurt in the scuffles, and yet a lie has been repeatedly told that one police officer was beaten to death—he was not. As can be easily discovered by the autopsy report, he died from natural causes a day or so later, with zero evidence that his death was a result of the riot. And yet I still, to this day almost two years later, continue to hear this lie repeated time and time again from people who refuse to hear/see the truth.
And people just keep believing the damn lies. They refuse to do the research to find the actual truth and continue to believe the false narratives being shoved down our throats by a media that is no longer anything other than a propaganda machine of the far left Democrat Party. Journalism with rare exception is dead. And those journalists that still exist? They are mercilessly persecuted by the pundits and government until they are either “discredited,” choose to shut up, or disappear or murdered under mysterious circumstances.
We have Democrat leadership colluding with media and social media to suppress free speech, and yet too many people see nothing wrong with that ILLEGAL action on the part of our government.
We have a Democrat controlled government that has destroyed our economy, refuses to prosecute criminals, is printing money like it’s candy, is putting the jackboot on the neck of We The People through burdensome regulations and taxation, and has no problem with the wholesale genocide of millions of babies. And yet, we just keep voting for more of the same.
I’m so incredibly tired. It’s heart breaking to see people willingly throwing their freedoms in the trash as a result of complete lies. As a nation, we have forgotten where we came from, who we once were, what our values have been for more than 200 years, and seem to be intent on destroying everything we once valued. I have repeatedly asked when people will wake up and demand that our government do it’s assigned jobs and not continue to abuse its power. Unfortunately, we as a nation have become “comfortably numb” to the destruction of our country and like sheep are being led to the slaughter. We are like frogs in a pot of water that is slowly but surely coming to a boil. We are like a horse with blinders, seeing only what we are meant to see and not able to see the burning forest around us.
We are seeing the beginning of the end of our nation.
The late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on Aug. 28, 1963, at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. His words are just as true today as they were that day so many years ago. We have come far along the path he envisioned to ensure equality of all peoples, but the struggle continues. Unfortunately, there are still some today who are trying to continue the subjugation of a people through other, less obvious, methods, but their actions are now beginning to be revealed for what they have always been—bigotry in the guise of helping handouts. Let’s once again listen to the words of truth and find our way back onto the straight and narrow path that Dr. King envisioned and inspired.
Please watch the video here.
“I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.
But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.
In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God’s children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor’s lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”
And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
“The masses never revolt of their own accord, and they never revolt merely because they are oppressed. Indeed, so long as they are not permitted to have standards of comparison, they never even become aware that they are oppressed.”
— from “1984” by George Orwell
As some of you may have recognized that my title was quotes by the Borg from the Star Trek movies and series, some of you may not realize just how much those words are becoming a part of our culture today.
For almost 2.5 centuries, citizens of the United States of America have been blessed with a Constitutionally protected right to free speech. over the past few decades though, and especially during the current global pandemic, that natural right has been under extreme attack. Another natural right, the right to choose what happens to ones own body, is also under attack. I am not referring to the right to choose whether or not to terminate a life growing in a woman’s womb, but rather your right to freely choose or reject medical treatment, as well as to be fully informed of potentials risks related to any medical treatment or participation in a medical trial (aka experiment).
Are you aware that over these past almost two years, you have not been allowed to:
Question or discuss its efficacy;
Question or discuss its possible side effects;
Question or discuss the official narrative;
Question or discuss the accuracy of the data;
Question or discuss the possible conflicts of interest;
Question or discuss the coercive nature of mandates, or choose whether or not you want it without severe and life-changing reprisals?
Apparently the scientific method is no longer allowed and now only one person represents “real” science.
I do not know where you stand on the various issues related to the pandemic. To be honest, it really doesn’t matter. What does matter is your and my right to freely ask questions and discuss the various aspects of this pandemic and the recommended treatments. Too often governments have pushed official narratives and policies that have had devastating negative consequences on the public.
Do you really want to live in a society where simply asking questions, seeking second opinions, or exploring possible alternatives is not allowed?
Below is a video that reports on how ”testing” was conducted on the Pfizer vaccine. I will let you come to your own conclusions about what is revealed without attempting to influence your response.
My blog is called Musing By Rebecca for a reason. It is all about the things that are important and interesting to me. Sometimes I am focused on a pretty narrow issue (like health and wellness) and at other times I deviate for a period of time onto other issues like travel, politics, liberty, education, and personal development. All my blog posts are meant to inspire thought and conversation. Today’s blog post is one of those brief deviations from my norm.
The education of our kids has been a lifelong passion for me. So much so that when my kids were young and we lived in a school system in rural Indiana that wasn’t up to the standards that I felt my kids needed, I chose to homeschool my kids. Then, when I moved to another school district that provided a higher quality education I placed my kids back into the school environment until one day when my son, who was a freshman in high school at the time, came to me and specifically asked me to homeschool him for the remainder of his high school, which I did despite being a single parent at the time. I took my parental responsibilities extremely serious. I chose to make personal sacrifices to ensure my kids received a solid educational foundation based on their individual needs at the time. Were my choices perfect? Probably not, but it was my right and my responsibility as their parent to make those decisions.
I found this recently published opinion piece very interesting.
I have said this many times in the past, but this report further supported my observation that it is immensely interesting and disturbing that some of the very places (like Madison and Milwaukee, both in Wisconsin) who scream the loudest about racial equity (equal outcomes) are in fact some of THE worst “offenders” of promoting policies which actually encourage and ensure UN-equal outcomes. It’s sad, infuriating, and unbelievable that we have allowed the very offenders to blame everyone else for the problems they, with our implicit approval, have created.
We need ALL our kids to receive a high quality, in-person, factually based, ideologically neutral, equal and free education. They are the future leaders, movers and shakers of our country and the world. If they cannot do simple math, write legibly, read and comprehend complex writings, understand the past and how it relates to the present and future, or even utilize critical thinking, then their generation is doomed to a life of dependence and servitude. Are we, as a society, willing to give up on and hand our kids over to such a bleak and destructive future?
A strong, well educated, independent and large middle class is the very foundation for the stability, growth and prosperity of a society, especially a Constitutional Republic like the United States of America where officials are elected as representatives of the people and are supposed to govern according to existing constitutional laws which limit the government’s power over citizens. Politics in this country (on both sides of the aisle) over the past 50+ decades has slowly but surely eroded and shrunk our once dynamic and robust middle class. It has increased the size and power of the wealthy, who then use government to gain more and more control over the populace with handouts in the guise of social assistance programs, which only further dramatically increases the size and dependency of the poor. As the poor become more and more dependent on the handouts, they then vote for politicians who will take more and more from the middle class and transfer it to the poor. This results in the slow but steady depletion of the middle class and the exponential growth of a dependent poor, which in turn gives more power to the wealthy. A vicious yet predictable cycle.
“Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Unknown Author
Education is the cornerstone for building healthy and successful individuals as well as a stable and strong middle class, which in turn holds in check the evolution of despotic powers of the wealthy. We have been apathetic about what our kids have been being taught for far too long. We are now seeing first hand the results of OUR apathy.
It took decades to get where we are today. It took decades for the powers that be, well meaning or not, to infiltrate and destroy the worlds greatest educational system. It will take an unwavering dedication and focus to restore our broken education system.
Some food for thought on ways to restore our broken educational system include:
Get rid of the federal department of education. With its implementation, we saw the erosion of our education system begin. The stronger it has become, the worse our educational system has become. It is also antithetical to local control and parental rights for directing the education of their children.
Return to the true foundations of education that made our nation one of, if not the, best in the world. Reading, writing, literature, arithmetic, history, civics, science, health and nutrition, life skills, the arts, music, and various apprenticeships for trades.
Demand and implement actual accountability of our schools for obtaining real results. Quit throwing more and more money at a broken system and demand RESULTS before more money is given.
Quit allowing teachers unions to become so powerful that they hold our kids and parents hostage when the unions don’t get what they want. Unions are for ensuring that teachers are paid a fair wage, receive decent benefits, and work in safe environments. They are not supposed to be so powerful that they can dictate policy and decide what our kids are taught or even if our kids are taught.
The school room is not the place for social activism. It is a place where kids should learn a foundation of common knowledge upon which they can build their future adult life. It is a place where it should be safe to explore a variety of ever changing interests without having someone with an agenda or ideology indoctrinate them into their way of thinking or believing. It is a playground for exploring creativity. It is a place where no matter your race, ethnicity, religion, political persuasion, socioeconomic status, or gender you are treated with respect and receive EQUAL opportunity and quality of education.
Parents should absolutely never relinquish their rights where the education of their children is concerned. We see the results today of parents apathetically trusting a system to do the right thing where their children are concerned, while either not monitoring or allowing the system to monitor itself. That is foolish. It is like allowing the proverbial fox to guard the hen house.
It was a wonderful week of sun, #oceantherapy, and relaxation. A time to reflect on the past year and prepare for the coming new year. A time to be with friends and loved ones. A time for peace and new beginnings. A time to just BE!
Putting this out to the universe! Accountability is everything!
“Chronic illness is growing at an alarming rate. Even with the massive amounts of organic food being cultivated now, even with the awareness about removing processed foods from our diets, even with the newest healing modalities, sickness is present like never before. No one is escaping illness, not unless they have the right information to stop the ticking clock.”
Excerpt From “Medical Medium Cleanse to Heal” by Anthony William (this material may be protected by copyright).
As some of you know, I have something called fibromyalgia. It can sometimes be debilitating for me due to what are called flare ups where pain levels become extremely high. This often makes exercise a bit of a challenge for me. With a lot of support and encouragement from my husband, walking is my go-to exercise. Stretching is also extremely important. As my pain levels allow, I increase my activity level to include other forms of exercise. Over time and steadily implementing a healthy diet and exercise regimine, my fibromyalgia symptoms begin to decrease and so long as I maintain that healthy lifestyle my symptoms almost disappear.
Over the past two years of the pandemic I did what a lot of folks have done, I lost sight of what I had been doing up to that point, quit doing the things that had been working, and started gaining weight. As my weight went up, my pain levels increased exponentially and my energy plummeted. Thankfully, I also know that as my weight goes back down, the pain will decrease steadily and my energy will return.
Because I allowed myself to get really out of shape this past two years, many of the things I had previously been doing just weren’t working. In fact, no matter how strict I was with myself I was still gaining weight. It became extremely frustrating.
I had been watching a friend of mine (Sheila), who has also struggled with weight, over the past year or so as she was on a journey to regain her health and reduce her weight. She was using a system called intermittent fasting coupled with a healthy diet. Her results have been nothing short of miraculous!
I’ve been reading up on the science behind intermittent fasting and have been slowly implementing aspects of intermittent fasting over the past few weeks. I’ve increased my fasting time to 12 and sometimes 14 hours and reduced my window for eating to 10 to 12 (and sometimes 8 ) hours. I’ve already seen the beginnings of improvement in my energy levels, some improvements with my digestive issues, and the very beginnings of some minor weight loss. All this without fully implementing IF.
I’m currently on vacation where eating is ALWAYS an issue for folks who are trying to lose weight. Despite the vacation eating, I am doing my best to maintain at least the 12 hour fasting – stopping eating by no later than 6:30 at night and not eating anything until at least 7 the next morning. So far I have been successful. We shall see the end results once I get home.
This video is a really good explanation of the various stages of intermittent fasting! One of the things to remember is to combine intermittent fasting with
(1) a healthy diet – I am using a combination of Herbalife products and a low carb/higher healthy fats diet; and
(2) exercise – start where you can and slowly increase as your body allows.
Musings By Rebecca 
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