The radio theater broadcast from Adventures in Odyssey was playing on the radio as I drove. I got caught up in the story of the Revolutionary War and the Battle at Fort McHenry. The sounds and voices carried me back to that day and I felt the emotion of the dawn breaking and the light shining down on the Stars and Stripes. “Dawn’s Early Light” brought me to tears, and from that day forward the “Star Spangled Banner” did as well.

This morning I was reminded that the one verse most of us learn in school and sing at ball games does not even begin to touch on the story.

Lyrics for the “Star Spangled Banner”

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thru the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause. it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Knowing the history of our songs, our government and our people will help us continue to live the life of freedom and unity held in this amazing song! May the words from so many years ago inspire you for today.

The climate changed somewhere along the way. Turning on the news, even Glenn Beck, became a hate fest. All of the negative thoughts and words began to drag me down. So I turned it all off. I even stopped opening the emails sent to me regularly and just trashed them when they popped up.

A few days ago, I posted and article about Obama bashing. The negative talk had reached my breaking point. Enough was enough.

To my surprise, I was not the only one that felt the negative had gotten out of hand. Glenn Beck announced yesterday that he was changing his tune.

See, I can want something different from you and that does not make either of us bad people. My words can counter your idea – or even prove it wrong – and that does nothing to lessen you the person.

People are fundamentally good. That may be the optimist in me, but it is a statement that I hold true. Ideas may be wrong, because of misdirection, misinformation, or misguidance, but people are at their core good, positive and uplifting.

I vote in elections. Sometimes I will even openly support a candidate. But when the dust settles, I have to choose to get behind the PERSON that is elected even if I do not agree with the ideas. That means I can push against the ideas and even offer up my own ideas, but I should never attack the person.

The political season has just begun. America will only survive the chaos if we quit fighting and look for the good, the positive and the uplifting that we can all agree makes this country such an amazing place.

1. We have the freedom to have different views.
2. We have the freedom (and opportunity) to express our views.

There are so many more things that make this country great! What are the good, positive and uplifting ideas that you see?

I am also a conservative – deep down, hard core conservative. It may surprise you when I say that I am tired of people talking negative about President Obama. It shocks me a little that I am even writing the words because I agree with very little of what President Obama has done, has said or wants to do.

I do not know President Obama, nor have I ever even seen him in person. But I believe that he is sincere in his convictions. I still think he is wrong, but I do feel like he believes that he is correct in his ideals. Bash his ideas all you want, but quit talking about him.

President Obama has pushed for the health care plan – now known as Obamacare. He thinks that it will benefit the country. Trash the plan, not the President.

President Obama wants to placate the terrorists and the countries that support terrorists. Trash the idea that these people can BE placated, but skip the negative talk about the President.

I do not agree with the things that I see coming out of the White House, but I refuse to judge the man that puts those ideas out. Even if I had the privilege of meeting and getting to know President Obama, I could never truly know his heart.

My unique perspective of the health care issue does not stop at paying for insurance. I have worked in an office handling medical bills – which means I have dealt with all levels of insurance and seen how and what some of them pay. I also have a family of medical professionals – from x-ray equipment salespersons to nurses to surgeons to dentists.

From all of the angles that I have experienced, I can tell you whole heartedly that things are NOT perfect. I can also tell you that Medicare and Medicaid type programs (with the government in charge) are not the answer.

There are only two medical fields where the prices have gone down but the quality of care and technology has continued to go up – laser eye surgery and cosmetic surgery. Here the insurance does not pay so the clients/patients look for the best surgeons and the best deal.

In other words, when people have to pay for themselves or their family then they search out for the best options and the best deals. Doctors and businesses have to work to draw people to their offices. Everyone begins to do their part and the system begins to fix itself without the need for government intervention!

Glenn Beck may have been one of the ones lighting the flame originally, but the ordinary people (maybe even the ones living next door to you right now) like the Sisterhood of the Mommy Patriots, are the patriots that are spreading the word that this country is ours and we have to take responsibility for its directions.

Any time spent watching the news might cause depression or at least the feeling of loneliness. It seems that no one thinks like I do. Many people have spent the last several years hiding their personal beliefs in an attempt to make life a little easier for them and for their family.

The time for a smooth ride is over. Mommy Patriots, Daddy Patriots and Children Patriots are coming together to give notice that they will be quiet no more.

The Sisterhood of the Mommy Patriots is just one of the outcomes from all that Glenn Beck has been talking back. These are mommies that have felt alone but are beginning to recognize that there are other Mommy Patriots out there. These Mommy Patriots are connecting through the internet and even local Tea Parties to discover that they are not alone and there is strength and power in numbers.

Mommy Patriot Sites

As A Mom is the main Patriot Mommy site and it also supports the 9-12 Project that was first ignited by Glenn Beck. It is “Network of principled mothers, grandmothers, daughters, & guardians of our nation’s children dedicated to the 9 Principles & 12 Values.”

See what started the Mommy Patriot movement.

Mommy Patriots and the other patriots that are fueling the Tea Party movements, the 9-12 Project and other ideas are concerned about the direction of the country. It will be interesting to see if the politicians hear their concern and act on it or wait for the full force of the Mommy Patriots to move from sea to shining sea.

It can be easy to be worried about the future of the United States. The news shows bad news, panic and worry. But college football shows that hope is not lost.

Reasons Football Bring Hope to the United States

Tim Tebow – This quarter back already had a Heisman trophy and two National Championships under his belt. Many guys would be focused on their future in the NFL but Tebow came back to play with his team and for his team. He puts everything into the game with a sacrificial focus. He boasts only about his Faith, his God and his team and not about self.

Kody Burns – he left his family and home state of Arkansas to play football at Auburn. He played quarter back for two years before another team member won the position. He made an appeal to his team to support the decision and said he would do all that he could do to support the team. He showed leadership through high school and has carried those qualities over into college.

It may only be two examples so far, but there are more of them showing up every day – Kids that have character and values; Young men and women who have convictions and manners; People that are more concerned about the people around them and the future than they are self and the hear and now.

Times may be tough but hope is alive. Focus on the hope and the tough times WILL be overcome!

The actions of the government or the tales that have been told about blogs and internet in general pulled me back. The what ifs put a hold on my speech. I had enough on my plate without causing more stress through my opinions (and I have LOTS of them).

It has only been in the last few days that I have decided to not hold back any more. I can not tell my kids to do all that they can do and refuse to do that myself. It is time for me to stand up and speak my heart and mind and let the chips fall where they may.

3 Rants on Government that I have Held Back

1. President Obama thinks that children are not learning because they are not spending enough days in school. The truth is that teachers are being forced to teach for tests and not for education. Home school and private school children learn more in less time and for less money.

2. The government is getting too involved with my personal life. A mother, just helping out the neighbors, got in trouble for watching the neighborhood children until the school bus arrived to pick them up. This rant also includes neighbors who are too nosey for their own good because one of the neighbors had to have called and made a complaint.

3. There are so many issues when it comes to the government “fixing” the health care system that I’m not sure where to start. The truth is that most people have health care that they want and those who do not can find health care if they make choices to get that health care.

This is only the beginning. There are so many things that we need to talk about when it comes to our daily life. The government needs to hear what we have to say. I am still a bit nervous – I must confess – but I am stepping out.

Tips for Stepping Up

1. Become more involved. No matter where you are in your walk, your taxes pay for the schools, the running of the city and other items. Attend the public meetings so that you can be aware of what is going on around you. Make your voice heard. Then come out of those meetings and share your knowledge with all the people that you know.

2. Become more concerned. It may not seem like the issues coming up involve you but if you let them pass with out a blink then there will be no one standing with you when the issues do affect you. Take issues to heart and be willing to help your neighbor and not just self.

3. Become more responsible. Ultimately every issue does have something to do with your life because YOU are the government. Complaints have no room because the government is the people. When I am involved – intimately, personally and consistently – then I become responsible and aware.

It is easier to turn away from the issues than face them head on. The only thing that is accomplished by avoiding what is going on is that you give away your power. It is time to take back the power and stand up for the country. It is time to become a link in the chain that holds this country high.

Obama is very savvy when it comes to dealing with the public and with people in general. He knows how to accentuate his assets and diminish his negatives. It’s an amazing talent that he has revealed most recently during his travels to the Middle East.

The President was referred to only by his first and last name during the campaign. His middle name – Hussein – was not one that went over well with many people in the United States. It is understandable that it would not be used during the campaign.

The name is useful in the Middle East. It helps him to identify with the people in the region or at least helps them to identify with him. President Obama has been introduced using his full name during his trip through out the Middle East.

There have been some articles about how this new move of using Barak Hussein Obama shows President Obama’s close ties to the Muslim community. It seems to me that it is just one more move that shows President Obama thinks about his audience completely and stages his speeches so that they will have the most emotional impact.

People move on emotion. President Obama is using that knowledge and his skill at moving people with his power speeches and other nuances to move his agenda along with out question. To me THAT is the one thing that people need to be watching. What name President Obama uses is not nearly as important as the policy that he is pushing through.

There has been so much babbling about dwindling Republican Party (I’ve only heard Glenn Beck discuss the dwindling of BOTH the Republican and Democrat Parties). The truth is that is shouldn’t matter about the parties. The Legislative Branch answers to the state and to the people – NOT to the parties.

Something has to give. When people are no longer able to say what they understand based on facts of law (and not feelings or emotions) then there is a problem. People have been raising their voices to the sky with “Tea Parties” and other types of protest. Those in the ruling class (the press, the congress, the state governments) better start listening.

Bill O’Reilly is wrong. Those men and women that feel Sotomayor is a bad choice for the Supreme Court should reveal the facts. There may be no way to STOP the truck – as was mentioned several times on Bill O’Reilly’s “The O’Reilly Factor” – but it may be slowed down just enough that the truck doesn’t do as much damage.