Apple Pie

Isn’t it interesting that the harvest aligns with our campaign season? What fruits will the next federal election bear? Only God knows at this point.

I see the current administration using a lot of tactics to control the dynamics of this election. Maybe you haven’t. But my point is simple, you reap what you sow.

Don’t get me wrong. This current administration includes a whole slew of Republicans, Democrats and Independents who are legitimizing a system of governance similar to the pit of despair that Harry Harlow contrived. This was not the experiment of self governance that our founders intended, yet it is a result that the founders foresaw because we have moved away from the creation story and God’s plan.

Not to worry! Our American experiment may be suffering a little too much from the influence of socialism right now, but it will most certainly self correct. All we need is an adjustment to the governance recipe. As with our own traditional apple pie recipe which came to America with European settlers and improved over time with various spices and crusts, our self governing system improved with time because of our willingness to try new methods of integration. This is very apparent when we understand how our political parties have evolved over time.

At the start of our two party system we had the Constitution inspired Federalist party and the anti-central government anti-Federalist party (also known as the Democratic-Republican party). By 1828 the term Democrat referred to the Federalist party and Republican referred to the opposition party that later became the Whig party. Democrats supported the supremacy of the Presidency while the Whigs supported the supremacy of Congress over the Presidency. During the time when slavery came into question, the Whig party splintered into two factions and later became simply the Republican party which opposed slavery. After the defeat of the Confederacy, the Republicans consisted of businessmen, shop owners, skilled craftsmen, clerks, and the newly enfranchised African Americans. Democrats were agrarian oriented and repressive to the newly enfranchised African Americans.

After the Progressive era and New Deal initiatives, Democrats became the party of big government and Republicans became Constitutionally conservative. The Republican lead Congress pushed for and achieved African American civil rights legislation. Democrats courted the black vote with big government promises.

Today, both parties are in much disarray. Congress has given up their power to a bureaucratic mess of unbridled control over the people, and the Presidency has become a lever of political poison. Our American apple pie is now bureaucratic apple sauce. How can we adjust this recipe back to good old We The People apple pie? Hold onto your pie crust because I think we are about to find out!

The Representative Power Play

Our government seems to be conditioning its citizens into believing that those who were elected to represent them are actually working on their behalf. I’m not talking about how the government “gets things done”. Those “things” are probably not at all needed by the citizens of a Liberty-minded nation. Every one of those “things” must be measured within the context of the Constitution and existing law…Capitol Hill’s charter. I’m talking about how the government enriches itself by using its power to manipulate legislation according to the demands of the corporate donor class.

Think about this, President Trump was very successful growing the economy and building workable treaties and agreements with and among nations. Most of his actions were challenged in the courts and this was fine…It’s one method of checks and balance in our system. When the economy grew, jobs were available, innovation was allowed to thrive, the tax base expanded and our CO2 emissions actually went down. https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/greenhouse-gas-emissions-continue-decline-american-economy-flourishes-under-trump-0 … And, try as hard as they might, Congress was unable to remove a President that understood the underbelly of the corporate donor class. Trump was elected by we the people to represent middle class America and the entrepreneurial spirit.

Well, what does an elected ruling class like Congress do when their perceived power is interrupted by a successful President? Everything in their power of course. We saw this play out in almost every format available to these corporate brown nosers when mainstream media colluded by disseminating misinformation, social media canceled opposing opinions and a multitude of “crises” overwhelmed traditional systems.

Representative influence…One heaping pile 💩

Build Back Better is nothing but a Biden Administration term for corporate cronyism. His decades of time spent on Capitol Hill makes him a certified corporate brown noser. His track record of helping credit card companies over consumers’ best interests shows how compassionate he is to corporate banks which now under the global economy will impose ESG scores on businesses that don’t comply with new global “norms”… https://www.alva-group.com/blog/what-is-an-esg-score-and-how-is-it-calculated/ Free markets will be demolished.

It’s time for voters to take a serious and honest look at how their representatives (Nationally and locally) have used their power, understand that both political parties have abused their power, look closely at their records and listen to how they answer tough questions. What do they consider a real crisis and how do they plan to fix it? Does the plan focus on actionable measures with clearly defined results? Is there precedence to learn from before enacting such measures? Voters must focus on policies and not personalities…Anyone can seem like a nice person or be rough around the edges, but what are their results?

A government that isn’t willing to self reflect on their own abuses is not a government of, by and for the people. The commander in chief must hold their justice department accountable to those who are not in power and investigate the federal agencies; agencies that spend more and more taxpayer dollars to undermine taxpayer rights.

I’m waiting patiently for Congress to get a grip on themselves. This will only come when we the people elect representation that respects the rights of the individual and the entrepreneur. Anything else is cronyism and self serving.

Our Authentic Awakening

There has been a comical willingness for citizens to hand over to the government their inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

The Enemies in Public Office

US Congress Oath of Office: I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

“…enemies, foreign and domestic…” Who are these “enemies” and how is this phrase applied to the work of our US Representatives?

I believe the first sentence of the oath is clear that Congress supports and defends the Constitution against these “enemies”. It does not say that Congress supports and defends democracy or even an ideology against these “enemies”.

Democracy is defined as control of an organization by the majority of its members.*

An ideology is a system of ideas that aspires both to explain the world and to change it.**

A constitution is a body of fundamental principles to which an organization is acknowledged to be governed.*

In the US Constitution the control is defined and enumerated among three distinct branches of government, and ideology is best left to the individual as a right of belief.

Given all the above definitions we can easily see that Congress today is leading from a perspective of CONTROL and IDEOLOGY. This is not their charge!! Congress has moved so far from their Constitutional powers that they have in fact become a domestic enemy. Their efforts to have a political party assume majority powers has made them believe that they can impose their political ideology AND that they have the moral authority to do this. Over the past twenty years I have seen the decay of Congressional leadership…No more compromise or negotiation toward bills that incorporate the best ideas from all sides of an issue. The best ideas are where we achieve the greatest form of diversity and move our country toward progress…A diversity NOT based on gender, race or ethnicity!

I believe Congress’ domestic enemy status has perpetuated the unfortunate circumstance of allowing foreign enemies to invade our soil through a porous border and the relaxed policing standards within our states. One party rule has meant that our Republic is no longer functioning as it should. Our representatives in the Senate and the House must be sent a daily message that We the People will not stand for their tyrannical behavior. Call, email or write your representatives in Washington DC. Tell them that they do not honor their oath by not working across the isle with the minority…This is the way it has been in the past and must continue to be. God help us all!

*Google dictionary; **britannica.com

Shrew U: An Open Letter To Our New Congress

grey ceramic landmark during daytime — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Welcome to a new day! As you take your seat and represent your constituents please remember these things:

You were probably elected within a close margin so work with your peers on both sides of the isle as if our Republic depended on everyone’s educated input.
Base this educated input on facts not feelings.
Focus, focus, focus. Your job is dependent on your performance. And Yes! We are watching.
Civility should be your middle name 🙂 Don’t be concerned about the President’s behavior because it speaks for itself.
You’ve sworn to uphold the U.S. Constitution so read it and apply it to everything you consider.
Cultural changes are inevitable…These are better left to the communities from which you came. Also, change can be infectious when handled conscientiously with everyone involved.
Fascism is not a one way street. Any political party can believe their policies are the best. Be concerned about any one sided political push or group think.
Laws were not meant to be broken or discarded lightly. Follow them or change them!

Thank you and have a nice term…

The freedoms we cherish are unwittingly being used against us in the uncivil political climate of today. A strong allegiance to Party platforms is like the religiosity that gave rise to atheism. Those of us in the politically moderate sphere are throwing up our hands and asking,”Where did civility go?” – The Shrew

The Shrew View: Could Civility Be A Political Platform for Moderates?

Those of us in the politically moderate sphere are throwing up our hands and asking,”Where did civility go?”

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The freedoms we cherish are unwittingly being used against us in the uncivil political climate of today. A strong allegiance to Party platforms is like the religiosity that gave rise to atheism. Those of us in the politically moderate sphere are throwing up our hands and asking,”Where did civility go?” Media pundits may enjoy their extremist version of facts, but by removing a balanced analysis weighed against historical context , those of us who want to find truths that complete the facts wind up turning our attention instead to what matters more in our lives like family, friends, work and community and possibly rejecting politics altogether like an Athiest to religious dogma.

As news media and educational curricula conform to revisionist trends of tribal loyalty, “United We Stand” will not be about “one nation under all”. Today’s political Parties are not like our major religions and should never be committed to with the same fervor. Government enforced ideologies such as sanctuary for illegal immigrants or marriage only between a man and a woman compete with our God given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness because government systems try to control people and are not responsible for lifting the heart and mind as religious doctrine does. The best that a secular governing system can do with regards to morality is to promote civility to one another when attempting to communicate opposing ideas toward favorable results. It is our individual actions of good will that allow for a deeper understanding of our differences to arrive at a level of fairness within a governance system.

For example, why does the government need to be involved with the act of marriage at all? We can agree that marriage has certain legal benefits and we can agree that these legal benefits are based upon laws derived by the state. But what about the separation of church and state? If we consider that performing and partaking in a marriage ceremony is a religious act then we must give this act relevance to religion and not to the state…this then removes the mandate for a city employee with a conflicting religious principle to sign a document granting the “marriage” certificate to a same sex couple. Instead, couldn’t these legal rights that are state recognized currently by a marriage be issued in a state approved “certificate of union” no matter the two sexes? The ceremony is then performed only by a religious or ceremonial entity that “believes” in the couple’s God given right of marriage in accordance with the specific religious doctrine. We might be surprised to find that more people will belong to a church because of this change, and hearts and minds will be strengthened when the various churches are given back their relevance.

ace cards casino deck — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I am not affiliated with any political party and do my best to vote my conscience by educating myself on the issues of the day. I cannot declare myself a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Green Independent or Democrat Socialist. I let the die hard Party affiliates hash out their candidates of choice because, as a moderate, civil discourse and reasoned, educated arguments factor into my vote. Could there be a Moderate Party? Perhaps one day, but as of now we moderates hold the cards and we are not bluffing like the stronghold Party affiliates 😉

Shrew U: Reading List…

One big reason why I started my blog, The Shrew, was to create a journal documenting a female perspective counter to mainstream influences like that of the women on the ABC talk show The View. It is very apparent to me that the most vocal women on The View (Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar specifically) have absolutely no desire to do meaningful research beyond their own closed boarders of “the resistance”. The gossip, innuendo and emotional superficiality on The View perpetuates the often “catty” stereotype of the female human species and sets back the progress of intellectual women everywhere. Who watches this garbage?

The following is my recommended reading list for women and men who wish to honestly understand the social, political and emotional underpinnings of why the “resistance” movement is a non-starter for the majority of people in the United States:

Fields of Blood: Religion and The History of Violence by Karen Armstrong
Sapiens; A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
Where Do We Go From Here; Chaos or Community? By Martin Luther King, JR
The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You’ve Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson by David Barton Thomas
Jefferson and The Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yeager
The War on Cops; How The New Attack On Law and Order Makes Everyone Less Safe by Heather MacDonald
The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter Godwin Woodson
The African Background Outlined by Carter Godwin Woodson
The Righteous Mind; Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt
Cop Under Fire: Moving Beyond Hashtags of Race, Crime and Politics For A Better America by Sheriff David Clarke JR.
Discrimination and Disparities by Thomas Sowell
Sacred Instruction; Indiginous Wisdom For Living by Sherri Mitchell
12 Rules For Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson
Stealing America: What My Experience with Criminal Gangs Taught Me About Obama, Hillary and The Democratic Party by Dinesh D’Souza
Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for American Independence by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard
A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
Black Rednecks and White Liberals by Thomas Sowell

This list of nonfiction literature encompasses various perspectives from authors who are passionate about their topics. Even though many of these books are not in themselves a balanced perspective, I have found that a balance is gained by reading the complete selection. Why? Because the books that drive on emotion lack references to actual contextual data and the books that drive on references to actual contextual data lack emotion. We need both experiences in order to form a compassion that has integrity from which to speak and act effectively.

My religious faith has in the past two years made it known that it is part of the “Resistance Movement” which is why I no longer support the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Association. I’ve been doing my due diligence and reading quite a bit to understand the logic behind this movement. I’ve also met with my minister to voice my concerns. My church only encourages the reading of emotional literature (The New Jim Crow) and preaches a narrative of white supremacy as well as toxic masculinity. Please tell me how this approach furthers our doctrine of peace among people? It doesn’t! Hiding behind a “spiritual” and emotional mask does not automatically make you moral. Actions and words have consequences. You cannot say that you “side with LOVE” (a current UU catch phrase) and then support a movement of hate-filled rhetoric. Marginalizing whiteness and masculinity is in actuality a quasi-creed for the UU religion and I cannot condone the practice. UU’s have always boasted that they are non-credal. This doctrine does not support a spiritual belief, instead it moves it toward the political which is completely out of the realm of religion. It encapsulates the heart, closing the door on true compassion for humanity and oneness with our Creator. When religion becomes political, chaos and tyranny will follow. Just think about how kings in the past usurped the “God” Priciple to subjugate their kingdoms…Is this now similar to Athiest Democrats and Progressives exclusively claiming the moral high ground while at the same time trying to get rid of those who uphold Judeo-Christian values as well as the Constitution, both of which are being tread upon in the current political and cultural environment?

My next blog will focus on the deterioration of representative leadership in the U.S.

The Shrew View: Of the Extreme Fringe

Party platforms only define party principles, not rules or laws.

The Shrew blog focuses primarily on the human capacity for emotional maturity, openness as a condition toward wholeness, fortitude and humility. The application of this human capacity is what I call the Female Principle (FP). The Shrew blog attempts to show how the FP can strengthen all human relationships.

Today I would like to point out the absurdity of the Republican vs Democrat showdown in Washington D.C. When did our representatives come to believe that their constituents want to dwell on the extreme fringe of each of these parties? I don’t care if our President is Donald Trump or Donald Duck, representative government is not about the parties, it is about the people that they represent who are diverse in many ways. Party platforms only define party principles, not rules or laws.

In my I’m Shrewd post of February 3rd I attempted to point out how liberals are doing their best to slander conservatives as evil. I contend that when either side is focused on elevating their platform as the only path to America’s solutions we all lose. For instance, during the Obama administration I observed a very liberal progressive agenda formulated by the Democrat run majority Congress. Don’t get me wrong, I like progress. In fact our country has been continually busting out of its tyrannical shell since the Revolutionary War. But the American Dream is not about progressing government managed benefits as in the Democrat ideas of universal health care, government funded higher education and unrestricted welfare. These seem like courageous acts until you discover that once government is in control, taxation increases and private funds dry up leading to job loss and wage stagnation.

The Republican ideas are no better. For example during the Bush administration Wall Street regulators were not doing their jobs. Oversite on banks especially where mortgages were concerned was severely lacking. The conservative idea of everyone owning their own home was a farce. Not everyone is prepared to own a home especially when banks intentionally poison the fiscal well. “Fast” money, just like “free” stuff leads to consequences for the working class and cause the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer. A shared principle for both parties and all Americans could be this: “People of all backgrounds are free to actualize their own successes through a culture of emotional maturity and fortitude (FP).”

Washinton D.C. shows us time and again that their smoke screen is unreliable. Law makers must have humility and openness as a condition toward wholeness (FP). People and not parties are best equipped to handle daily struggles which are necessary in personal growth and freedom to achieve. The Federal Government simply needs to provide the clear oversight to allow ingenuity to take place at the local level. And people at the local level must advocate for each other with love and community support.

The President is a person elected for a short time to protect and uphold our democratic principles. The Congress represents state’s rights and ensures civil protections. Our states are incubators of innovation for all their residents. And we the people live out our dreams in relation to our community goals. It works when we work together.

Let’s be a nation of ideas that reinforce our strong work ethic, and move away from childish partisan politics that stir our emotions. It’s the only way forward…

I’m Shrewd: On Polarized Governance

“…dispel ignorance and cooperatively create solutions.” – The Shrew

I would have to say that most Americans enjoy living simple lives that do not involve much thought on politics. I too was amoung that dynamic for a very long time. The closest I got to anything political was the voting booth during election time. I considered my vote to be an educated vote. For the record, I am undeclared but occasionally will pick a party to be able to vote in a primary. When I became a City Councilor, I was happy that the candidates ran as nonpartisan members of the community. This experience gave me a clearer picture of how an average person can have impact with economic and social issues of importance. I have since gone on to volunteer as president of a Main Street board as well as hold positions on the Economic Development Commission and the Transit Committee amoung other things.

Today’s polarized governance at the Federal level seems to me to be a far cry from what most Americans want. We can accept that a binary political machine is the one that exists for practical purposes, however, the lack of middle ground that is needed for solving national issues is currently unacceptable. Why is this polarization happening? I think it is because the Democrat side thinks they are the only party that can act morally on behalf of Americans. They devote their words to standing on the side of love, claiming to have all the answers. No one else should question their motives. They would like everyone to believe that decisions involving guns, global warming, taxation, education and health care are best suited to only the Democrats.

But wait! What does this do to the Republican party? Does this mean that the conservative side is evil because they have different ideas? Yup…That absurdity is indeed where we are today. “Conservatives are Nazi racists”…Sound familiar? I always thought that conservatism meant following the Constitution along with loving thy neighbor as thyself. I’ll get into this critique in an up-coming post.

Our human existence is based on the very nature of duality. It is the highest order of ignorance to not see that this duality helps us develop a healthy sense of humility and compassion for one another. No one side can be absolutely correct. If we believed this then we would be living in a Dictatorship.

The U.S. Constitution laid the foundation for a governance system that brought us out of tyranny. This is why neither the President nor one political party can remain in lifelong power. Our two party system should debate ideas strictly within their constitutional boundaries, oversee a tight federal budget, and be accountable to their constituents who in turn take care of their local issues. Solutions must be created cooperatively otherwise we will regress into chaos and tyranny.

Wake up Washington DC! Work together for the common good. It is what you are there to do.

The Shrew

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