Blog
-
“19 And Counting”
This photo was taken with some colleagues in Pittsburgh a few weeks ago. I was presenting a talk called, “Domestic Tranquility” which is about some of the most pressing issues facing families today. (Video will be available soon.) There is an active effort to get rid of society’s most foundational building block. (From Left to Right: Darrell Castle, Don Stone, Me, Ricardo Davis and Doug Aden) If you were trying to destroy our Nation, you would have to destroy our Faith and our families. The attack on the Dugger family is designed around destroying both. Whether it’s prompted by jealousy or hatred for intact families, there is little doubt that the “politics of personal destruction” is at the heart of this firestorm. The war against the Duggar family is being waged by those who reject families. Chicago Tribune article: Josh Duggar.
The Duggar Family is featured on a reality TV show call called, “19 And Counting”. Josh Duggar, one of the Duggar kids, is now being persecuted by the media for something that happened over 12 years ago when he was 14 years old.
-
What Happened to the Speaker?
This photo was taken of me with a different Speaker of the House, Rod Jetton, when I was in the Legislature. I was “bending his ear” about something important. Sometimes the best way to get the attention of the Speaker was while we were debating bills in the Chamber. Rep. Steve Hunter is the other man in the photo. First, let me express how sorry I am for John Dielh’s family. When a man bears shame, his entire family suffers with him. There is nothing like walking through the grocery store and having to answer questions about behavior committed by another member of the family. When a couple is yoked together, that means if one party goes down, the other one will be hurt. In these cases, it’s always best to have compassion on the wife and children who have to read these painful stories and find a way to maintain some level of respect for the family. Story here: Sex-texting Scandal
We should all love justice. Moral indignation is always appropriate when people behave in a manner that demonstrates lust, adultery and behavior that shows degrading character. However, we fail to do this consistently. When we do show our disapproval, it is often tinged with hypocrisy. The level of outrage we see has more to do with how it’s handled in the media and how it is related to what the the legislator is accomplishing legislatively.
-
Last Week of Session
This is the last week of the legislative session in Missouri. Like all the other years, I am getting a barrage of email begging me to contact my Senators and Representatives to inform them that they might make some dreadful mistakes by voting for bad laws.
This is fatiguing on all of us because we elected them to do the right thing. It is hard to help someone get into an office and then feel let down by their voting records. It hurts to hear, “I told you so”, even if those words are coming from inside our hearts.
-
Happy Mother’s Day!
This is my special salute to all the great mothers who have nurtured and valiantly raised up the next generation, to carry the baton. National Day of PrayerIt always happens on the first Thursday of May. My faithful readers know we mention this yearly, but this time we approach this from a Constitutional perspective.
It seems like every year issues that were once “no-brainers” now appear to be confusing. Perhaps the problem is not the issues, but the people in governmental positions who lack an education on the proper role of government.
There’s an old expression, “Use it or lose it.” That applies to our freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom to peaceably assemble. Our City Halls do not belong to the bureaucrats. Our City Halls belong to the citizens and taxpayers of each city.
-
The Christian Genocide
This is a photo I took on a recent vacation. The poster was on the front door of a store in Fresno, California. It is heartwarming to know that this store is doing something to observe the 100th year anniversary of one of the greatest human life tragedies ever. We should all be horrified to hear of all the barbaric acts as Muslims behead, burn alive and torture Christians. This type of behavior is called for in their Koran. It should sicken all of us to see this wanton disregard for life. The man holding the position of President of the United States seems more interested in furthering the success of the Muslim extremists than protecting our own citizens being held in overseas prisons.
-
Children
This is a photo of my family in Washington DC at the Silver Diner. A lot of restaurants are learning that people care about the nutritious value of their food as much as the taste. This is an example of a restaurant that has decided to specialize in things like gluten free recipes, grass fed beef and nitrite free bacon. Pictured in front: Daughter in law, Emily; First born Son, John; Last Born Son, Philip; Back row: Daughter, Susanna; me and Bernie. A lot of people like the new Pope, my mother included. Whether one is Catholic or not, he is respected as the leader of a large segment of the world and his words carry weight. The purpose of this newsletter is to study how his words impact our perception of families.
The reason some show disdain for larger families is because of their fear that as taxpayers, they will be forced to subsidize larger families. As governments continue to grow, this anti-family philosophy will eventually cause more harm to those who have larger families. Our words can either be supportive or judgmental; helpful or hurtful.
-
Stand With Me Against New Taxes!
This is a photo someone snapped while Gregory Thompson was introducing me in front of the courthouse in Springfield, Missouri. People rarely speak out against tax increases because they don’t want to offend anyone. I certainly don’t want to offend any of my friends who work for bureaucratic agencies funded by the taxpayers. However, before the elections on Tuesday, I have a few facts for your consideration.
While I was in office, my constituents frequently complained to me about how much they were paying in taxes. While I believe it is fully appropriate for constituents to dialogue with their elected officials about the level of taxation, in the majority of the cases, the reason the taxes are so high is because the voters voluntarily elected to place these excessive taxes on themselves.
If you don’t like your level of taxation, the place to start is to assist in preventing the passage of these taxes at the ballot box. Washington DC can raise your taxes without voter approval, but in Missouri the only way your taxes can increase is if the voters affirmatively go to the polls on election day and agree to a greater level of taxation for themselves.
-
Vaccinations
This is a photo of the packaging for a flu vaccine. You may notice that some of the listed ingredients are mercury and formaldehyde. America was founded by people who understood personal responsibility. Regardless of how you feel about the idea of vaccinating yourself, the tone of disdain and disrespect for those who choose to not vaccinate is unsettling.
The debate appears to center around vaccinations, but it’s really more about respect for others, especially respect for the right of parents to make the choice for their own children. Whenever government uses the power of the iron fist to shame some for their personal choices, we have a problem..
The animosity appears to be between the “Pro-Vaxxers” and the “Anti-Vaxxers”. It may help you feel some compassion to know that the majority of those opposed to forced vaccinations have faced a personal tragedy with their own children or a close friend or relative.
-
Tom Schweich
I was in Nashville, Tennessee this week attending the National Religious Broadcasters Convention when I was able to visit with Todd Starnes about what is happening to our Country. God-less America pretty well sums it up. This was a sad week for Missouri. Regardless of political parties, a loss of a life trumps all other issues. Of all the emerging stories which attempt to piece together the reasons for his suicide, there are two we reject:
1.) This was not because anyone was concerned about Tom’s lineage. If our country’s voters have elected Muslims and homosexuals we have proven that voters will support their candidate (or their Party) more than any other criteria. I am stunned that anyone would think Jewish ancestry is a negative. Most people I know would think it is a bonus.
2.) Even if people say mean things, nobody can force someone to end his life. It still is up to the individual to interpret and manage his own circumstances.
-
Attacks from the Left
This photo is a few years old, but apparently it’s the one the Riverfront Times wanted to use to show how much fun people can have when they are married and have seven children. We’ve had a lot of opportunities to make people think this week. In the event you missed it, many tweets and blogs really appreciated my newsletter from last week. Although a few were mocking, it shows just how easily we can hit a nerve when talking about morality.
I am enjoying the public dialogue, yet it saddens me that the tone of respect is diminishing from our society. The discipline of productive discourse should always remain an intellectual exchange. Mockery and name calling should always be considered out-of-bounds.
Baseball has a term called a “Sacrifice Fly”. It is used to explain when one baseball player hits a long fly out so that another can advance a base. A recent article on Sarah Palin talks about how the Republican Party made Sarah their “sacrifice fly”.