Thursday, January 29, 2009

MACHO SAUCE: Where Did This Come From?

I do not know how well known Alfonzo Rachel is, but I had not heard of him until last night. I would not be surprised to learn that he has been a pop icon for the past few years. If so, at least I'm not alone. A friend of mine at work had not heard of him either. Therefore, I am compelled to draft a quick post in case any of you have also missed the Macho Sauce experience.

Zo, as Alfonzo goes by, is a self-styled “Christian Conservative Republican” who seeks to educate the public on the merits of conservatism through very clever and funny, amateur videos. His scripts both entertain and educate, even if sometimes oversimplifying complex social issues. The ring of truth resounds in his dialogue. Two themes that I heard loud and clear in his videos were Liberty and Limited Government, and as such, I consider him a valuable ally in the defense against domestic threats to the Constitution.

For those who have yet to sample Zo’s work, I am embedding a video below. I especially enjoyed his analysis of how portions of the Libertarian agenda, such as legalizing of drugs and prostitution, will realistically increase the size and scope of government, something the Libertarian agenda is decidedly against.
"We’ve got a 50% divorce rate in America and you want to legalize prostitution. You’ve got little kids watching their mommies and daddies break up, but that’s not good enough for you. You don’t want them broken up, you want their families burned to ashes! Oh, no! Now we’ve got a single mom, dad’s out of the picture, who is she going to be looking to to supplement that income? Bigger Government.”
I also appreciated this quote :
“George W. Bush and the United States Military has kept you safe for the past eight years…”
This last quote I highlight emphasizes the fact that grassroots efforts can make a difference in politics. Ultimately, supporting and defending the Constitution comes down the collective efforts of those who care about it.
“The best chance that MachoSauce Productions has, ain’t Fox News, it’s you.”
ENJOY!



(Hat Tip: photoman59 at covertconservatives.com)

Saturday, January 17, 2009

A Lesson on Apathy from Britain

or, Why I’m a Member of the NRA and Concern Myself with Politics


I understand this video is old, but I had not seen it before tonight. Chances are it is also new to some of you. It teaches lessons on our Second Amendment liberties that also pertain to our liberty in general. It demonstrates the evil fruits of citizen apathy and the fallacy of placing trust in government. Apathy is clearly a domestic enemy of our Constitution that we must fight.

In the words of the narrator, the Brits have only “themselves to blame for government policies that threaten their way of life, their security and the future of democracy in Britain.”

In the words of a Brit: “It’s a disgrace really. We’ve seen these fundamental liberties, eroded in the last 20 odd years in England, all sorts of legislation that should never have appeared.”

Another Brit: “We’ve been apathetic for years and now we are paying the price for it”.

A warning from Britain: “Learn from our experience and don’t give an inch. Your Constitution matters. Your Freedom matters”. “Don’t be apathetic, get out there and fight.”

My two cents: Government offers safety, comfort, and prosperity in exchange for taking away our liberties and expanding their powers. Rarely do they deliver and even when they do, the price was too high. Will we be seduced like our brethren across the Atlantic? Politicians promised safety. Citizens went along quietly as legislators eroded their liberties. Judge the results for yourselves and ask yourself if you are guilty of apathy. If so, do something about it.



(Hat Tip to BladerunnerXP on Covertconservatives.com)

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Get Involved in Politics

[This post contains many links. My appologies if some of them become inactive over time.]

My first post of this blog explains that the goal of my blogging is to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. It occurs to me that a post encouraging and enabling my family and Mormon friends to be actively engaged in the political process would serve to support that goal. Although my family and Mormon friends are the primary targets for this post, any civic-minded reader may find it useful, especially the collection of links towards the end.

I recently became aware that some Christian churches encourage their members not to participate in the political process based on their interpretation of the bible. Some references they cite are: John 18:36 (Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world); Matt 6:10 (we are waiting for the kingdom of heaven); 2Cor 4:4 (this world is Satan’s kingdom); Matt 6:24 (no man can serve two masters); Psalms 133:1 (participation in politics sows discord); Acts 5:39 (since God sets up rulers, by voting we may inadvertently be fighting against God); and Rev 18:4 (we are told to come out of Babylon and partake not of her sins).

The purpose of this post is not to debate various interpretations of the bible with regard to our civic duties. Suffice it to say that my church's interpretation of the bible does not require political neutrality and/or inaction on the part of followers of Jesus Christ. Later day revelation and living prophets have been clear on the matter. To review what our church teaches with respect to our civic duty, watch the short video below and read D&C 134. Read also D&C 98:6, 10.




The LDS Newsroom features an article on the church’s political neutrality policy. Consistent with the references above, the article discusses the role that citizens should play as “responsible citizens” and uses language such as “including becoming informed about issues and voting…” and “[engaging] in the political process.” Note the word including which denotes that the activities mentioned are not an exhaustive list.

The political process is much more than just voting in elections, yet I suspect that for the majority of our society, that is the only level of involvement. Worse, some or many of these cast their votes without arming themselves adequately with information on the various candidates and issues. Founding father James Madison wrote:
”A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”
Letters and other Writings of James Madison, vol. 3 (276).
Statesman Daniel Webster observed:
”If the citizens neglect their duty and place unprincipled men in office,the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made not for the public good so much as for the selfish or local purposes.”
Finally, consider whether or not Thomas Paine was thinking of a biennial trip to a voting booth when he used the word “fatigue” in the following quote:
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
Here are some ways that I recommend everyone be involved in the political process:
  • Study the Issues
  • Know how congress works
  • Contact your elected representatives
  • Attend town hall meetings & Watch debates
  • Write letters to the editor
  • Initiate or sign petitions
  • Get connected with likeminded people
The internet makes involvement in the political process through these activities easier than ever. The following websites will be of benefit to anyone who wants to be more involved in the process, but isn’t sure where to start. Even individuals fairly active in the political process may find additional resources and enablers among these links.


Study the Issues
Townhall.com features an “Issues” menu with links to various content relating to many issues. NRA-ILA provides valuable information pertaining to Second Amendment issues. A specific Google search (e.g. “Autoworker’s Bailout”) is also a simple way to begin researching and studying issues.

Project Vote Smart is a site where you can research the voting record of your elected officials. Many other organizations track voting records for their members. While you may not affiliate yourselves with their groups, don’t hesitate to utilize their free online resources if you run across them and find them beneficial. For example, I discovered that the John Birch Society provides some user-friendly, voting information on their website.

Many political organizations rate elected representatives on how they vote compared with their organization’s agenda. Examples include Citizens Against Government Waste and the American Conservative Union.

THOMAS "was launched in January of 1995, at the inception of the 104th Congress. The leadership of the 104th Congress directed the Library of Congress to make federal legislative information freely available to the public. Since that time THOMAS has expanded the scope of its offerings" to include many features and resources for those who wish to research congressional activities.

Know How Congress Works
A good starting point is to read the Constitution. Google (e.g. “how congress works”), Wikipedia, and Citizen Lobbying Kit are also good references.

Contact Your Elected Representatives
If you know the name of the representative you want to contact, a Google search (e.g. “Senator Brownback”) will provide you a link to the representative’s personal website. There will be a “Contact Me” link or some other such link on the front page that will open up a straightforward form with which to send an email. You can find these websites and add them to your favorites or bookmarks for future use.

If you don’t know the name of your representative or senators, try Congress.org. On their pages you will find a query window to enter your home zip code into. This search will bring up a list of all of your elected representatives. By clicking on each representative, you will have access to valuable information about each one, including an option to contact him or her via email.

You can also search for your congressman and senators on the official U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate websites.

Most people forget the positive re-enforcement aspect of communicating with elected officials. This is as important as letting them know when we are displeased with their actions or are urging them to vote this way or that. If you’re lucky, “ata boys” will make up the bulk of your correspondence with your elected representatives.

Write to Publications
The days of sending a letter to the editor or Op Ed to a newspaper via snail-mail are almost gone. Email is too easy and Congress.org makes it even easier. They provide a clickable map of the United States which will in turn list most if not all of the local newspapers and provide forms with which to email letters to editors, etc to the newspaper of your choice, or several at the same time! Townhall.com offers a similar service.

This just scratches the surface of what is available to assist us in fulfilling our civic responsibility to be engaged in the political process. If nothing else, I encourage everyone to become adept enough to fire off an email to an elected officials in a matter of minutes if occasion arises. Read the tips included in the Citizen Lobbying Kit. Consise messages are best. I firmly believe that our representatives need to hear from us often and freedom will benefit if they do.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Isn't Spreading the Wealth Christian?

Increasingly often, I run across individuals who mistakenly believe that the underpinnings of socialism are the Christian values of love and charity, i.e. taking care of the poor and needy. Invariably, they are good, well-intentioned individuals and it almost pains me to burst their bubble. I don’t know what percentage of people who support liberal agendas do so misguidedly, but a concerted effort by conservatives to educate and convert them is in order. The underpinnings of socialism are the non-Christian values of greed and control.

“But, didn’t Jesus teach that we should give to the poor?” Yes, here is what he taught:

Matt. 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.


Furthermore, he taught that giving to the poor should be a personal and private act.

Matt 6:2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet …3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.


Alms by definition are voluntary contributions. At no time did Jesus suggest that anyone should be compelled to give to the poor, or that his followers should forcibly take from one person in order to provide for someone less fortunate. Rather, voluntary acts of charity are to spring from love -- love towards God, and love towards neighbors. Note again in the following passage that Jesus gives no hint of coercion or force:

Matt. 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom… 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me…

37 Then shall [they] answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?...

40 And the King shall answer … Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.


Jesus’ ideal of giving to the poor is very different from the socialist doctrine of taking from the haves and giving to the have-nots. One doesn’t have to be a Christian to appreciate the differences. Furthermore, socialism is not only antithetical to Christian values, it is also incompatible with the principles of our Constitution. The following is one of the best descriptions of socialism that I’ve ever read and highlights the underpinning values of greed and control:

"Socialism... is the theory and practice of coercive collectivism. It is the evil fruit of greed for other men's possessions and greed for control over other men's labor.

"This greed for goods and power is as old as man and as widespread as the human race. It goes by many names, disguised in many forms, as men think up many excuses for robbing and ruling their fellows.

"Socialist theory is a modern excuse, an elaborate rationalization for this greed and for the organized looting and despotism it seeks to achieve. But its materialism, its collectivist point of view, its reliance on violence and coercion, even most of its economics, are as old and as common as sin.

"It holds out to men the hope that they may reap where they have not sown. It teaches that man is the creature of his environment, and that he may be happy and good if he gets enough wealth, regardless of how or where. All that is needed, says the Socialist Tempter, is to bow down and worship the Socialist State, turning over to it authority and power to take wealth where it finds it and to direct labor as it wills. Just a little class hatred, a little lying propaganda, a little violence on the picket lines, a little suppression of adverse critics, and a few generations of compulsory education in Socialistic thought, then surely we shall see the bright new day of equality, peace, brotherhood, and freedom! So says the Socialist." - Dr. V. Orval Watts, Political Economist, quoted by Ezra T. Benson, December 10, 1963, BYU Speeches of the Year


Socialism is about greed and control, not love and charity. We need to get the word out and set the misguided straight. We must aggressively counter what I perceive to be a growing trend to accept the principle of re-distribution of wealth.

[cross-posted at redstate.com]