You Not Them

28th Principle of Freedom

2009-07-08T23:22:00.000-08:00

The United States Has a Manifest Destiny to be an Example and a Blessing to the Entire Human Race.

I realize that I actually covered this topic in the 25th Principle, "Peace, Commerce, and Honest Friendship with All Nations - Entangling Alliances with None." I believe it is only through following the 25th principle that we can accomplish our 'Manifest Destiny' as described in the 28th principle. The United States of America is a wonderful nation despite all the problems we've been through lately and in our 200+ year history. If we can get back to the principles our nation was founded on, and focus on being an example of peace & prosperity rather than an enforcer of 'democracy', we can bring "liberty and justice to all" in the US and the world.

We've seen the effects of this so called '5000 Year Leap' in the last 200+ years. How much more can we leap if we keep in practice these 28 principles of freedom, what heights are still before us as we become an example of freedom & liberty. I believe that the US, with it's original founding rooted in principle, and now it's experience, has what it takes to lead the world into an abundance of 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' What will you do today to help America be great? What will you do today to be one example of the great people that only a free nation can produce? I believe that you, as a citizen of the United States, have a 'manifest duty' to prepare yourself to do all that may be required to bring these United States through it's current crisis and on to a new founding rooted in the principles of the original founding. (See The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy)

I have become an optimist in my outlook on the United States of America through my experiences in reading The 5000 Year Leap. Though my posts may seem to be filled with all the things wrong with America, I believe there is more that is right with America. I believe that these United States are still your best choice for protection of life, protection of liberty, and protection of property or the pursuit of happiness. I believe that if we will cultivate virtue, wisdom, knowledge, and greatness in ourselves, than we WILL inspire others to be great. As more and more people are inspired, and begin to live lives of greatness according to wisdom, knowledge, and principles, eventually this nation will become as great as it can be and will be an example of the greatest joys and pursuits of the human race. I believe it WILL happen.

27th Principle of Freedom

2009-07-08T21:01:00.005-08:00

The Burden of Debt is as Destructive to Freedom as Subjugation by Conquest.

So I did an internet search and found that the national debt as of 7 July 2009 is $11,523,843,053,689.95 (http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np). That is an increase of $3,272,817,666.58 since 6 July 2009. Just so you know that was an increase of $37,879.83 every second for that 24 hour period.

The United States of America population as of this writing is estimated at 306,867,949 (http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html). I divided the amount of the national debt by the number of people and that equals $37,553.10 for every single individual in the United States of America. That means that $225,318.60 is my family's share of the national debt.

If that doesn't frighten you: The United States' biggest foreign creditor, or owner of US debt, is China at $772 BILLION as of May 2009. Your individual debt to communist China is $2,515.74, or $15,094.44 for a family of six. I just have to wonder why China has purchased 24% of our foreign debt and Japan 20% when other nations only own 6% or less. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_public_debt)

I don't know about you, but if all the debts were called in, I would not have the ability to pay off my portion of the debt. Even if just China called in their debts, I'd be hard pressed to come up with $15,000. What strings are attached to this debt? What would happen if China suddenly demanded payment in full? How about China AND Japan? How would it affect your family if you were personally in unsecured debt in the amounts listed here for individuals and families? (I hope you're not.) I wouldn't feel free if I was facing that oppressive burden. I would have to work 4 1/2 years as a slave with my labor valued at $50,000 per year to pay off my family's portion of the national debt. That is NOT liberty, is not freedom.

By the way, if you happen to have eleven trillion, six-hundred billion dollars laying around, please make your check out to 'The Bureau of the Public Debt' and send it to:

Attn Dept G
Bureau of the Public Debt
P. O. Box 2188
Parkersburg, WV 26106-2188

Your donation would be greatly appreciated, but you must act fast before even that amount won't make a difference anymore.

26th Principle of Freedom

2009-07-07T22:14:00.002-08:00

The Core Unit Which Determines the Strength of Any Society is the Family; Therefore, the Government Should Foster and Protect Its Integrity.

"...When the American retires from the turmoil of public life to the bosom of his family, he finds in it the image of order and of peace. There his pleasures are simple and natural, his joys are innocent and calm; and as he finds that an orderly life is the surest path to happiness, he accustoms himself easily to moderate his opinions as well as his tastes...the American derives from his own home that love of order which he afterwards carries with him into public affairs." (Alexis De Tocqueville quoted in The 5000 Year Leap pg. 282)

I love this chapter and believe in it wholeheartedly. Not only do I believe that "government should foster and protect" the integrity of the family, I also believe that government should not interfere with legitimate family relations. This is in accordance with what government is supposed to do, it is supposed to protect our rights and refrain from trampling our rights. These days we seem to find that too often government tramples some rights and refuses to protect other rights. "To secure these rights, governments are instituted among men...whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it..." (Declaration of Independence)

Government is failing to foster and protect the integrity of the family. They have failed to 'secure these rights.' Fortunately, we do not have to alter or abolish our form of government, it has already been altered and abolished. What we need to do is actually get back to our form of government that has already been set up.

25th Principle of Freedom

2009-07-07T21:19:00.002-08:00

Peace, Commerce, and Honest Friendship with All Nations - Entangling Alliances with None.

While reading this chapter I was struck with the idea that America's responsibility was to be an example of peace, morality, virtue, economic soundness, etc. That America was to make sure our house was in order and to let our light shine. Such an example would surely inspire the people of the world to desire to follow our example. It reminds me of the Key of Education, "You Not Them". When America strayed from this idea of being the example of peace and turned to being the enforcer of peace, nations saw us as attempting to force our ideals on them and they became much less desirable. It is no wonder to me that there are terrorist organizations whose almost sole purpose is to destroy America, it is no wonder that hate abounds for us in many places. We have strayed from principles of righteousness and have sold our soul to please certain members of the 'international community.'

Charles A. Lindbergh, Sr. is quoted in The 5000 Year Leap referring to our 'entangling alliances' in world war 1, "There never was a nation that did a more unstatesmanlike thing than we did to enter the war. We came out without establishing a single principle for which we entered..." (pg. 276) America did not learn her lesson, and has increased her alliances at a rapid pace. We've come to the point that our leaders make decisions based on what's good for the 'international community' or 'the world' instead of what's good for us. And when they are spouting off doing what's good for the world, what they really mean, is the world that we have trade agreements and treaties with.

I, for one, am going to struggle and fight to get America back where it should be, "...a city...on an hill [that] cannot be hid." (Matt. 5:14) It's time for us to "Let [our] light so shine before men, that they may see [our] good works, and glorify [our] Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 5:16)

24th Principle of Freedom

2009-07-06T21:50:00.003-08:00

A Free People Will Not Survive Unless They Stay Strong.

Benjamin Franklin says, "Make yourselves sheep, and the wolves will eat you." (quoted in The 5000 Year Leap pg. 261) He has also been quoted as saying something to the effect of, "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote." The strongest ALWAYS prevail. Now before I hear complaints that that is not true, before I hear about the revolutionary war, or anything else, let me turn your attention to a story in the Old Testament.

Syria desired to attack Israel. Elisha warned the king of Israel of the place of attack and Israel was able to avoid being slaughtered. When the King of Syria heard this, he sent spies to find Elisha. When they found where he was staying, the King sent "...thither horses, and chariots, and a great host..." (2 Kings 6:14) and they circled around the place where Elisha was at night. Elisha's servant, Gehazi, in fear ran to his master wondering what they were going to do. Elisha calmed him by saying, "...Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." (2 Kings 6:16) Elisha then prayed and asked God to reveal the meaning of Elisha's words to Gehazi by letting him see what he meant, "...And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. And when they (the Syrians) came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smith this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha." (2 Kings 6:17-18) Elisha then led them to the King of Israel.

So I reiterate, the strongest always prevail. There are more ways than one to be the strongest. The founding fathers of course recognized this, and recognized that the citizens of the new republic must be moral and virtuous which would grant them blessing from heaven. However they also realized that without a prophet in their midst, they must make preparations themselves to fight against any threats to their rights of 'life, liberty, and [property,] the pursuit of happiness.' They knew that even Jesus warned, "...he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one." (Luke 22:36)

23rd Principle of Freedom

2009-07-06T21:37:00.002-08:00

A Free Society Cannot Survive as a Republic Without a Broad Program of General Education.

Notice this is 'general education' not technical education. For some reason we have walked away from broad programs of general education in the belief that for the US to be 'ahead' of everyone else, we should cram as much technical jargon into a young person's head as we can possibly get into their before they're too old to learn anymore. Obviously, this takes so much time that children and young adults don't have time to think for themselves anymore, they only have time to meet the demands of their teachers and testing. And then they are expected to move off into various automated employment leaving them again with no time to think for themselves or to study.

Compare this with the founding fathers of this nation. Many were not learned in the way we might think today, having not attended any secondary schooling or even much elementary schooling. What they did receive was enough education in the three 'R's (Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic) to be able to read, study, and understand classics. They recognized the need for a great education, the need to ponder the great questions of mankind and to seek answers. They knew of natural laws or principles of right living, and they knew how to extract those principles from classics. They focused on their education with a sense of mission (so it seems) and became, in my opinion, possibly the greatest generation of men that ever lived.

We can only affect change by focusing on our circle of influence, and we can only increase our circle of influence by focusing directly in the center of that circle. Most of us don't have the influence to affect our school board's decisions, or to influence policies of the National Education Association, or the Department of Education. All of us DO have the influence to increase our own education, thus setting an example for our children. We do have the influence to teach our children enough 'Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic' to get them started on a path of self-education, a path of learning and wisdom so that when they are called upon to do something great, they will be ready.

22nd Principle of Freedom

2009-07-05T21:36:00.003-08:00

A Free People Should be Governed by Law and Not by the Whims of Men.

We have (or had) a republic based on a written Constitution which states that it shall be considered the 'supreme law of the land' as well as any laws passed by Congress in accordance with it. Any legislation, executive orders, or legal precedents in violation of this constitution is done simply by the will of men. John Adams said, "No man will contend that a nation can be free that is not governed by fixed laws. ALL other government than that of permament known laws is the government of mere will and pleasure." (Quoted in The 5000 Year Leap, pg. 244. emphasis added)

We see this 'government of mere will and pleasure' in the United States today. When a supposedly free people in the state of California vote to protect marriage with proposition 22 in 2000 (in accordance with the 26th Principle of Freedom in The 5000 Year Leap which states, "The Core Unit Which Determines the Strength of Any Society is the Family; Therefore, the Government Should Foster and Protect Its Integrity) and the courts 8 years later suddenly decide (because of the judges mood that day) that the law is no longer constitutional, they are being governed by the whims of men, and are no longer free.

(By the way, it was struck down as unconstitutional because it violated the "equal protection" clause of their constitution. It does NOT violate the 'equal protection' clause because both homosexuals and heterosexuals have the same right, to marry on person of the opposite sex. I don't know why we don't see counter law-suits with this claim.)

Congratulations to the people of California, for they fought back. Since the law was deemed unconstitutional, they amended their constitution with the same wording as the law, so it is written in their constitution. (I have seen that several lawsuits are suing on the grounds that it is unconstitutional...but since it IS a part of their constitution now, I don't see how it can be unconstitutional, unless they can convince the courts that it is in violation of the US Constitution.) I don't know how to get back to rule of law. How do we get the governments to operate within their bounds once again? How do we make law important to people again?

21st Principle of Freedom

2009-07-04T13:57:00.004-08:00

Strong Local Self-government is the Keystone to Preserving Human Freedom.

Keystone: 1.) the central wedge-shaped stone that supports all the others. 2.) The central supporting element of a whole. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/keystone

I've often wondered why the early citizens of the several states were so interested in liberty and freedom. After reading this chapter I believe that it's because they were so far away from British rule that they had to institute some form of self-government which then awakened within each citizen this desire to have a say in their government. It awakened a longing for freedom, they were in line with 'Natural Law' or principles and they saw the success of that. Once they tasted freedom, any attacks on that freedom were seen with disdain. Many were led to study principles of freedom, which led to our government set up according to Natural Law and limited to basic governmental functions with checks to prevent usurpation.

Since this is a keystone of preserving freedom, how can we institute strong local self-government again? How do we assert our right to self-governance when a central government is encroaching on that right, without causing civil war?

20th Principle of Freedom

2009-07-04T13:44:00.003-08:00

Efficiency and Dispatch Require Government to Operate According to the Will of the Majority, but Constitutional Provisions Must be Made to Protect the Rights of the Minority.

I have been known to think that requiring unanimity in congress would have been a great idea because then they couldn't accomplish anything, they would be mired in trying to get 100% support for an idea, and that would severely limit an erosion of the protection of the rights of the people. However, I can see why this wouldn't work now. If unanimity were required, then a radical, small portion of congress could stop all progress on any bill. Because there are certain matters that must be addressed by law, the majority of congress would seek to appease the radical minorities. These radical minorities would ask for small changes to the bill, or support for their bill. The mainstream majority would do a little evil to do a lot of good (in their eyes). This kind of give and take over time, would lead to more destruction of the limits of governmental powers than the current system I think.

19th Principle of Freedom

2009-07-04T13:28:00.002-08:00

Only Limited and Carefully Defined Powers Should be Delegated to Government, All Others Being Retained in the People.

The 'Bill of Rights' is improperly named. Those first ten amendments do not grant unto the people certain rights. They merely limit the government's ability to trample those rights. The first amendment does not grant unto us the right of free speech, the second does not grant unto us the right to keep and bear arms, they limit the government from being able to encroach upon those rights. It should be named the 'Bill of Limitations' or something similar. The same thing with the Constitution before the amendments, it does not grant unto the people any rights, neither does the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution merely grants and limits governmental powers and the Declaration merely states some of the God-given rights of man.

One miracle of this idea of strong states and a strong central government is that a state cannot trample on our rights either. If it wasn't for the constant power struggle between the federal and state governments, any state could quickly fall into anarchy or tyranny. These two powers are a check on each other, not just a check on federal government.

Do you think the founding fathers were clear enough in their wording in limiting federal power? Do you think they could have done more in limiting state power?

18th Principle of Freedom

2009-07-02T10:08:00.003-08:00

The Unalienable Rights of the People are Most Likely to be Preserved if the Principles of Government are Set Forth in a Written Constitution.

And the rights of the people are most likely to be preserved if that Constitution represents the wisdom and input of many individuals rather than just one or two people.

One thing that is mentioned in this chapter that I wasn't familiar with before was the 'Fundamental Orders of Connecticut' established in 1639 (Gregorian Calander). This document states that, "where a people are gathered together the word of God requires that to maintain the peace and union of such a people there should be an orderly and decent Government established according to God..."(http://www.constitution.org/bcp/fo_1639.htm).

They referred to God as their highest power and directly involved with them. They did not place 'the crown' or anything else between them and their Creator. I know why the founders did not reference God, but I think it would have prevented God from being removed from government, schools, and society in general. And if our society hadn't forgotten God, and placed him as the highest authority, a lot of our current ills would have never been realized.

17th Principle of Freedom

2009-07-02T09:56:00.002-08:00

A System of Checks and Balances Should be Adopted to Prevent the Abuse of Power.

This principle seems obvious, that someone should have the ability to check those in power. This power ultimately lies in the people. However, our founding fathers recognized (in their own 'checking' of power) that leaving check and balance solely in the people can result in bloodshed when tyrants are overthrown, which can often lead to anarchy, which leads people to seek a dictator to establish peace, who becomes a tyrant, thus starting the cycle over.

Another important part of this check and balance system instituted by the Constitution is that the different branches of government are prohibited from usurping the responsibilites and powers of the other branches. Judges are prohibited from legislating from the bench (interpreting old laws in new ways), the Executive officer (President) is prohibited from legislating from the white house (Executive Orders). The legislature can't execute their laws, they can only pass them.

It seems to me as I think about the usurping of authority that the Executive Branch is usurping legislative authority from the Legislative Branch. The Judicial Branch is usurping legislative authority and executive authority from the other two branches. Since power is being usurped from the legislative branch, they are in turn usurping power from the people. I'm sure there are ways that the legislative is usurping power from the judicial and executive, and ways that the executive is usurping power from the judicial branch, but I don't recognize them clearly like I do the other's mentioned. Can you think of some ways? Can you think of a better system of checks and balances? The other important thing to remember is that if we leave the federal government alone to check itself, even if they are divided into three branches, they won't always check themselves. What can we do to check government?

16th Principle of Freedom

2009-06-30T21:04:00.000-08:00

The Government Should be Separated into Three Branches - Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.

I don't know what to write about this principle. What I was surprised to read is that many of the founding fathers were against separated government at the federal level, even though many of them used it at the state level. It seems to me that the best way to prevent a monarchy is to separate each government process (legislating, executing law, and judging law) into three separate bodies (President, Congress, Courts). I do know that many fear an aristocracy more than a monarchy, one tyrant is better than 500.

Do you think three branches are better for Federal Government? Would it be better if legislating and judging the law were left to the States and executing those laws was reserved for a president at the federal level? Would it give the States more control over Federal Government? And would that be a good thing?

15th Principle of Freedom

2009-06-30T20:32:00.001-08:00

The Highest Level of Prosperity Occurs when there is a Free-market Economy and a Minimum of Government Regulations.

I only have one topic I would like to cover concerning this principle. Preventing "debauchery of the cultural standards and moral fiber of society by commercial exploitation of vice - pornography, obscenity, drugs, liquor, prostitution, [and] commercial gambling" is listed as an area "of legitimate responsibility which properly [belongs] to the government." (The 5000 Year Leap pg. 181) This is one of the few areas that the government is to be allowed to regulate commerce.

In a colloquium on the Declaration of Independence I held my ground that government should not legislate against pornography, that it would open a floodgate of legislation allowing the government to hinder any type of business they would like. Through study of 'The 500o Year Leap' and internal pondering, I realize I was wrong. I do think that it could possibly open such a floodgate, but that is because the moral fiber of the people has gone down the tubes, and few know anything about Natural Law, or how to tell what is natural law and what is not. Individuals have forgotten to listen to the Spirit of God within them, revealing truth. If we, as the general public were to turn back to natural law, then we would elect those who understand natural law and then they would legislate according to natural law. This can only be achieved through education, self-education...You, Not Them.

PS. I do have a question for anyone that would like to comment. The US Constitution states that Congress has power "To coin money, regulate the value therof..." (Article I, Section IIX). Instead they have delegated that responsibility to a private bank, the Federal Reserve. Would Congress do a better job than the Federal Reserve? Why?

14th Principle of Freedom

2009-06-29T21:06:00.003-08:00

Life and Liberty are Secure Only so Long as the Right to Property is Secure.

I tried and tried to write a blog on this principle, but I found myself simply summarizing this chapter. So, because I think this chapter was so great, I must refer you to the text rather than write a lengthy discourse (The 5000 Year Leap, pp. 169-177). I can't even find one or two things that really stuck out to me because I would then commence summarizing the entire chapter again.

13th Principle of Freedom

2009-06-29T20:49:00.003-08:00

A Constitution Should be Structured to Permanently Protect the People from the Human Frailties of their Rulers.

As a boy scout I was taught to make a fire break around my campfire. All flammables were to be removed in a 10 foot ring around the fire, some sort of fire ring, such as large stones should be erected. A campfire should have a limited amount of fuel to produce the heat needed for heating and cooking. Compare this to a fire started in the midst of a heavy forest with large amounts of fuel. Imagine the devastation this would cause for anyone in the surround area. "Government...like fire...is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." (George Washington quoted in The 5000 Year Leap pg. 165)

Government is like fire. It provides a very useful service to mankind but if not restricted to it's proper place, with limited amounts of fuel, the devastation is very great indeed. We must always be wary of those in power while respecting them as individuals.

I know myself enough to know that everyone should distrust my motives from time to time. I am a child of God with a fallen nature. As such I am subject to moments of greatness and moments of 'worseness', or wickedness. We should be wary of ourselves and constantly work to produce the 'child of God' within us rather than manifesting our fallen nature. Then we will have leaders worth electing, they might be you.

12th Principle of Freedom

2009-06-29T00:01:00.003-08:00

The United States of America Shall be a Republic.

Skousen lays out why a Republic guards freedom better than a Democracy. The most obvious to me is that a true republic consisting of 300,000,000 Americans as a legislative body would be very unwieldy. I could see the general public texting their vote on each piece of legislation just like they do for candidates on American Idol. Because each of us have lives to live, we wouldn't be able to focus on each issue and would choose according to the best information we had at the time, which might be only our mood at the moment. This is not the best way. Unfortunately, too many of our legislators currently have the same attitude when it comes to legislating.

Neal A. Maxwell, a religious leader, shared in his biography his experience working for a member of congress. He explains that one day the congress member rushed in at the last minute before a vote on a certain measure and asked, "How am I voting on this again?" before rushing off to cast it. This is appalling to me. This obviously is a problem with the majority of the American people. If the best are not being voted into office, it is because people are not at their best. As was pointed out to me in a comment from Jody Tate, "...we have precious few citizens who are virtuous or moral, let alone political leaders. 'But neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt.' (Samuel Adams, quoted in The 5000 Year Leap, p 59)"

Our Republic has guaranteed our liberties for a long time, but people are becoming corrupt, forgetting everything, and everyone, but themselves. This is the day of MYspace, I-phones, I-pods, me, me, me, me. I think we can save our Republic if we begin to adopt the motto, "God, Family, Republic", instead of Me, Mine, My.

11th Principle of Freedom

2009-06-28T23:40:00.002-08:00

The Majority of the People May Alter or Abolish a Government Which has Become Tyrannical.

"...whenever the legislators endeavour to take away and destroy the property of the people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they [the officials of government] put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from any further obedience..." (John Locke quoted in The 5000 Year Leap, pg. 148)

"...when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their RIGHT, it is their DUTY, to throw off such government and to provide new guards for their future security." (Declaration of Independence Emphasis Added)

Though our 'right' and 'duty' may be to 'throw off' a tyrannical government, though we may be 'absolved from any further obedience' to such government in our opinion, because we have agreed to be citizens, along with our fellow-citizens, we must do all things in wisdom. It is not in accordance with principles for the minority to rise up in revolt without consent of the majority. Our responsibility, as a minority, lies then in educating the majority until the majority see the 'long train of abuses and usurpations'.

Though revolt of the minority is not a right, does not feel right, I do believe that the minority has the right to remove themselves from a tyrannical situation. This is in accordance to 'Natural Law', or according to inspiration from the Spirit of God which bears witness with my spirit. So, we have our options. I choose to keep educating the majority.

10th Principle of Freedom

2009-06-25T19:18:00.000-08:00

The God-given Right to Govern is Vested in the Sovereign Authority of the Whole People.

How often do we say, or feel, "You can't tell me what to do!" or "You have no right?" This is because this is a principle, a 'Natural Law' and as such comes from inside of us naturally.

William Wallace (of Braveheart fame) claimed that he was no traitor to the English King because he had never pledged allegience to him. His allegience was always with Scotland (In Freedom's Cause by George Alfred Henty). He led a valiant attempt to free Scotland from the rule of a usurper. He was executed by the king, but his cause continued after his death with Sir Archibald Forbes, and Robert the Bruce who later became the rightful king of Scotland (I think...I haven't finished the book yet.) Forbes also claimed, when brought before the king, that he could not be called a traitor because he had never sworn allegience to the English crown. He had the fortune to escape his imprisonment after King Edward's death. Both of these freedom fighters were putting forth this correct principle, that the right to govern comes from the people, and the people of Scotland hadn't given that right to the English.

If the people have determined how someone is to be appointed to positions of honor and authority to 'rule' over them, and a person gets into power in violation of what the people have determined, then the people are under no obligation to follow that person. Not only must the majority of a people consent to an individual retaining power over them, that person must do it in accordance with the 'supreme law' of the land, which comes from the people. If someone takes power in violation of the supreme law, or does not meet the requirements of the supreme law set up by the people, that person has no right to be called the President, or the King, or whatever the position of leadership is titled. That person is entitled to no title until the people both consent to their leadership AND alter/abolish their form of government so that their form of government allows such and such person.

9th Principle of Freedom

2009-06-25T18:15:00.000-08:00

To Protect Man's Rights, God has Revealed Certain Principles of Divine Law.

God's law is the supreme law of the land, of the world. Any law enacted contrary to His laws are inappropriate and are of no force. Now they can be enforced by those in power, but they are still not law when they are in direct violation of a higher law. The US Constitution was to be only one check on government and is referred to within itself as "the supreme law of the land". All laws enacted that are in agreement with the Constitution are also to be the supreme law of the land. These statements, taken together with the principle of "the laws of nature and of nature's God" as stated in the Declaration of Independence, are another check on the wanton legislation of government and guarantee in writing that any law in violation of these 'supreme laws' has no effect.

Naturally we must be wise and determine whether the cost of running against an illegitimate government and it's laws is worth it, or if our families, associates, and the human race in general would be better served if we patiently endure what we must put up with now so that we can work for a better future. To me there are some things worth fighting for, others worth dying for, and others are not worth either, especially if I can save the time and energy for more effective and productive pursuits. I can break myself trying to stop the wave, or I can ride the waves that come while working on a levee that will keep the waves at bay in the future. I'll leave it to you to decide which is more effective.

8th Principle of Freedom

2009-06-25T08:16:00.000-08:00

Men are Endowed by Their Creator with Certain Unalienable Rights.

I've had several conversations with a co-worker about 'Unalienable rights', especially about a right to 'alter or abolish' forms of government when they begin to endanger our god given rights. He has used the argument on more than one occasion that there are not 'unalienable' rights, that those rights are taken from people all the time. Here's my answer to that.

Men ARE endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights. It is true that the exercise of our rights may be restricted by others, but it doesn't mean we don't still have a right to them. They will be our rights in the eternities (if we don't give them up through sin) and those who attempt to restrict the free exercise of those rights will have given up certain of their rights when they stand before God at the judgement.

Someone may take my life. It does NOT mean that I don't still have a right to it. That is unless I'VE murdered someone, or prevented the exercise of their right to life, then I've given up MY right to life, for "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed..." (Genesis 9:6) I suppose in the same way, we can give up our rights to just about anything through improper use of our freedom to choose. We must respect and strive to protect everyone's rights, and the exercising of their rights. In so doing, we will be protecting our rights.

7th Principle of Freedom

2009-06-25T07:55:00.000-08:00

The Proper Role of Government is to Protect Equal Rights, Not Provide Equal Things.

At our 6/19/09 Colloquium, one of the discussions we had was about Denali Kid Care, Medicaid, and other government programs and whether it is acceptable, or wise, to use them or not. After reading the chapter on this principle in The 5000 Year Leap, I have one thing to add to our conversation. Let me say that, if facing the birth of a child, and I had no, or limited, health insurance, I would not walk around to my neighbors and take $10 from each of them without asking. I wouldn't steal a barrel of oil from BP to help finance that birth. I might ask for help, I might beg, but I would NOT take without asking. When I accept any government assistance, I have to face the fact that I am doing this indirectly. Is this hard to swallow? Absolutely. Does this mean that I won't take the 'Earned Income Credit' or the 'Additional Child Tax Credit' on my taxes, (which can result in getting more tax money back than I paid) when I qualify? Does it mean I refuse government money, taken from the people, to finance mine or my child's education? I don't know. I need to discuss it with God. I need to look inside me. I hope you do too.

6th Principle of Freedom

2009-06-24T06:32:00.000-08:00

All Men are Created Equal

We feel it a 'self-evident' truth, a principle, that all men are created equal, but we know that everyone is born different and everyone stays that way. So what does 'created equal' mean? If we focus on the word 'created', which denotes there is a 'Creator', then we can look to this Creator for His meaning of 'equal'.

An Apostle of this Creator, Simon Peter, stated, "...God is no respecter of persons:" (Acts 10:34) showing that God has no respect as to our lineage or circumstances, but he further elaborates, "But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." (Acts 10:35) So to the extent that we respect the Creator and do his will, we are accepted. If we don't fear Him, and we work unrighteousness, then we are not accepted. Thus, due to our own choices, we are not necessarily equals before God, and we can't be equals with men, but we can be equal in receiving equal rewards and penalties for our actions. Skousen, in The 5000 Year Leap states that we can be TREATED as equals in (1) the sight of God, in (2) the sight of the law, and in (3) the protection of our rights (pg. 103).

The 'Creator' Himself, Jesus Christ, said, "...begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." (Luke 3:8) Paul elaborated on this, "...they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham...And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:9, 29) God made a covenant with Abraham and his seed forever. Yet he was just and fair, and didn't limit our blessings and opportunities depending on our lineage. Instead he arranged a way for everyone to be 'adopted', to become the seed of Abraham, thus being able to share in the covenant and blessings reserved for Abraham's children.

We could all take a lesson from our Creator, since we are created in His image, and as such share His attributes. We ought to recognize the differences in individuals, embrace those differences, see them as 'created' sons and daughters of the 'Creator' and treat everyone 'equally'.

5th Principle of Freedom

2009-06-24T06:00:00.002-08:00

All Things Were Created by God, Therefore upon Him All Mankind are Equally Dependent, and to Him They are Equally Responsible.

Believe it or not, I am writing this on my laptop computer that does not have a manufacturing date, for one simple reason, it wasn’t manufactured. That’s right, my laptop started as a single byte in the silicon valley and through the miracles of nature it became two bytes, then four and then evolved to become a hard drive with 80 gigabytes, then added a monitor, and finished off with a keyboard all on it’s own with no intervention at all. I know this sounds impossible, but I have a certain magic that makes it all possible. You’ve heard of this magic I think, it is most often referred to in your textbooks as ‘millions of years’. I didn’t believe it at first either, but since I have never seen the individuals that others testify have manufactured my laptop, then the only reasonable explanation is that it just suddenly came into being over millions of years. Absurd? Yes. If millions of years won’t produce a computer, how can anyone possibly believe anything other than that we were created and as such, there must be a Creator. And more so, if we simply look inside ourselves, we know there is a God. All things testify there is a God, and so do I.

Malfunction

2009-06-23T20:44:00.003-08:00

I had scheduled my posts for the 3rd and 4th Principles of Freedom to post automatically the morning of 6/23/09 but something went wrong and they didn't post. My apologies to those who expected to see these posts this morning. I am going to schedule the 5th and 6th Principles of Freedom to automatically post the morning of 6/24. I apologize in advance if it doesn't work again.

4th Principle of Freedom

2009-06-23T06:30:00.002-08:00

Without Religion the Government of a Free People Cannot be Maintained.

It is foolish for groups and individuals to maintain that morals can be maintained without religion, or that morality is ‘old-fashioned’, ‘out-of-date’, or not needed anymore. We’ve seen the result of decades of this loss of morality and religion, how can people maintain that we’re better without it?

If the “Five points of fundamental religious belief” (see page 78, The 5000 Year Leap) were taught in our schools, people would be happy, there would be a purpose to life and a purpose to maintaining a government that grants liberty instead of captivity. If religion is not taught in your child’s school, you have two choices… you can change your child’s school, or you can change your child’s school. Meaning that you can attempt to influence the school board to encourage religious or at least moral instruction (which won’t happen as long as they are addicted to federal funds) or you can remove your child and place them in a different school (like a home school).

“The whole power over the subject of religion is left exclusively to the state governments…” (Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story as quoted in The 5000 Year Leap) There is not the impenetrable ‘wall’ between church and state at the State or local levels. The tenth amendment to the US Constitution states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the constitution, nor prohibited by it (the constitution) to the States is left to the States respectively or to the people.” The constitution specifically states two things concerning religion, “…no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” (Article Six, US Constitution) and “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion…” (1^st Amendment, US Constitution) So according to the tenth amendment, since there is nothing in the constitution ‘prohibiting’ States from making a law respecting an establishment of religion, and nothing is ‘delegated’ to Congress to make such laws, then it is left to the States or the people to be able to make laws respecting establishments of religion. Thus it is appropriate and legal for state and county courthouses to display the ten commandments if they choose, it is appropriate and legal for schools to have the Pledge of Allegience and state that this is a “Nation under God”, it is appropriate and legal for schools to have a day of prayer or a moment of silence if they so choose. The US Constitution specifically prohibits the federal government from getting involved in such things and prohibiting such things. Obviously it is best that no one religion gets any preference under law, even state or local laws, but it is also best that God gets preference under law, as David was inspired to write, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” (Psalms 9:17)

3rd Principle of Freedom

2009-06-23T06:00:00.002-08:00

The Most Promising Method of Securing a Virtuous and Morally Stable People is to Elect Virtuous Leaders.

Where are the virtuous leaders? Where can they be found? Instead of leading the people in the cause of liberty, in government, they are business leaders, education leaders, religious leaders, etc. Why? Skousen makes the point that elected positions that are posts of honor or power AND posts of profit lead to the most corrupt, scheming individuals to seek those positions. It is not that good men don’t seek these positions as well, but the wicked men pull out all stops, they hit below the belt, so to speak, to ensure their victory. They are tireless in their own selfishness and self-aggrandizing. An honest and virtuous man, on the other hand does not resort to such tactics and unfortunately, if the people aren’t careful and don’t educate themselves, they will tend to seek the dishonest man because he is not made out to be so dishonest by his opponent.

By the way, here is what I would propose to fix this problem if I had some power to do so. Instead of allowing congress to set their own salaries, perhaps a good idea might be to amend the constitution to state that the salaries for all elected government officials will be equal to the median national income, or the average income in their respective states. An amendment like this of course would never come through congress as it sits currently, but 2/3 of the several states can, according to Article Five of the US Constitution, call a convention to amend the constitution without congress. This would not fix all problems, there are many state and local officials that are overpaid, but a similar amendment in state constitutions and local charters would bring about the same effect. Just an idea.

Samuel Adams is quoted in The 5000 Year Leap as saying “…the truest friend to…liberty…so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man.” It is no longer OK for us to choose the lesser of two evils. It is time for us to seek out the best men and women to be our rulers (a ruler should literally be a ruler, someone for everyone to measure themselves against, the best of the best). We may have to look outside of the mainstream. The criteria is set by the Lord, “…thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers…” (Exodus 18:21) and “…He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.” (2 Samuel 23:3)

2nd Principle of Freedom

2009-06-22T06:30:00.000-08:00

A Free People Cannot Survive Under a Republican Constitution Unless They Remain Virtuous and Morally Strong.

I don’t have much time to elaborate on my studies of this principle considering the inordinate amount of time I spent on the last post. But I will share one thing. Benjamin Franklin is quoted in ‘The 5000 Year Leap’ as saying, “…that general virtue is more probably to be expected and obtained from the education of youth, than from the exhortations of adult persons; bad habits and vices of the mind being, like diseases of the body, more easily prevented [in youth] than cured [in adults]. (pg. 55) If we are going to affect change, we will need to start with the youth, just like the opposition (this is my term for socialists, communists, progressives, liberals) did early in the 20^th century which has brought about our current state of affairs. If we focus our efforts in trying to change and “win-over” adults (like our legislators), we will change very little.

Benjamin Franklin is further quoted as saying, “…that talents for the education of youth are the gift of God; and that he on whom they are bestowed, whenever a way is opened for the use of them, is as strongly called as if he heard a voice from heaven…” (pg. 55) We are the experts in our own home, and I believe God has given us the specific talents we need to raise and educate our children. He is calling us as if with a voice from heaven to do good with this raising and educating. We must teach Virtue and Morality, we must teach good vs. bad, true vs. false, right vs. wrong. We cannot depend on others to do so.

1st Principle of Freedom

2009-06-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

“The Only Reliable Basis for Sound Government and Just Human Relations is Natural Law.”

I will not be reiterating or saying in my own words the points Skousen makes because his words can be easily found and read in your very own copy of ‘The 5000 Year Leap’, instead I will be sharing my own thoughts and feelings and at times those may drift from exactly what is being said in the book. That said, the only way most of this will make sense is if you’re reading the principles in the book along with these pitiful blogs of mine.

If we know there is a Supreme Creator, then it naturally follows that the only wise thing to do would be to align our laws with the Creator’s laws, or Natural Law. Skousen gives a list of examples of Natural Law, or concepts and rights that are based in Natural Law, they are:

The concept of UNALIENABLE RIGHTS

The concept of UNALIENABLE DUTIES

The concept of HABEAS CORPUS

The concept of LIMITED GOVERNMENT

The concept of SEPARATION OF POWERS

The concept of CHECKS AND BALANCES to correct abuses by peaceful means

The right of SELF-PRESERVATION

The right to CONTRACT

Laws protecting the FAMILY and the institution of MARRIAGE

The concept of JUSTICE BY REPARATION or paying for damages

The right to BEAR ARMS

The principle of NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION

After reading these concepts, rights, laws and principles that are all based in Natural Law, I had to consider what was meant by Natural Law. I couldn’t think of a clear example in scripture concerning several of these concepts such as “No taxation without representation” or the concept of “Limited Government” (perhaps because of my lack of scriptural literacy.) So what is Natural Law and how do I know Natural Law when I see it? I believe that Natural Law is simply… NATURAL, meaning that it is a part of all of us, it is ‘self-evident’. When I think of the examples above, I see that they are self-evident. I naturally believe I have a right to ‘self-preservation’, to protect myself, to keep myself alive and well. I naturally believe that when someone destroys something of mine, they should pay for it…”Justice by Reparation”. I feel inside that if someone comes at me with a baseball bat to injure me, I have a right to wield a baseball bat or a greater weapon in defense of myself or others…”Right to Bear Arms”. I believe it’s wrong for my neighbor to walk in my house and take my food, but I might get together with my neighborhood and agree to help this neighbor by donating 10% of my food to him…’No Taxation without Representation’. When I really sit down and think about this list, I know that they are based in Natural Law.

Now there is a small problem, or opportunity for confusion, in calling it Natural Law and claiming it naturally comes from within, at least there was for me. That problem is that the Lord says, “…the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth…” (Genesis 8:21) and the Book of Mormon says, “…the natural man is an enemy to God…” (Mosiah 3:19) so our “natural” tendencies are evil according to these verses. The problem is calling it “Natural” Law; I might actually call it “Spiritual” Law because it is discerned by our spirits from the Spirit of God. The Apostle Paul says, “…the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God…But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Cor 2:11, 14) And Peter describes the “natural man” as “…chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness…these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not…” (2 Peter 2:10, 12) Natural Law IS natural in us as seen in the gentiles as explained by Paul “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves.” (Romans 2:14) But though it is “natural” in us, it is because “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit…” (Romans 8:16) And when we go against this “Natural” law which is given to us by the Spirit of God, and “…walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness…” (2 Peter 2:10) then we become ‘natural man’ and “…shall utterly perish in [our] own corruption; and shall receive the reward of unrighteousness…” (2 Peter 2:12-13) Thus, the Spirit of God gives Natural Law to our spirits and we can discern it spiritually. Those of us who have not utterly corrupted ourselves can discern between desires of the flesh and spiritual desires, thus, without any textbook whatsoever, simply by looking within ourselves, we know what Natural Law is, the same way we know right and wrong, good and bad. It helps us clarify and prove what we know inside when we find outside evidence, like when we have a book that lays out the 28 principles of freedom, but it is already within us as the Lord says, “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts…” (Jeremiah 31:33)

The 5000 Year Leap

2009-06-21T18:41:00.002-08:00

At our June 2009 ‘Leadership Education Colloquium” in North Pole, Alaska we discussed Part I of ‘The 5000 Year Leap’ by Cleon Skousen and the US Constitution. We had a warm (read semi-heated) and friendly discussion on many topics not limited to either Skousen’s book or the Constitution. For our July colloquium we will be discussing Part II of “The 5000 Year Leap” which is composed of “the 28 principles of Freedom our Founding Fathers said must be understood and perpetuated by every people who desire peace, prosperity, and freedom.” (back cover, The 5000 Year Leap)

I will add two posts each weekday morning (we’ll see if I can actually keep up) from 22 June through 9 July about each of these principles. Hopefully it will be as enlightening and informational for you as it will be for me to study and write about it.

Create...then Create

2009-03-08T16:20:00.001-08:00

Again I'm here to share what I've been learning to emphasize "You not Them" as a true principle. The more I learn, the more I realize I have yet to learn, and the more I see that I previously was not ready to mentor my children. I honestly feel that finally, after months of serious study, numerous books and tens of thousands of pages (literally, I counted them), I am finally one step ahead, which is all that is required of a mentor.

In the Bible is a principle taught in the story of the creation. In Genesis chapter 1 the creation is laid out in six creative periods, including the creation of "man in [God's] own image...male and female created he them." Then in Genesis 2:4-5, after God rested from his labors on the seventh day, "These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground." (KJV - Emphasis added)

So "in the beginning" the Lord created everything, then in chapter two it says there were not yet plants and "there was not a man" on the earth. It seems apparent from the Bible that God created things spiritually or planned out everything for the creation of this earth before he actually created this earth. We can practice this godlike principle, as his children, by practicing habit two in "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" which is "Begin with the End in Mind." Stephen R. Covey suggests we become our "first creator" by imagining the finished product, by discovering what we want & who we want to be in the end.

This is like building a house. The first thing most people do, the wiser ones anyway, is to create a plan, or blueprints. In creating a plan for a house, I don't know of anyone that starts with the foundation. They start with 'the end in mind', ...how the house is to look, what kinds of rooms they want in it, how big they want it to be, do they want the garage attached or seperate. After "seeing" or "creating" the finished product, they start focusing on details such as wiring, plumbing, and foundation work. And when they actually start building then they start with the foundation, followed by the rough structure, then plumbing and wiring, and so forth, and they end up with the finished product, the 'second creation' modeled after the 'first creation.'

If we start building a house right away, laying some foundation, nailing pieces of wood together, etc., the finished product will only reflect all the steps we've taken along the way. And in the end, even if we're stuck with a house we hate, the house will represent our choices, we will realize that we chose that house.

The same is true with our lives. We need to imagine ourselves as a finished product (or 5 years from now, or 10 years to begin with). We decide what it is we want, who it is we want to be. We then start planning out the details. Once we've done that, and ONLY when we've done that, can we truly take control of our lives and start building our foundations.

If we don't do this, then in the end (or even NOW if we're not where we want to be) we must face up to the fact that we have chosen the situation we are in. We have chosen the finished product, we just didn't bother to realize that every choice along the way was choosing the finished product. Now of course the great thing is, as long as we are still alive, we can always step back for a moment, and start planning and laying out some blueprints, so that we do have control over the finished product.

So.... What do you want? Who do you want to be? Where do you want to be? When do you want to get there? Why do you want to be that? Figure out these questions, and you're well on your way to discovering 'How do I get there?' It's all about YOU.

Inside-Out

2009-02-19T21:22:00.006-09:00

"When you reread a classic you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than was there before." -Clifton Fadiman

From the first moment 11 years ago when I first picked up "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" I knew it was a classic and have read and reread and referred to the book numerous times, but always just to 'refresh' my memory. I thought I had a deep understanding of what that book had to offer.

I picked the book up to read it again as our reading assignment for our book discussion in March. Now that I've had the preparation of a year's worth of leadership education, of practicing "[Me] not Them" I learned more in the first chapter entitled "Inside-Out" than I learned all the previous times reading the entire book. The principles I learned were not necessarily new ideas, but I understood them on a new, personalized, very deep level. I felt compelled to write it all out and filled three pages in my journal. As I was pondering and writing I was learning many things in new ways, many of which weren't even in the book. To give an example, I've included an edited portion of my journal entry in italics.

'I read again about P/PC, Production vs. Production Capability. Golden Eggs=Production, Goose=Production Capability. The goose is worth protecting, worth investing in. I must feed it, keep it safe & warm, etc. If I want the benefits or production of a marriage, (emotional, mental, social, physical, & spiritual intimacy) then I must feed the marriage with whatever makes Elisabeth (my wife) happy. Whether I do this because I want the benefits or because I truly love Elisabeth probably matters not as far as getting [at least some of] the benefits, but it does matter if I want to enjoy nurturing the Production Capability (PC). It is possible to feed the PC without enjoying it & still get the Production (P), but what a loss when the real joy can be found in nurturing the PC.'

'I must focus on PC with my children, and I must learn to enjoy it... I don't think I really love the kids enough. I know that loving comes from serving, so I must serve my children. I must serve to love, yet I must love, to serve well. I guess the answer to this is that I don't love God as well as I should, and if I did, I'd do His will with His children.'

'So, I must love God, and loving God comes from knowing Him. And how can I know Him unless I communicate with Him. So, if I better my communication with Him, and I come to know Him, then I will come to love Him (what's not to love?). As I come to love Him I will desire to serve him, & in desiring to serve Him I will desire to serve my 'fellow-beings' knowing that service to them is only service to my God. Serving fellowman will lead to loving my fellowman which will then reverse the cycle. Loving my fellow beings leads me to want to serve them, which is serving my God. This service leads me to love God more which cause me to desire to know him more.'

'Without having moved forward in this cycle first, I can get lost in the reverse path. We can get stuck loving & serving our fellowman and getting the P (warm fuzzy feelings from loving & serving) without truly nurturing the PC (love of God, true motivation) & eventually we can lose desire to serve man, we can lose love for men. Men are imperfect which can lead to loss of trust, respect, then loss of love & desire to serve. Starting at the beginning of this cycle (Inside-Out) helps us love God & serve Him and He will not fail us. A mother can forget her sucking child, but God will NOT forget us, He has engraven us in the palms of His hands.'

OUTSIDE-IN approach
Know Fellowman--> Love Fellowman--> Serve Fellowman--> Lose interest

INSIDE-OUT
Know God--> Love God--> Serve God=Serve Fellowman--> Love Fellowman--> Know Fellowman--> Love Fellowman--> Serve Fellowman=Serve God--> Love God--> Know God--> And so forth.

Now most people probably won't get this information out of this chapter. I was personally taught and inspired because of my preparation and focusing on my education. When I reread this chapter I "[saw] more in [me] than was there before." I saw clearly what I must do and even had it all laid out with a pattern or a cycle that helps me remember the new information & insight. I never got even close to this before when I read this book. Oliver DeMille talks about all the exposure to greatness in Classics reaching a "Critical Mass" followed by an awakening of the reader. A whole new world is opening up to me. I can't even imagine what might open up to me as I reread the remainder of "The 7 Habits..." or as I continue to study other classic works. True education is exhilarating & very rewarding. I feel I might finally be "one step ahead" as a mentor because I focused on ME not THEM.

Colloquium

2009-02-15T18:34:00.004-09:00

We had a great discussion last Thursday (12 Feb 2009) at the “Leadership Education Colloquium”. We learned about ‘usury’ and discussed whether it was moral/ethical and discussed what usury used to mean and what it means now and what the Bible says about it. We found problems in semantics. Usury meant something different to Shakespeare than it does to most of us now. Usury in his time was lending money at interest and was considered evil for Christians whereas it seems that most think that it is OK. In contrast usury in our time is lending money at exorbitant rates and is considered evil for Christians now.

We discussed why Jews would have been hated in Shakespeare’s time and whether there was any foundation to it. We were able to see why a town/city/village might fear the Jews when the Jews worked as a group, helping one another and taking advantage of a stranger. They also might have considered Jews responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In addition, according to this play, Jews practiced usury (lending money at interest) which was considered evil. (Though it wasn't evil to borrow money at interest.) All these things combined led to an intense hatred for Jews and everything related to them.

We discussed Justice vs. Mercy. Justice says that every time I get on the Richardson Highway and exceed 55mph, even if I go 55.1mph, I am guilty of breaking the law and justice requires I be ticketed and fined every time. Mercy says that I don't have to be ticketed every time, that because of an understanding that speedometers are mechanical devices subject to inaccuracies and fluctuations and because a car is subject to fluctuating speeds even if my foot is held steady on the accelerator, I need not be ticketed every time, though I am still subject to the law and could be. We discussed the importance and necessity of mercy, both from God, and from/towards each other. As Portia says in ‘The Merchant of Venice’:

The quality of mercy is not strain’d (compelled),-
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest-
It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes:…
…earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,-
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy.

Some may be wondering why I posted this on this blog? It's simple... "YOU not THEM." Reading and discussing classics is a fun and exciting way to follow this principle. I encourage everyone to do this.

2008-08-28T15:14:00.001-08:00

I was reading the articles for the George Wythe Radio Hour and was especially affected by the one entitled, “Seven Reasons to Study the Classics”, by Oliver DeMille.

In the article he quotes extensively from Allan Bloom’s The Closing of the American Mind. In analyzing American education, Bloom’s book has three major points. First, societies are successful when people choose to be good. Second, people choose to be good when they are taught and believe in good. And third, the thing which determines how well they are taught is their national books.

A national book is something that almost everyone in the nation accepts as a central truth. This raises the question; does America today have a national book? Dr. DeMille concurs with Bloom that while America once held the Declaration of Independence and the Bible as national books this is no longer true.

“In fact, there is no true national book in America today. No national books means no culture; and this is very ominous for the future. Any society which loses its national book declines and collapses in ignorance, dwindles and perishes in unbelief. In Bloom’s own words: ‘The loss of the gripping inner life vouchsafed those who were nurtured by the Bible must be primarily attributed not to our schools or political life, but to the family, which, with all its rights to privacy, has proved unable to maintain any content of its own…The delicate fabric of the civilization into which the successive generations are woven has unraveled, and children are raised, not educated…

‘People sup together, play together, travel together, but they do not think together. Hardly any homes have any intellectual life whatsoever, let alone one that informs the vital interests of life. Educational TV marks the high tide for family intellectual life.

‘The cause of this decay of the family’s traditional role as the transmitter of tradition is the same as that of the decay of the humanities: nobody believes that the old books do, or even could, contain the truth…In the United States, practically speaking, the Bible was the only common culture, one that united simple and sophisticated, rich and poor, young and old, and provided access to the seriousness of books. With its gradual and inevitable disappearance, the very idea of such a total book and the possibility and necessity of world-explanation is disappearing. And fathers and mothers have lost the idea that the highest aspiration they might have for their children is for them to be wise – as priest, prophets or philosophers are wise. Specialized competence and success are all that they can imagine.”

These paragraphs were a shocking wake up call for me. I realized that my family has fallen into this trap. We eat together, play and travel together but we don’t think together. In my efforts to teach my children I am still holding specialized competence and success as my goal.
This past weekend I attended the Advanced TJEd Conference. At this conference I heard Dr. Andrew Groft speak on the Liberal Arts and the difference between Education and Training. He spoke of Education being related to Freedom and Specialization being related to Wealth. He emphasized that both are important and good. With Education we are Free to pursue Specialization and Wealth. With Wealth comes Security. You can have one without the other but he cautioned us to be careful not to give up Freedom for Security. As I struggle to find the way to use the Leadership Education model in my home I need to remember the difference between Education and Training. I need to help my children become educated rather than settling for “raising them right”.

This is the first reason Dr DeMille gives for studying classics, “We need a national book to maintain our morality and civilization; and a nation that doesn’t regularly read good books, think about important ideas, or consider the big picture, is not capable of adopting or following a national book.” While I am reading good books to my children we need to get to the point that we think about them and the important ideas that they introduce and consider how these ideas affect our big picture. “First we are caused to think about the characters in the story, then about ourselves, then about people we know and finally about humanity in general. At first reading the classics can be a chore, an assignment. If we persist, it eventually becomes entertainment. Then one day (after a few weeks for some, perhaps years for another) something clicks; all the exposure to greatness reaches critical mass. And you, the reader, awaken. Your exposure to greatness changes you: Your ideas are bigger, your dreams wilder, your plans more challenging, your faith more powerful.”

I’m excited to begin this new school year with a new goal, one that requires me to stretch and grow again. I will do my best to set the example for my family and lead out. It will take more time, more effort on my part to instigate the conversations, to find ways to get my family thinking together. But it is important, essential, if our family is to enjoy both Freedom and Security that we learn from good books, this in turn helping us make good choices, leading eventually to being part of a good society.

“I fear that modernity has come to mean ignoring what is important because we are too busy with what is immediate. Nietzsche said that the difference between modern and ancient times is that modern man substitutes that morning newspaper for morning prayer. Bloom adds that now we have replaced the newspaper with the television. Too often we focus on the mortal rather than the eternal: this is a disease of modern times.

“The classics are a remedy and can be a cure. They force us to turn off the TV and computer, to quietly study for hours and hours and hours-reading, pondering, thinking, asking, crying, laughing, struggling, and above all, feeling, changing, becoming. And then, because we are better, we must go out and serve.”

Tammy Smith

Seven Reasons to Study the Classics, Oliver DeMille, The Statesman, Volume 4, Issue 3, July 2000 http://newsletter.gw.edu/pre/july2000.pdf

My Mission

2008-08-18T12:08:00.002-08:00

I found it interesting, and several of my family members commented on the fact, that I stood for a different mission than I had the first time I heard Dr. DeMille give the lecture on missions.

I've recently spent a lot of time working toward my midwifery degree only to find that right now it no longer has the pull it used to have. I still plan on finishing, I'm so close and have spent so much time, but I'm not sure that my mission really lies in that direction.

As time goes by and we learn new things we gain a new perspective on our missions. I'm sure that my midwifery experience and education will influence who I become over time but I don't know that it is the end of my journey.

For now I'm still searching and pondering what my mission might be. I feel like the third type of student in the article from The Statesman:

"Type 3 is the What Should I Do? student. Should I read this book? Should
I write this paper, should I change mentors? Should I study or work or
play today? The "what should I do" student will choose to submit to a
mentor one day and the next go back to the drawing board. They are unfocused and
noncommittal, making it difficult to get a quality education, because they
constantly vacillate back and forth."

My son, Christopher, was reading The Great Divorce, by CS Lewis. I haven't read it and was asking him about it and discussing his thoughts. He said that it is about heaven and hell and that it is more painful to face who you really are and start changing than to just pretend all is well and return to life as normal. But that as we change and walk forward it gets easier and less painful.

Realizing that I have qualities of the Type 3 Student is the first painful step of self evaluation and hopefully a step toward becoming a Type 1 Student. I am becoming a real believer in the principle of "you not them". If I don't have a purpose, a mission, how can I set that example for my children?

The best news is that as we muddle through, trying is better than not. Christopher is thriving at GWC, he's sought out a mentor relationship this summer and is reading and writing things that I
couldn't have gotten him to at home. I've done something right and it gives me hope that I'm on the right track.

I'm grateful for those of you who are joining me in the journey to build leaders here in Alaska. Thank you for being my friends and my examples.

Tammy

Who Are You?

2008-05-23T14:02:00.003-08:00

When considering the principle of “You- Not Them” it’s easy to get overwhelmed since most of our plates are already very full. Most of us are already juggling the roles of parent, spouse, provider, sibling, friend, and teacher. The list goes on and on. Now we're supposed to add passionate student? How and where do we fit that in?

Might I suggest that we stop and ask not how to apply the principle “You – Not Them”, but who are “You”?

“You – Not Them” implies that you know who “You” are. Do you? If you’ve read the basics of the 7 Keys of Great Teaching you know that when discussing the principle of “You – Not them” Oliver DeMille says things like, “Focus on your education, and invite them along for the ride” and “A parent or teacher does not have to be an expert to inspire great education, but he does have to be setting the example”.

If you read further in Dr. DeMille’s new book, Leadership Education you will read what this education you’re supposed to be getting actually is.

“The very essence of education is to learn of one’s mission and pursue it. Buddha reportedly said: ‘Your purpose in life is to find your purpose in life, and then to give your whole heart and soul to it’.
Mission is the reason we need education, the goal for which we learn, and the place where we apply what we have learned. A vision, a direction, a mission, a purpose – these are education. Everything else is a footnote.”

So to do “You – Not Them” you need to know who “You” are. What is your Vision, your Mission, your Purpose? Dr. DeMille continues by saying, “When we tap into the power of our unique mission and purpose, we will discover ‘wind beneath our wings’ that propels, sustains and directs us through our life.”

I submit that as we find a vision, discover our mission, truly come to understand who the “You” is in “You – Not Them” this principle will become easier and the how will become clear.

Tammy Smith

Purpose, Meaning, Mission

2008-05-21T10:06:00.006-08:00

Each of us has a life mission. We are led on this mission usually not fully understanding what it is. And how are we led? I believe we are led by our interests and our good desires. Things that really bring us joy (not just fleeting happiness) are in line with our life mission. But how does this fit in with the "You Not Them" principle?

Concerning education; as YOU learn what YOU need to know for YOUR mission in life, your children will do the same. However, if you try to learn or teach them what THEY need to know for THEIR mission in life, THEY will resist. Pretty simple.

Remember that just because you enjoy mathematics does not necessarily mean your children will, but if you study it because you get joy from it, they will study what they get joy from, thus leading them on their life mission. It may be that Bobby doesn't need near as much math as Susan to fulfill his life mission.

If your children learn what true joy is and they love learning, (because they see that you love learning) they will see their own education gaps and they will set out to learn everything they need to know.

No, Really...It's about YOU

2008-05-21T09:49:00.002-08:00

It really is about YOU. So I've learned something. 'You Not Them' simply means YOU. YOU start learning, YOU start loving learning, YOU start filling in the gaps of YOUR education...not with the hopes that your kids will follow, not with the desire to set a good example. You do it because you WANT to.

I started a men only book discussion group and I've been working hard reading and scanning books for us to read as a group...and I've hated every moment. Finally, yesterday I put away all the "men" books I was attempting to make mean something to this group and read "The Phantom of the Opera", not because I thought it would be a good reading for the group, but simply because I wanted to. I enjoyed myself immensely and learned much more than I had the last few weeks. I realized that it truly is about ME and it is about YOU, not them. Now instead of picking books I think will teach a good moral to the men in the group, I now will pick books that interest me and ask them to pick books that interest them. And because I will be focusing on ME not them, I believe that all of us will learn much more and get much more out of our discussions.

You, Not Them??? (Amy)

2008-05-15T13:58:00.004-08:00

"In reality, you are unlikely to pass on to your children a better education than you have earned yourself, no matter how much you push them..." (A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille page 53). That hit me like a ton of bricks the first time I read it. And then it scared me. Many times I feel like I'm faking it. I've read a lot of books and got good grades in school, but I've always felt like my education has been lacking. My desire to homeschool came from wanting my children to get more than I did. Now I read this book that tells me "The most effective way to ensure the quality of their education is to consistently improve your own." (A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille page 53).

So here I am. Focusing on "You, Not Them". As a mother this is not natural. We don't have permission to focus on ourselves. That's lunacy. But as I look at my family I think I see a glimpse of how this works.

My husband is a pilot. He LOVES aviation. That's all he ever wanted to do. Now he's a pilot in the Air Force. Guess what my children love? Aviation, planes, flying, you name it. He's passionate about it and so are they. And that is natural. There is no feigned interest so that maybe they'll find an interest in it. This passion is real. That is what happens when your children see you so involved in something.

So wouldn't it stand to reason that if I'm passionate about learning, say about government, that my children would be too? Hey, you're right! I do love learning about government and so does my 12 year old son! He even aced his Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge for Boy Scouts!

Interesting... Maybe there is something to this "You, Not Them" thing.