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“Boys Will Be Boys”… No Longer Acceptable In Our Schools

February 1, 2013 by 12 Comments

070419 BoysGuns vl widec vertical Boys Will Be Boys... No Longer Acceptable In Our Schools

Today, my friend received an email from her son’s teacher. In it, she explained that he was given permission to draw during the course of the day; and at dismissal, she saw the picture. She explained that the picture was “filled with weapons and people”. “There were knives, guns, and even ninja throwing stars”. Oh no! Ninjas! Maybe because he is a big fan on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles who have been around for decades fighting crime and putting bad guys away… Hardly a threat! She went on to say that tomorrow, she will “address the whole class about the fact that drawing weapons is not acceptable in a school setting.”

The best line had to be: “In today’s climate, boys will be boys acceptance of violence in pictures is not appropriate.”  So does this mean that boys need to be girls now and draw pictures of flowers, hearts, and cute little puppies?! What does this mean to an eight year old who is only drawing what he plays at home with his friends? Does this mean my friend has to take away all of his toys now and give him dolls and other “girlie” toys to play with? Will this new push have an effect on advertising and the toys we see in the stores? How far will these people go to change our culture?

I think this is an eye-opening experience for all parents who send their children to school each and every day. I think that we all need to re-evaluate what we expect from the schools and ask ourselves if we could do better. Homeschooling is on the rise, and we can see why. School officials will start asking students if there are weapons in the home. They will continue to ask personal questions regarding alcohol, tobacco, and drug use. They will do their best to try and link this type of behavior to the home. We need to be diligent. We need to explain to our kids that these are personal questions, and the school has no business asking them. We need to opt out, if necessary, from these type of lessons; and we need to make sure we have not knowingly granted permission to any other types of intrusions.  Mental Health checks are coming; and if a student already has a file, it could spell trouble for the family. We need to talk to our kids about what we expect from them, not the school. It starts at home. It always has, and we need to protect this right any way we can.

The day “boys stop being boys” will not come, no matter what the schools preach to our kids. Boys will be boys, my friends; and we should do everything we can to make sure it stays that way!

Filed Under: Commentary, Floyd Reports

Compromise… Another Alinsky Tactic

January 29, 2013 by 4 Comments

alinskysmall Compromise... Another Alinsky Tactic

In a recent Fox News article, the President is suggesting yet again that the Republicans and Conservatives in the House will not “compromise”, this time on the gun control debate. But theoretically, you can insert any issue here.

You can read the full article here.

Compromise. This President and the Democrat Party throw this word around constantly in order to persuade the American people that they do try to meet their opposition in the middle, but those “conservatives” are the ones who will not budge.

What does “compromise” really mean to these people, though? I think we can look to Saul Alinsky’s “Rules For Radicals” for the answer to that. In fact, he has described it pretty clearly in his chapter, A Word About Words.

He writes:

Compromise is another word that carries shades of weakness, vacillation, betrayal of ideals, surrender of moral principles… But to the organizer, compromise is a key and beautiful word… If you start with nothing, demand 100 percent, then compromise for 30 percent, you are 30 percent ahead.

Could this be why our country is in the shape it is today? Have Republicans and Conservatives been “compromising for too long? I will argue yes. Our principles, our values, and our freedoms have been compromised away. Roe v. Wade, Immigration, Gun Rights, Debt, Education, National Security and Foreign Policy. You name it; Republicans have compromised.

He goes on to say…

Control of power is based on compromise in our Congress and among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. A society devoid of compromise is totalitarian. If I had to define a free and open society in one word, the word would be “compromise”.

Republicans and Conservatives alike cannot compromise on our principles anymore. They cannot compromise on our values, and they certainly cannot compromise with this President or his party any longer if we want to protect and preserve the founding principles of our country.  So the next time you hear the word “compromise”, please remember Saul Alinsky and his tactics. Compromise is not a good word for conservatives, as he has said so himself.

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Protect All Life, Mr. President

January 26, 2013 by 2 Comments

Barack Obama 11 SC Protect All Life, Mr. President

Last week, our President surrounded himself with a group of children to discuss his administration’s plan for gun control. He tried so hard to make you feel that this whole situation was about them. He urged you to consider the implications of not acting while engaging the children and reading parts of their letters. He tried to lecture us on the importance of keeping them safe and out of harm’s way. He was charming as always, yet serious, and at times, even a slight bit emotional. He did his best to persuade us to believe we need to do this, and there is no better time to act than now.

The 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade was this past Tuesday.  I would ask you to also think about the well-being of all the unborn children whose lives have been cut short in the past 40 years. I ask you to think about whether or not they deserve to be taken out of harm’s way. He spoke about protecting our children, but we must remember that this man is an ardent supporter of infanticide.  We cannot forget that he has voted for partial birth abortions multiple times; and now, there is even talk of it being brought back to the table in his second term. We must remember that if this was really about the safety of our children, then he would vow to protect all life and not defend Planned Parenthood or even allow them prominent roles at the Democratic National Convention.

The same politicians who want to take away your constitutional right to own any kind of firearm are the same ones who condone the killing of innocent life. It has become socially acceptable now for women to choose whether to end the life of their unborn babies; but yet it is becoming socially unacceptable for responsible law-abiding citizens to protect their own families (and in the process are shamed, harassed, and called “extremists” all because a few powerful people want to change the conversation and now talk about morality.)

This administration is not doing what is morally right. They would like you to believe that of course but have shown time and time again that it’s really only an illusion. They are not trying to protect the children; they are only pushing an agenda that has been years (if not decades) in the making. Those 23 executive orders were not written this past week, or even this past month; they have been ready to go for a long, long time. The news conference was not about keeping our children safe or about keeping guns off the streets or even stopping the violence.  It was purely about control.

If this president was really serious about protecting our children, he would have held his press conference in front of a Planned Parenthood in, say, Chicago or New York; and he would have told the American people that all life is valuable, all life is precious, and we need to do everything we can to put an end to this practice.

Sadly, we know this will never happen. But as the discussion for gun control rages on in the coming days, weeks, and even months, think of all those precious lives we lost through the past 40 years and say a prayer for them and all those who will sadly follow.

Photo Credit: Geoff Livingston (Creative Commons)

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What Difference Does It Make, Madam Secretary?

January 26, 2013 by 7 Comments

Hillary Clinton Jabba SC What Difference Does It Make, Madam Secretary?

It makes a huge difference, and I will explain why. President Obama and most in his Administration would like us to believe that we are winning the war on terror. He has repeatedly told us during his campaign that “Osama Bin Laden is dead” and “Al Qaeda is on the run”. In order for the American people to believe this, they needed to make sure we were not attacked again, especially so close to the election. Unfortunately, we were. And four Americans were murdered, so something needed to be done to keep up the facade. They chose to fabricate a story about a video and some random protests to mislead the public and keep up the illusion that we are winning this war instead of having an open and honest discussion on what the real threat is.

This is not only a military war; this is an ideological war that has been going on for centuries. The jihadists believe they are superior and want to bring back the caliphate. They are patient. They see no rush and honestly do not care if it takes hundreds of years to accomplish. They believe it is the will of Allah and will continue to attack us at home, abroad, and even by infiltrating our own government. In their own words, we are the “Great Satan”; so it really should come as no surprise that they would plan an attack. And it would be very foolish not to realize more are on the way.

This Administration refuses to recognize this threat and call it what it is. Instead, we have outed dictators by arming Islamic militants. We have bowed to the Muslim Brotherhood and groups like CAIR by changing our rules of engagement on the battlefield and rewriting handbooks to appease their needs. We have even put our enemies above our relationship with one of our strongest allies, Israel.

All of this matters because our national security is at risk. It matters because we were lied to. It matters because our government is being infiltrated by an ideology that is a clear and present danger to our way of life. It matters because there is an all-out attack on our freedom of speech. It matters because Americans died to save a campaign slogan. It matters because men and women are still in harm’s way and are giving their lives to keep the rest of us safe. And most of all, Madam Secretary, it matters because if we do not identify this enemy for what it is, we will lose in the end.

Photo credit: Dave Merrick

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Should Safety Really Trump Our Privacy?

January 23, 2013 by 6 Comments

Obama Big Brother SC Should Safety Really Trump Our Privacy?

There are now some who are calling for GPS tracking of legal firearms. It has been reported by WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore that Ald. Willie Cochran (20th), a former police officer, has said “safety is … a much more important issue than is privacy.” “It is extremely important that we look past this privacy issue, at this point, and understand how important it is for us to address the issue of safety,” he added.

I would like to make the argument that not only is this completely absurd, but unconstitutional as well.

If we apply this mentality to our society, all in the name of safety, then just how many activities we rely upon on a daily basis would be banned, limited, or policed?

Car accidents happen everyday; and we already have devices such as GPS, Onstar, and (soon) black boxes for our safety. Will they stop them from happening?

We are subjected to all sorts of pat downs and searches when we board airplanes, but will that stop them from running off the runway or leaking fuel? How many more subway accidents have to happen in NYC before we start banning riders from standing on the platforms? Maybe we should consider making amusement parks and water rides illegal since they can cause us harm as well.

Once you open Pandora’s box, as we have, there is no going back. Once we allow all levels of government into homes and private lives at this alarming rate, we can only expect to lose more of our freedoms.

They are already starting to put black boxes in our cars to track us. Our cell phones are being used to monitor what we say and write. At what point do we wake up and realize that having a GPS tracking device on our phones is not really about locating it when it’s lost. The electrical devices in our homes now, thanks to smart meters, are already tracking our usage. The appliances we use are monitoring our water consumption every time we wash clothes, take a shower, or flush the toilet. You cannot surf the Internet anymore without getting flashy ads from advertisers promoting products you just viewed.

Every day, we lose a little more of our privacy. Every day, we lose a little more of our freedoms. Every day, we are becoming more of a police state than we ever could have imagined.

There are multiple databases created by local, state, and federal agencies that keep track of just about everything . The Freedom Of Information Act makes it easy to gather personal information on just about anyone and then makes it legal to publish, as we have seen with the Journal News Gun map. And we cannot forget all the goodies in the Patriot Act under the presumption of keeping us safe.

Our schools are asking our children all sorts of private questions through nosy surveys and questionnaires that we have not consented to. Our doctors and hospitals ask us questions on intake forms that have no relevance to the visit. Social sites and others are trying to collect as much information as possible from you in order to make your experiences better, but is the information really private when more than half of the companies are in bed with the federal government?

At what point will Americans say “Enough!” to this ever-growing police state and stop the assault on our liberty?

Photo credit: waif69 (Creative Commons)

Filed Under: Commentary, Floyd Reports

Could ‘Death Education’ In Our Schools Also Be To Blame?

January 12, 2013 by 9 Comments

What exactly is Death Education?  Back in 1990, ABC’s 20/20 actually did an investigative report that, to quote Hugh Downs, was “overly morbid.” PLEASE watch closely at about 11 minutes in where they talk about Death Ed at Columbine High School…

It was quite shocking to see that one of the students they interviewed was from Columbine, about a decade before the tragedy. It gives you reason to question if this program is harmless as some may argue or detrimental to the well-being of impressionable students who may already be having emotional difficulties. I think what’s most disturbing, besides seeing young kids playing with coffins, reading your child’s obituary, or seeing their name on a tombstone, is that none of these teachers are professional psychologists or have any experience in the field to deal with the raw emotions that these programs unleash. They might have received a certificate from a one-day training session, but that cannot possibly cover everything that they would need to know in order to answer all the questions that are raised. An important part to note in the video is at the end, when they talk about if parents know that this is in the curriculum. As the reporter says, most don’t; but it was comforting to hear someone in the media say “parents know if the kids are emotionally ready for it”, even if it was 22 years ago! Unfortunately, it still is being taught today.

We try and blame guns, video games, movies, television, and even psychiatric drugs; but maybe it is time to take a closer look at what is going on in our schools today. What good can come from teaching this type of curriculum? Why should we idolize death or expose young children to suicide when they are already confused about so many other things and are just trying to deal with the pressures of fitting in.

Maybe instead of trying to blame guns, we should take a closer look at what our children are exposed to in their own schools. Maybe we should stop blaming inanimate objects and actually sit down with our kids and talk to them. Maybe we should all be much more involved in our children’s education and not be naive enough to think that we can leave it up to politicians and teachers who might not have their best interest in mind.

I think it’s time we start standing up for a generation that is constantly being exposed to controversial material without our consent. Find out if Death Education is in your school. Find out what the curriculum is, and voice your opinion. One person can make a difference.

Filed Under: Commentary, Floyd Reports

A Conversation With My Daughter…

January 11, 2013 by 4 Comments

US Flag 3 SC A Conversation with My Daughter...

The other day, frankly out of nowhere, I had a little talk with my six year old daughter.

At the time, she was running around the house playing with her cousin; and I happen to be watching the news. As usual, the debate over gun control was replacing the tragedy at Sandy Hook. I guess I couldn’t contain my frustration because the kids heard me raise my voice to the talking heads on the screen and scuffled into the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about.

My nephew, disinterested, went back to playing; but my daughter, seeing the look of discontent in my eyes, knew better and innocently asked me what was wrong… “What did they say mommy”…

I thought, no better time to have the “talk.”

I shut off the television and took my daughter in my arms, hugged her tightly, and lifted her on the counter so I could look her in the eye and try to get her undivided attention.

No small task for a six year old, I might add…

She knew little about the details of that day but understood that something bad had happened; children had died, and guns were used.

Some might be surprised at what I began to say, others possibly angry; but it’s a conversation that I felt must be had, and now seemed a good a time as any.

I gently, but in a serious tone, explained to my six year old daughter that sometimes people do bad things, not everyone is perfect, and the world isn’t always as safe as we would like it to be and that we need to remember that.

I had her attention for such a brief time and needed to get to the point before she was distracted again…

I held her hands and said “I need you to understand that no matter what you may hear at school or with your friends or even on television, I need you to know that guns are not bad. I need you to understand that they are just objects, and the people who choose to use them need to be responsible for their own actions.”

At this point, I wasn’t sure if she knew where I was going with the conversation, but I pressed on…

I told her that God has blessed us all with the power to make our own choices in life. I told her that God helps us decide whether to do something good or bad. I told her that the decisions we make come from inside of us and that God expects us to make good choices. But sometimes people do make bad choices, and sometimes those bad choices can be dangerous (and sometimes they can even hurt others.)

Now my daughter attends a catholic school, and I know that she understands all of this. So I knew she was able to comprehend what I was telling her thus far, and I continued…

I explained that regardless of what she may hear, guns are not bad. Many people use and have guns for all different reasons. I told her that many people we know have them, and they use them responsibly. I told her that police officers have them to protect us and that hunters use them to gather food for their families to eat. I told her that having a gun was not a bad thing, that many people have them to protect their families as well as all the special things they own.

I think the most important point I was trying to get across to her was how it is up to us to make good choices. God has blessed us with free will, which allows us to choose how we will act; and He expects us to respect life and to make the right choices.

Now my daughter might only be six; but I know she understands this because in our home, we talk about God, we pray to God, we talk about politics, and we talk about the dangers in our society. I do not shield her from everything. I believe that our children need to know that there is good and evil in our sights because it will help shape their views and help them make their own good choices later in life.

I refuse to teach my daughter that guns are bad or that guns only exist to kill people.

I believe and have no shame in explaining that it is people who choose to use guns to hurt people and that it is our duty to God and the rest of our society to make the right decisions and choose to do good and love one another.

The most important job any parent has is to raise our children to be loving, respectful, and responsible citizens. We cannot just tell our children how to act and expect them to do so. It is our duty as citizens of this great nation to raise children with values. It is our moral obligation to instill in them the ideas that will shape their actions and, by doing so, teach them that all life is important, that God expects us to be kind to others, and that our actions now and in the future will be judged. This is far more effective than merely taking toy guns away, limiting television time, or banning video games altogether.

None of this will stop the violence. There is no law, written or not, that will take the place of God in our hearts and minds.

God bless the families of Sandy Hook, and may God continue to bless America. We need it more than ever now.

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