Mike is the Guy!

On Friday night my husband, daughter and I went to Clear Lake Iowa to see the band Capital Offense. For those of you that don't know this band, it's presidential candidate's Mike Huckabee's band. WoW! What an amazing evening. Granted we weren't going there specifically to hear the band play, we're more interested in seeing Mike and the potential opportunity of meeting him.

When we first got to the building we presenting our tickets and signed in. Looking around there were at least 600-800 people there. My eyes immediately focused on the stage to find Mike. We walked around and purchased a few 'I Like Mike' t-shirts (which any merchandise bought went towards the campaign). All of the campaign members we came across were fantastic. They were excited for the turn out, interested in talking with the people and displayed kindness and courtesy.

After we grabbed some soda and a table we watched and listened to this band perform. They were definitely better than I anticipated. They played cover songs and nailed them with what seemed like little effort. I was so impressed with the great musicians, the keyboardist, the drummer, the guitarist, the singers and of course the bass player, Mike Huckabee. They all were having a great time and so were all of the people in attendance. My husband, a musician himself, commented to me on how well Mike played, to which I agreed. After a short while my husband made his way across the floor to the other side of the stage where he could take some pictures. I watched as the band members threw out some glow sticks as the kids swarmed the floors to pick them up. There was a lady who had a whole stack of them in her hands as she made her way to our table and handed them to us with a smile. I thought, 'Wow, that was nice of her'. Now me and my daughter could shake them around along with all the others!

During the brief intermission I watched as the band members came off the stage, right where my husband was standing. OH! 'Is he going to talk to Mike!?' I strained myself to catch a glimpse and low and behold....he was standing right there with him! I was regretting not going along with him, I missed my chance. About 5 minutes later I see my husband heading back towards our table. I asked, "Did you talk to Mike!?" He said, "Oh yeah, I told him we're praying for him and that we're standing with him". Randy also complimented him on his musical abilities and explained he was a musician himself. Mike was very gracious and held eye contact the entire conversation. All though there were crowds of people waiting to shake his hand, when he was talking with Randy, they were the only two in the room. They chatted for a while more and shook hands. I asked Randy if we could go back over there, so we followed as he led the way. We got right behind him as he was talking with a few other folks. Once Randy got his attention, he introduced me and my daughter. I shook his hand and told him how great I thought he was. Let me tell you, this man has the kindest, sincerest eyes. Seeing him at the debates you can see his kindness, but television doesn't capture the authenticity as it does when you're face to face. He was very personable and told me, "Your husband was just telling me about his music". Can you get anymore personable than that? Keep in mind, we ventured back over to Mike about 25 minutes after Randy first met him. Mike easily met another 10-15 people during that time frame, and yet, he recalled the face and conversation.

As I watched the stage during intermission, they were auctioning off some t-shirts, drumsticks, books and Mike's old guitar. The lady holding the auction was the same lady that came to our table with the light sticks. Then it hit me, that was Mike's wife! She too, was a very sweet, down to earth, people person.

Later in the night there were a few performers that came to join in with Capital Offense, one of them was the original member and founder of the band Boston. Another was a female lead singer to a band out of New Jersey. They rocked out to 'More than a Feeling'. Very awesome!

Mike did give some words of encouragement a few times throughout the night along with a few wise cracks. One of the amazing things was that while he performed, he let his band be in the spotlight. Every once in a while he'd step out further on the stage to nod and smile at the crowd. Someone also asked him while he was out on the floor if he could pay tribute to a lady name Joyce as it was her birthday. So, while he was on stage he asked Joyce to join him and the whole crowd sang happy birthday. After rocking out on a few more songs, like 'Sweet Home Alabama', 'Stand by Me', and 'Twist and Shout', the show was over. No one wanted to leave, they were standing around waiting to see Mike. We grabbed a few bumper stickers, yard signs and CD's on the 'Fair Tax' plan and got in line. As I watched Mike with people, he was very personable to all of them.

When it was our turn to talk with Mike again, he immediately knew who we were. This time he met my daughter and noticed she had a cross country shirt on. They chatted for a bit about how far she's ran and he gave her some words of encouragement like a proud father would do. We got a picture taken. This was a very memorable evening.

Seeing him that night only made me feel more convicted to be part of the Huckabee camp. We watched CNN this morning while he was being interviewed by Wolfe Blitzer. Blitzer tried many times to catch Mike up. He told Mike about the controversy written about him by liberals and conservatives and gave about 4 different examples. Mike didn't crack once. He made it very clear that he respected their point of view, even if they don't agree. He stood firm and spoke from the heart.

I know without a doubt that Huckabee is the man to be the next in line to lead this nation. He has showed me time and again that he is a man with a gift of great communication, a compassionate heart and one who holds the foundation of Christ.

Over the past few months, Mike has gained poll numbers and even ranked higher than Romney in one of them. Ladies and gentleman, it is so important to know what the candidates stand for. They should be able to answer tough questions, speak from their heart and hold true to 'saying what they mean, and meaning what they say'. I have witnessed a man who does not seem to change faces based on the surroundings. Mike is someone who is confident with himself, his beliefs and his path. I will do all I can to support and encourage him on this campaign. The decision is ultimately in God's hands, but we all need to do our part and listen, learn and pay attention to where this country is heading. The choice is ours, what will yours be? As for me, I'm for Mike!

Life of a Conservative

So, a few things happened over the past month that made me realize for absolute certain, I'm on the right side of things.

First about 3 weeks ago I was in a conversation with a close relative which I haven't seen in years. I knew from previous conversations with people she associated with that she was a highly motivated democrat. As we were talking she expressed her exuberance about her job. All though I'm not exactly sure what it all entails, she does work at setting up conventions, coordinating events and staying in tune with the democratic party. She's seems to be a bright and cheery gal, and I truly am happy that she's enjoying her life. While at this gathering I, as I often do, took in the surroundings and started people watching. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary, nothing that I didn't expect to find. While I was talking with this relative, one of her friends came up to announce she was leaving. She looked to be in her 20's, dark hair, subtle make up, but what caught my eye was what she wore on her shirt. I couldn't help but smirk and shake my head. This young gal was proud to support her candidate for president and made sure to demonstrate by wearing none other than a 'Hillary' button. This was the moment when I took another glance around and realized, I'm surrounded by democrats.

I was ready to take on a debate, preparing myself. I felt the urge to announce my opposing view, so I acted. I gathered around in a circle of people waiting for my chance to jump in on the conversation. Their topic....which candidate they like. Someone said, "I really like Hillary." Another agreed, and another. One person mentioned Barack. Here was my chance. I focused my comment towards my relative and said, "I'm on complete opposite ends of the political spectrum than you." Now, I wasn't cocky, or boastful. It was a simple statement just to let them know that their candidate selection wasn't one I shared. Her comment back to me, "Oh, you're a Republican?? That's just dirty and wrong." Interesting. Mind you, she couldn't look me in the eye while attempting to degrade my opposing view. With my defensive gloves put to the side I just gave her a smile, with a hint of a "you wanna go right now" look in the eye. I wasn't going to get into a battle of wits with her on this day that family and friends were gathered in celebration for her birthday. It can wait for another time. I did however advise everyone in this circle to make sure they are educating themselves on these candidates. And mentioned, "I can help educate you. Just go check out my blog." (Had to give myself some sort of pump to get people to read this dang thing). Before I send out my blog address to everyone I know, I'll need to make sure to write more on what the conservative/democratic candidates stand for. After all, I have a duty to educate, right?

So on to my next encounter. It all started with an e-mail forward I received. I read it, smiled and passed it along. The message was this.

"Rules for the phone. How ALL business phones SHOULD be answered! GOOD MORNING, WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Press "1" for English. Press "2" to disconnect until you learn to speak English And remember only two defining forces have ever Offered to die for you, Jesus Christ And the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom. If you agree......keep it going
Amen"

A few days later I received an e-mail from someone expressing their disdain for this e-mail. The content of the message was one that read to me as...'how could someone like you, a supposed Christian send out such a harsh message'. I was also given a history lesson on the immigrants who came to Ellis Island and not all of them spoke English. I understand that this person wanted to let me know that this e-mail really upset them and wanted to know why I decided to send it to them. However, the emotion on the message I received was far from simply asking 'why' but rather 'how dare you'. With that, I couldn't let this one slide. I was obligated to explain myself. Here was my reply:

WoW.....Where to start.... I feel you may have jumped to a conclusion to which you should have asked rather than assumed what my "AMEN" was about in this e-mail. I clearly understand that you and I are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum on many things, and I promise that I will refrain from sending similar e-mails to you in the future. It is very apparent that this upset you greatly otherwise you would not have spent time on letting me know how you feel. So now I feel that after the little piece of a history you just presented along with you're passing judgement, I must explain myself. First, did you read the whole e-mail? Or did you stop after the "Press "2" to disconnect until you learn to speak English?" At the end of the e-mail it expresses those that have died for us, that being Jesus and the American Soldier, and to that I say AMEN! As for the "Press 2" message, yes, I do feel that for one to survive and live in our country, absolutely English should be learned. Of course we have a great diverse nation, and I'm proud to be a part of this country. But do you think all of the immigrants on Ellis Island refused to adapt to our cultures and learn our language? They came here to become American's and they worked very, very hard to adapt to our values while sharing with us their's. Today, the immigrants that are working to obtain citizenship also want to become American's to be a part of this great country. In no way are they asking us to change or modify our language, our values or are freedoms. And one of the requirements for one to become an American citizen is to speak English. Is that wrong of us to ask since that is our native language? I don't think so. It is still U.S. law that those wishing to obtain citizenship have some things required of them, for instance, "Applicants for naturalization must be able to read, write, speak, and understand words in ordinary usage in the English language." http://www.us-immigration-attorney.com/citizenship.htm...Requirements for US citizenship...Language...Para-1...Sent-1. So clearly if this is still law, we're debating that which is already addressed by US Immigration code. Since our country is now dealing with the situation of 12 million ILLEGAL immigrants living here, we have had to make many adjustments. Not only are they costing us tax dollars and dealing with their protests in the streets, they want US to make sure WE accommodate them and post Spanish signs on everything. Would this have happened 50 years ago, again I don't think so. As for our family, yes I have a German & Mexican heritage and as far as I know all of them that live here in America speak English. Interesting that you said, "I still aspire someday to learn other languages even just a little so if I do have the opportunity one day to travel, I can show respect to countrymen I'm visiting by at least attempting their language." To want to converse when just visiting another country, to be able to flourish living in another country you would most definitely need to learn their native language. Hmmm.... well I think that is what this e-mail implies for living in America. If you're making you're home here, shouldn't you want to show respect to fellow citizens that you too want to learn the language? Now, I was pretty offended by the statement of "anyone who claims to follow the teachings of Jesus" implying that because I sent an e-mail that expresses English should be the spoken language of this country, I don't follow His teachings. You couldn't be more wrong. One last thing, I do have a pretty good head on my shoulders. I actually do pay attention to what's going on around me and come to conclusions all on my own, so don't assume that I'm jumping on some 'band-wagon'. We live in a right vs. wrong society today. I pray everyday that God will lead us in the right direction. Unfortunately, so many people have turned away from Him, I'm not sure how much longer He will allow our country to go on.

I did receive another reply, which I have yet to reply.

There will be more debate, more questions and I'm ready and willing to take on the challenge. I know without a doubt that where I stand, is where I want to be.

FOLLOW UP 10/30/07: I replied back to the second e-mail and explained to them that I understand our differences politically, and we may not always have the nicest things to say against the side we oppose. I'm not angry at this person for not understanding why people say or believe in the things they do. However, there is a better way to get into a Q&A instead of 'dumbing down' their reasoning. I'm sure in the future there will be more questions, more firey words between me and this individual, but in the end all that matters is the unwaivering friendship.

Harry Reid Letter....SOLD!!

The infamous letter that Harry Reid presented in front of the senate and sent to the network of Rush Limbaugh, has been sold for over 2 million dollars. For those of you that are unaware of the happenings, here's how it goes.

Several weeks ago Rush Limbaugh was in conversation about a soldier Jesse MacBeth who lied about being a soldier. He told stories about being in Iraq and the atrocities he saw. All lies. This man never made it out of boot camp. The caller made a statement that he's fed up with these guys who pretend to be soldiers and Rush replied, yes..the phony soldiers. This is where the fire started. Not long before this the congress grilled General Petreaus on the senate floor. Hillary in her own words called Petreaus a liar when she said, "I just don't buy it." So, the Dems had to find a way to attack the conservatives. So Reid took it upon himself to call attention to this 'phony soldiers' remark. Reid took everything out of context (as did Media Matters which is where this whole bunch of bologna started). He exclaimed that what Rush said was inexcusable. All of the drive by media also claims that Rush was calling the soldiers who opposed the war "phony soldiers". Wrong. Go read the transcript or listen to the broadcast in its entirety. The dems wanted to take focus off themselves for their ridiculous slander of Petreaus, this is all they could come up with. They are listening to everything the conservatives say trying their hardest to catch them up. This insanity caught fire and all the media outlets were reporting 'Rush Limbaugh calls soldiers who oppose the Iraq war phony soldiers.

After weeks of this hogwash, Rush had an idea. He was given a letter by his producer on the Clear Channel that contained a statement from Harry Reid. All though I don't have the full content of the letter, Reid read it on the Senate floor. It demanded that Rush apologize for his 'phony soldier' statement. The letter was passed around and concluded with signatures of over 40 democrats, among them Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. This letter was posted on eBay and all proceeds would go Marine Corp Law Enforcement, which provides college scholarships to the children of fallen soldiers. (Rush is a chairman of this organization). When I heard the announcement and saw the video of Rush telling of his plan, my eyes welled with tears and I got goosebumps all over. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Reid's plan had totally backfired.

However, when Reid heard that the letter had over $1 million dollar bid, he tried to take credit on the importance of this letter. He said he had no idea it would sell for this much. Basically he tried to tell people that him and Rush were in on this together. What he doesn't understand (which Limbaugh pointed out so well) is that the high bidding on this letter was not do to the content in which in entailed, but rather a historical document of the senate trying to shut down the voice of a private citizen. Yes, Rush is a private citizen. He may be in the public eye, but he is not a politician, nor does he work for the government.

The letter sold today for over $2 million dollars! What a tremendous gift this is. All I have to say is, Rush, you did it again. You are the voice of the conservative America and I don't know what we would do without you. I'm thankful to you everyday for your 'talent on loan from God' that reaches millions of people. You have given strength and confidence to so many people who have decided to no longer sit idle while we watch our nation fall apart. Myself included.

And the Nobel Goes To......

It was announced, former VP Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts and documentary on the fight against global warming. A few issues I have with this, first there are nine factual errors within this documentary according to a High Court Judge in the UK, second, he won over a lady whom helped 2,500 Jewish children flee from the Hitler regime, third the Nobel Peace prize is intended to be awarded to people that have helped the for the greater good of people and last Gore likes to point the finger at everyone else, but excuses his excess use of carbon dioxide by purchasing carbon off sets, are you kidding me?

Let me elaborate on my points.

Factual Errors: The documentary "An Inconvienent Truth" has been eclaimed by thousands of people, including some scientists. Gore will have you believe that there are no opposing sides to these 'facts' that he lays out. Oh contrare, according to Justice Burton there are "nine statements in the film were not supported by mainstream scientific consensus".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7037671.stm

The nine errors alleged by the judge included:

Mr Gore's assertion that a sea-level rise of up to 20 feet would be caused by melting of ice in either West Antarctica or Greenland "in the near future". The judge said this was "distinctly alarmist" and it was common ground that if Greenland's ice melted it would release this amount of water - "but only after, and over, millennia".

Mr Gore's assertion that the disappearance of snow on Mount Kilimanjaro in East Africa was expressly attributable to global warming - the court heard the scientific consensus was that it cannot be established the snow recession is mainly attributable to human-induced climate change.

Mr Gore's reference to a new scientific study showing that, for the first time, polar bears had actually drowned "swimming long distances - up to 60 miles - to find the ice". The judge said: "The only scientific study that either side before me can find is one which indicates that four polar bears have recently been found drowned because of a storm."

Runner Up: Irena Sendler saved 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942-43. She convinced parents and grandparents to let her have their children, to save them. Irena was captured by the Nazi's and severly beaten. This woman risked her life to save this children from Hitler's regeme, and yet, it was Al Gore who won the Nobel for his error ridden documentary on how we should change our ways of life to save the environment.

To read the whole story on Irena Sendler go to http://www.irenasendler.org/

Do what I say not what I do: Gore is stating his claim to thousands of people that we must conserve engery. Go ride bikes, turn off lights and so on. But yet doesn't he travel around in a jet plane and own a house that could fill up a city block? How is that conserving energy Mr. Gore? Oh, that's right, you buy carbon offsets so it's okay. Can you tell me what a carbon offset is?

Lastly, the Global Warming hysteria went too far when a hotel in California replaced the Holy Bible in dresser drawer with a copy of Mr. Gore's book. How sad that they must feel so empty that they want to replace the words of God with the false words of Mr. Gore. What a shame.

Ahmadinejad Speaks

Much controversy has been given about Ahmadinejad allowing to come and speak at Columbia University. Some people say he has freedom of speech and should be allowed to give his opinions. While those of us who think that terrorists just shouldn't be given that right, are asking why in the heck was he allowed this privilege. Why was he even invited to come and give a speech? It's unbelievable to me that those who were behind Ahmadinejad giving his speech actually think they could learn something from this terrorist. Oh, wait they did learn that there is no homosexuals in his country. Mmmm...if that's true then I guess we can say we don't have a problem with adultery in our country. Granted with this statement by Ahmadinejad the audience let him know they didn't buy it by laughing hysterically. Ahmadinejad controls the homosexual population by slaughtering them, so I guess in a sense they don't have that "problem" in their country.

I do tip my hat to the President of the University, Mr. Bollin for laying out some of the things that Ahmadinejad said, however he should have never invited him in the first place. We've gone to far in thinking we need to have dialog with our enemies. We are in a war against terrorists that have been given armor by Ahmadinejad to kill our American soldiers. Yet, he was given the opportunity to come and speak on our soil. Unheard of.

The final thing I have to say on this, is that this man was given a huge applause when he made a comment about how he shouldn't need to have permission to come and speak. So, this evil dictator, a man who is a know terrorist gets a greeting in such gratitude, but yet when the Military Men came to talk about their mission at the same University they were run off the stage by bitter, angry liberals. What does that say? We have more respect for a man of terror then men who are fighting to keep people like him out of our country. What is happening? When did citizens start protesting the country they live in and start giving more freedoms to those that want to kill us? I've said it before, we live in the greatest land on this earth with freedoms that other countries hope and pray for. If you're so unhappy, leave and let the rest of us cherish this nation and what it stands for, we happen to like it here. God blessed us with this land, let's stop trampling it.