SWARM Recommits

I will go ahead and take the liberty in saying, I imagine you all have had similar post election depression. It's been a rough few days. I have gone back and forth between crushing anxiety and despair to fiery righteous indignation. Sometimes even choosing to land on numbing indifference. What can I say? It hurts less. 

I take heart in knowing that we, at SWARM, did everything in our power to steer this country toward truth and liberty. I have no regrets. I knew that gathering my friends together to promote truth was the right thing, but it was scary. It was unnerving to think that a few could combat the many, so why did I feel so directed to try? I am grateful to my core for this experience, as I have been able to witness first hand that through small things, great things shall come to pass. 

Seeing the strength, passion and protective nature of women come together in such an uplifting fight for truth and the protection of our families and country was sooo....COOL! We did it; we reached people, we softened hearts, we opened eyes, we changed votes, we got people talking!!

The vote didn't go our way, but in the end, we believe that the Lord is in charge. Mitt and Ann Romney fought the good fight, and in the end we can see that they were an instrument for good in the Lord's hands. That is certainly a bigger responsibility than any job in the oval office.

For better or for worse, we truly care about what is happening and what will happen in the world around us. The question now is, with our new found political activism, understandings and connections, how we can best serve?

Certainly we need to be diligent in our quest to fight the liberal media. It may seem a moot point right now as they have certainly done their job to get Obama elected. But consider this: 

In the book, The Naked Communist, there are a list of goals set out by the communist party as far back as the 1950s. Goal 20: Infiltrate the press. Gain control of key positions in radio, tv and motion pictures.

It is not by coincidence or happenstance that the media is biased. It is by design. Once you understand an evil, you can begin to fight it effectively.

I highly recommend the documentary, "AGENDA: The Grinding Down of America" (below). It is an eye-opening account of what has been happening, and how we have arrived in the America we live in today. Information is power. 

An additional mission statement for the new face of SWARM would be to empower and share information and ideas about how best to fortify and strengthen our individual families. To help each other best recoginze how to strengthen their own strongholds at this time of uncertainty. I have to believe that one of the reasons we have been asked to endure these challenging and uncertain times, is because it will be a time or renewal and strengthening of our homes and people. It will mean a stricter adherence to the teachings found in the scriptures and the promptings we may receive in our prayers. I, for one, would love the input and resources of our group to help and support not only me and my family, but as many people as possible in this worthy goal. The enemy's agenda right now is to destroy the family. In fact, Goal #40 from the Naked Communist is "Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce." Anything we can do to strengthen families across our nation will be the single most significant thing we can do to combat the evil in our land today. Our strongest defense will be an impenetrable home.

I know our wounds are fresh and our hearts are heavy. But now is the time to do all we can to make a difference not only politically--but spiritually as well. There is so much good to be done right now and I think it behooves us to figure out how best to be apart of it. As much as I'd like to go to bed for four years with my fingers crossed, I think there is much work to do. 

If there was ever a time I truly felt like we, as Women for Truth, were "Christian Soldiers" it would certainly be now! Onward, ever onward as they say! 

As a final note; A powerful quote by Harold B. Lee:

"Men may fail in this country, earthquakes may come, seas may heave beyond their bounds, there may be great drought, disaster, and hardship, but this nation, founded on principles laid down by men whom God raised up, will never fail.

This is the favored land in all the world. Yes, I repeat, men may fail, but this nation won't fail. I have faith in America; you and I must have faith in America, if we understand the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are living in a day when we must pay heed to these challenges.

I plead with you NOT to preach pessimism. Preach that this is the greatest country in all the world. This is the favored land. This is the land of our forefathers. It is the nation that will stand despite whatever trials or crises it may yet have to pass through."

Melanie

A post Election letter to my Children - & why your mother cried all day!

As she fell asleep lying next to me tonight, Betty, my five-year-old, got tears in her eyes (mostly just exhaustion) and said she was sad Obama won. I laughed as she was mimicking her mother, who, at the start of the day, hugged her good morning and began crying telling her Romney lost and her mother was sad. In this moment, I realized I needed to write down my thoughts for my children on this post-Election Day, why I am so sad today and why I will keep fighting tomorrow.
I voted for Mitt, but it wasn't because he was Republican, I hate being labeled into a box. I wasn't even voting for Mitt per se- no doubt he would have been a great economic leader, which is what this country so desperately needed. I was voting for more than a man. I voted for the idea that reward comes with hard work, not handouts. That people are the solution, not the government. I voted with the notion that our President should be held accountable for his actions, and that on 9/11/12, a US Ambassador and three other Americans were killed in a terrorist attack, and that our current President blamed it on a video.  I voted because Obama apologized to terrorists and to the world for our First Amendment and the right to free speech. I voted because I belong to a religion that has seen much hatred, and cruel videos and musicals, and yet I believe it is a right for others to speak, so I peacefully ignore those cruel words and videos and musicals. I voted because God leads this nation and the Democratic Party removed his name from their political platform. I voted because I believe contraceptives are a choice and not a right; and even more that women should pay for their own and not expect others to do so. I voted for the unborn who are killed by partial birth abortion. I voted not to pay for abortions with my tax dollars. I voted for economic recovery and for that silly belief that if you can’t afford it- you shouldn’t get it. I voted for Capitalism and the American Entrepreneur. I voted against redistribution of wealth and the thought that the government can decide who has too much and who deserves more. I voted against a President that seeks to divide (class warfare, war on women, race divisions), and voted to Stand United with my fellow Americans, no matter their race, gender, or financial worth. I voted for the belief that this nation was founded on principles that need to be embraced, not “fundamentally” changed.

I voted for you, Betty & Blue. I voted so that you would be able to grow up in the America I have been privileged to know. I write this so that you know that my vote was not in vain. I realized today that I stood with 48% of American voters, united for a better tomorrow. I will continue to work and serve, and pray so that each year that 48% grows. I learned today that being humble to the Lord and working hard is difficult and tiring, but it’s the only way. I learned that I must make sure, as your mother, that you learn about America, the good and the bad. I learned that America is only as strong as her people. I learned that I am strong. I learned that women are much stronger than men (well that-I already knew)! I learned that even though the outcome is not what I had hoped, fought and prayed for, that a victory was won because of the liberties that allowed me to say I VOTED.

We're Heard it All Before

Listen to how President Obama uses the exact same phrases to make the exact same promises he made FOUR YEARS AGO! Your time is up, Mr. President.

Budget Crisis Video

20 Days

When I was around twelve, I had a teacher who came to class with a plate full of chocolate chip cookies. Smart teachers know, no matter how good a lesson may be, we always hear better with treats.

He passed the plate around saying “Dig in!” and you don’t have to tell a bunch of kids twice. With cookies halfway to our mouths he interjected, “You should know, that I have left one ingredient out.”

Huh?

“Yes, just one of the ingredients was skipped, and I’m wondering if you can tell me which one it is.”

Should have known it was too good to be true. Cookies in the middle of the day? Just for the heck of it?—we were going to be tricked into learning, I could feel it.

After a bite or two the results were in:

Not good!

Gross!

Is this a joke?
I don’t like it!

Not cool…

The teacher then asked us what ingredient we thought he had skipped.

Hello?! The sugar! They taste awful!

The general consensus around the room was that a major key ingredient had been left out. How else could one explain the level of distaste?

The answer? Salt. One tiny teaspoon of salt was the only missing ingredient. An ingredient one would not immediately associate with the sweetness of a cookie. There’s so little salt required compared to the amounts of other ingredients. Surely their failure or success would be more likely contributed to the larger quantities of butter, sugar, flour, or chocolate chips.

The lesson struck me then (especially since he made things right, with backup cookies with all their rightful ingredients), and has stayed with me even now.  

In the collective story of our lives, we may see ourselves as that teaspoon of salt. It’s easy to think that the things we do don’t always matter and that if we didn’t do them, no one would notice.

I’m just a teaspoon of salt in the cookie dough of life.

Yeah, you like that? That just came to me. Remember it, cuz we’ll come back to it.

20 days until the most important election of our lifetime.

I do not err on the side of the melodramatic. Our world as we know it hangs on a dangerous precipice.

The current powers that be, ever so slowly and methodically, have led us down unknown paths. The stage has been set these last four years for a different America to emerge.

-We have stopped harvesting natural resources from our own land.

-The national debt is 16 trillion dollars.

-We are now printing money, with nothing to back it up.

-Unemployment has been at an all-time record high.

-We were told the deficit would be cut in half in two years. Three and a half years later, the debt has grown to a number larger than the amount accumulated under all past presidents, combined.

-Foreign relations have been weakened. Our allies don’t trust us, and our enemies see our new vulnerability.

-The president went seven months without meeting with his Job Council.

-The current administration is involved in one of the most blatant and sickening cover-ups we have ever witnessed (Libya).

-Four Americans were murdered, one of which was a U.S. ambassador. This hasn’t happened since 1979.
-After this terrorist attack, the president boarded a plane to a fundraiser, and then the White House went silent for 15 days with no press conference.

-Our credit rating as a nation, which some said would never be lowered, has been lowered twice in three and a half years. Not once. But twice.

-“Obamacare” was initially promised not to raise taxes on the middle class by “a dime.” It has now been discovered that it will not only raise taxes significantly, but will cause such a strain on businesses that many are taking precautions now, and taking full-time employees down to part time to prepare for the extra cost.

-Gas prices are at an all-time high.

And before I hear the excuse one more time that the President “inherited such a mess, what do we expect?” Obama told the American people he could turn things around in two years, and had a super majority for those two years. Instead he bailed out GM, added trillions to the debt and is calling his economic recovery plan historic.

In many ways the economic situation in the early 1980s was as dark, if not darker, as the one that Obama faced when he took office.

Under Reagan, the economy grew by an average of 5.6 percent for the first three years from the bottom of the recession, unemployment dropped by 3.8 points, and inflation was cut by two-thirds.

Every president inherits or comes into obstacles. It’s what they sign on for when they apply for the job. Do you think Bush anticipated four airplanes being flown into buildings in the largest scale terrorist attack on the U.S. to date?

Bottom line: The blame game is lame. Quit it already, you’re embarrassing yourself.

Our current President has his own agenda for America; that much is clear. And until he secures these last four years, he has resorted to diversion; finger pointing and just flat out lies.

The sci-fi geek in me keeps thinking of a scene from Batman when Alfred tells Bruce Wayne, “Some men can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.”

Just food for thought.

But it has been amazing to see so many of us in the last few weeks start to walk out of the haze of deceit and recognize what is truly happening. There has been a passion for our country catching like wildfire around the nation. We are waking up and noticing that our inheritance is quietly being stolen from us.

And to add insult to injury, the newest strategy is to go forward like the American people are stupid:

Let’s just call the other guys liars.

Let’s just tell them it was a YouTube video.

Let’s tell them the unemployment numbers are going down.

Let’s tell them we saved the auto industry even though we ultimately rewarded them for bad business practices, with consequences we have yet to fully see. It will hopefully cloud the fact that we sank 90 billion into green energy companies that are now mysteriously bankrupt.

Let’s keep telling them we fight for the middle class while we tax them for Obamacare.

Or my personal favorite: Let’s get America riled up about Mitt Romney wanting to cut funding to Sesame Street.

Reminds me of the SNL skit where the actors are being sold a book with a concept they can’t quite understand: Only Buy Things We Can Afford.

And just in case you’re curious, this year, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will receive 444 million dollars in taxpayer funding. Yeah. You read that right. If we want it, let’s pony up and donate more to keep it. Crazy concept, right? But I digress.

Twenty more days and the power will shift to us. No more commercials, no more rallies, no more news speculations, no more polls, no more debates. Twenty days and we the people will decide what kind of America we want to live in and whom we think shares our vision.

Maybe the goal of saving our nation seems a task much bigger than us. Perhaps we stay home on Election Day because we doubt our own individual power and influence. Perhaps, if I may, you feel you are but a teaspoon of salt in the cookie dough of li---okay, okay, it was clever once. You get it.

But the truth is we need you. We need each other.

Together we are stronger than the powers that wish to destroy us.

Let’s come together in 22 days in the collective effort to take our country back. You think you don’t matter? You think you can just sit this vote out and no one will be the wiser?

Lest I remind you that the 2000 election came down to a little over 500 votes?

United we stand, divided we fall. Don’t doubt how much each of you is needed on November sixth.  Our right to vote is the great equalizer, as everyone’s counts the same.

This election, vote for your America.

~Melanie

Chick-fil-a and Labels

It’s becoming impossible in today’s society to not be labeled. Even when it comes to where you eat lunch. A year ago, if someone would have told me that by sipping my Dr. Pepper from a Chick-fil-a cup while eating nuggets meant I was anti-gay, I would laugh. If five years ago, I was told by putting a Romney/Ryan yard sign up in my yard meant I was racist, I would have called you crazy. What if instead of being anti-gay and racist, it just meant I was hungry and worried for our nation’s economy? How crazy is that? One man’s freedom of speech has turned into a war on anyone who wants some waffle fries. Whether or not you agree with Chick-fil-a CEO Dan Cathy’s stance on biblical marriage, it’s important to remove the media hype and know what he really said.

His initial comment came in an interview about WinShape Foundation Marriage program, not once did the interview talk about gay rights or gay marriage.

"The company invests in Christian growth and ministry through its WinShape Foundation (WinShape.com). The name comes from the idea of shaping people to be winners. It began as a college scholarship and expanded to a foster care program, an international ministry, and a conference and retreat center modeled after the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove. That morphed into a marriage program in conjunction with national marriage ministries," Cathy added. Some have opposed the company's support of the traditional family. "Well, guilty as charged," said Cathy when asked about the company's position. "We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that. We operate as a family business ... our restaurants are typically led by families; some are single. We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families. We are very much committed to that," Cathy emphasized. "We intend to stay the course," he said. "We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles."

I don’t even know what happened to make the above statement turn into such a controversial subject. I’m not talking about people lashing back with their freedom of speech, because that is the beauty of the first amendment. If the backlash ended there, I would be fine. I’m talking about a war against anyone who wants to eat some chicken minis, or small business owners who open a Chick-fil-a. Boston and Chicago Mayors threatened to ban Chick-fil-a from their cities because of Cathy’s comment. I just read that a college in North Carolina is trying to ban Chick-fil-a from their campus.

I don’t want government leaders to decide what businesses can go up in my neighborhood. It may be a business I don’t like or support, but let the people decide. If Americans don’t want to support the business, then it will fail. Adam Schwartz, senior attorney for the ACLU of Illinois, tells Fox News that the ACLU opposes the idea of denying permits to Chick-fil-a because if the government in a liberal community can block businesses that oppose gay marriage, then it sets a precedent that governments in conservative communities could block businesses that support gay marriage, he explained: I am okay with people (not gov’t) deciding not to support Chick-fil-a because of their “biblical marriage” beliefs. I have loved ones who are gay and will never eat there again- good for them, it is their right, just like it was Dan Cathy’s right to support “biblical marriage”, and your right to agree or not, and my right to have a lunch where ever I please without being labeled.

I just wish that eating a Chick-fil-a sandwich would be just lunch.

Jill

Class Warfare

Class warfare. I’m not sure I really understand what this means because I don’t consider myself part of “a class.” But I guess, if you had to classify me, you would say I fall into the “middle” class. My family lives in a nice neighborhood; we go to nice schools and we make our ends meet (although sometimes we have leaner months than others). I don’t understand class warfare. I’ve never encountered a situation in which I took something from someone who had less than me and I don’t recall ever feeling gypped because someone had more than I did. When I see this kind of clip, from Joe Biden, it makes me wonder why this kind of argument exists.

 

Why does the President want to take this money from the wealthy? What is the pay off? As I consider this question, I realize that the root of this particular issue is envy—the desire for something that someone else has—and selfishness. When taking the total sum of a person’s income and comparing it to another’s, the numbers seem unbalanced. Some people have so much more than others. There are plenty of reasons for this. For the record, I do believe that some groups and classes of people have less access to resources than others—and that is unfair. However, there are other measures of a person’s wealth that have nothing to do with income (and/or health care, welfare services, etc). A great deal of an individual’s quality of life has to do with their family situation, religious belief and personal disposition.

So, then my next question is: Why does the government concern itself with jealousy? The answer is that the constituency does. The electorate—at least a portion—sees what other people have and they want it. We have the legislative and executive body that we do because they were elected by people who would prefer that someone else help the needy, pay the debt and generally take care of what’s messed up. When you allow government to take care of things, then you don’t have to give of yourself or your finances. One counter argument could be that one person cannot fix all the things that are wrong. However, one person times one million people can make a big difference. There are plenty of individuals who do not have funding in sectors of education, welfare and business who have had to rely on ingenuity to progress rather than hand-outs.

The argument that the wealthy should bear the entire financial burden of a large government and its program is not practical or moral, nor is it logical (which is my contention here). It seems the main argument is: Rich people have a lot of money. Poor people do not have a lot of money. Therefore, the government should take money from rich people to pay for everything. There are various shades to this argument and I realize that the argument is more complex than this one syllogism. However, the logical fallacies need pointing out because they seem to be completely ignored by all who buy in to this argument.

The first problem with the logic is the idea that moving money around will make a difference in the lives of the people who benefit from the shift. Often people who lack physical resources also lack the ability to manage their resources, therefore rendering the shift meaningless because the resources that are shifted are not used wisely. Second, the position assumes that the government (and its officials) are the best judges of how much money is an “appropriate” amount. The acceptance of “the government” as a moral and just body capable of making these kinds of decisions mystifies me. There are plenty of historical cases in which those in power have decided that how much money was appropriate and, in all of the cases I am aware of, this was barely enough to live on (the most extreme case being Communist Russia or many current states in the Middle East).  This assumption negates the fallibility of human beings and undermines the very abuses that the Constitution was instituted to avoid. Third, the syllogism offers an either/or proposition. You either are a greedy rich person who should give up your wealth or you are a needy poor person who needs someone to give it to you (or as another underlying value, you are the government who has made poor decisions and the wealthy should bail you out). The principles in these scenarios villainize both sides and inadequately illustrate the value and impact of an individual in either group.

Another related fallacy is a hasty generalization. By applying the behavior of the few (rich people who are greedy, immoral despots) to an entire group (people who make more than $250,000 a year), the conclusion fails to account for the varied experience in the American spectrum. The unstated assumption here is that rich people are bad and therefore it is fair to take their money to pay for programs, debt and other national “emergencies.” During the first 2012 Presidential debate, the candidates discussed the deficit. Obama kept repeating that it was fine to take money from the people that could afford it. The problem with this idea is that if it’s ok to take money from one kind of person, then it's ok to take money from any kind of person. Once you make allowances in principle for one thing, all allowances are possible. When someone decides that I have “enough” money will they take it from me as well?

Mimi

A Poem from Heather Groves

Heather is a mom in Ohio. She wrote this poem, inspired by her patriotism and her role as a mother. Thank you, Heather!

I had a dream last night, after I tucked my toddler into bed
About what her future holds,
And what may lie ahead Kindergarden, graduation, wedding bells and laughter.
I should have been dreaming about her happily ever after,
But sadly it was other things, that were raging in my head.
Instead of images of happiness, I found chains instead.
No longer was free will and market a national institution;
You see the concept of social justice replaced the constitution.
Where once personal initiative and responsibility soared,
The government gained control and the individual was ignored.
Embraced was a new system of taxes, fines and regulations;
Bailouts, TARPs and handouts became the new expectation.
Before long, 'We the Special Interest' replaced 'We The People'
And our paychecks were redirected to the government's own steeple.
The politician knows what’s best for us, or at least that’s what they said,
“Just do what we ask and we will give you milk and eggs and bread.”

So we followed blindly, as our country was transforming
From a focus of God & family to that of Global Warming.
Instead of focusing on issues like jobs, immigration and Iran.
Like sheep we followed our shepherd while chanting “Yes We Can.”
We didn’t even notice that our liberties had been debased
Or that our Founding Fathers had been thoroughly disgraced.
With all the hope and hugs and change, it became too late.
We greedily sold out our children as we took the bait;
In binding chains they slaved away, day in and day out,
To pay off debt that we incurred so we wouldn’t go without.
For entitlements and false security my daughters future had been lost.

And in that moment I awoke, to defend her at all cost;
In my dream it was too late, but in reality it is not.
We the people hold the power, or this have you forgot?
“Give me Liberty or give me death,” These words ring loud and clear!
Embrace them now or I am sure that Liberty will disappear!
As a mom, it's up to me to stand my ground and fight
Not for what is popular, but for what is right.
Now is the time for change, we no longer have a choice;
To protect our children's future, rise up and share your voice!
For if "Give me liberty!" is the battle cry that rings out in the night
Only one sword will be necessary, in this epic fight.
That sword will be Action; to binding chains this will be fatal
For the hand that rules the world is the one that rocks the cradle.

Dear Women of America,

Come November 6

On November 6, 2012, the mainstream media is going to be shocked. They are going to be shocked because they are underestimating the American voters. There are millions of people like us, that are frustrated and angry with the last four years, but are also determined to make sure that positive change occurs in 2012.

When the mainstream media is shocked by Mitt Romney’s convincing victory on November 6, it will not be the first time the main stream media has been shocked.  

In 1980, Pres Carter was swept out of office, and Ronald Reagan was swept into office by voters that wanted a return to conservative principles. Like this year, in 1980, the mainstream media told Americans that the race between President Carter and Governor Reagan was going to be close. In the weeks leading up to the election, the New York Times and the Washington Post released polls that showed Carter leading in several key states and leading in the national polls.

On election night, when the election was not even close, the mainstream media was befuddled and confused by Ronald Reagan’s electoral landslide. During CBS’s election night coverage, Walter Kronkite turned to his team of experts for an explanation of what had just happened. Leslie Stahl and Bob Schieffer tried to explain the results by saying that Reagan won because of the Iran hostage situation or because undecided shifted at the last moment to Reagan. On that night, only Dan Rather provided correct analysis. He said Reagan won because (1) Carter had no base or political message to offer the voters, (2) Carter consistently ran ahead of his job rating in the polls, (3) high unemployment was a big issue, especially in the midwest, and (4) a rejection of liberal orthodoxy, people simply wanted change.

This year, it appears that history is repeating itself. Only this time, we will not be surprised when Mitt Romney wins on November 6.  The mainstream media may be surprised, but we will not be. Now, unlike in 1980, we have conservative alternatives to the mainstream press. The NY Times, the Washington Post and other media outlets appear to be doing the same thing they did in 1980. They are publishing polls that show Obama winning the election or showing the race as too close to call.  

This time, because of alternative sources of media, we understand that pollsters are assuming that President Obama is going to get a Democratic turnout equal to or greater than the historical turnout in 2008. Curiously, the main stream media is presenting polls that show that Romney has secured the Republican vote and is comfortably winning independents, but is losing the election. This time, we are too smart and too informed to believe this.

While some in the media may really believe that Pres Obama is going to get a turnout on election day better than or equal to his 2008 turnout, we are here to say that the mainstream media is, like they were in 1980, going to be shocked by the wave of voters that vote for Mitt Romney because they are angry at President Obama and what he has done to this country; and because they believe in the conservative principles Mitt Romney wants to bring back to the White House.  Just like it was in 1980, this year, President Obama has no base and no message to offer the voters. All he can do is beg for another four years and attack his opponent. Just like in 1980, the incumbent president is consistently running ahead of his job approval in the polls. Just like in 1980, unemployment will be a key issue, especially in the Midwest, and just like in 1980, the voters are going to reject the liberal orthodoxy that Pres Obama has forced upon the United States.  

On November 6, 2012, there will be a wave of conservatism that will sweep Mitt Romney into the oval office. We are part of that wave, and there are millions just like us that are ready for change. We will not be fooled by the mainstream media publishing polls that do not reflect the true nature of the electorate. The mainstream media may try to fool us, but we know better, and quite frankly, they are underestimating us.

Brock

A Review of 2016: Obama's America

“The power to lead is the power to mislead, and the power to mislead is the power to destroy.”~Thomas S. Monson

When I was around fifteen, I had a terrifying dream. A nightmare if you will. I dreamt I went downstairs in my own home at the time because I heard my mom knocking at the back door. Our door was one with a big window built in, so I could instantly see that it was her. As I reached out to unlock the door, something stopped me. I felt oddly uncomfortable about letting her in. My hand fell to my side and I just stared at her. The longer I stood there, the more agitated she became. "Let me in please!" she pleaded. And why shouldn't I? Something held me back though. It looked like my mom, it sounded like my mom, but yet instinctively I knew that something was off, and it scared me. She went from asking nicely, to agitation, to anger. She started to pace back and forth on the back porch, seething with rage. "LET ME IN!!" I remember wanting to cry I was so afraid. I didn't know why I wouldn't let her in. Was it something about her eyes, her body language? Despite the fact that this was my mom out there, a strong instinct held me back and I instead drew the blinds on the door. The dream ended with the sounds of her pounding on the glass and screaming at me. I woke up gasping and terrified.

I walked around with the residue of that dream the entire day. It disturbed me on a level I could not shake. The images, the sounds, the way it made me feel. I was a girl haunted. 

Later that day, still upset, I finally approached my mom and I will remember this moment vividly and always. She was at the stove, browning hamburger meat, looking and feeling utterly like the woman I had always loved and felt safe with. In one breath I spilled out the events of my dream the night before, told her how it had affected me, and asked her what she thought it could mean. I get chills now thinking of it. She stirred the meat for a minute more, looked up with her kind, wise eyes and said, "Beware of wolves in sheep's clothing."

A wave of peace washed over me, and I knew without a doubt that that was the lesson I was to take from the experience, and I have carried it with me always, as if it were yesterday. Time and time again throughout my life, I have been able to spot the wolves, cleverly disguised, before most. There is not a face we trust more than that of our mother. So to be able to look past the most endearing of facades, and see the heart of something and know whether their intentions be good or evil has spared me heart ache many a time over. I have always been grateful to the Lord for this insight and that it continues to bless me to this day. 

Last night, after a particularly challenging "mom day" at home, I informed my husband we were going out. I didn't care where, but, he would be taking me out on a date. He made mention of a documentary he had been hearing some buzz about called 2016: Obama's America. The premise initially bored me, but combined with Mexican food and some time away, I could sit through anything. 

After a long week at work of late nights and early mornings, and a belly full of brisket tacos, my husband promptly fell asleep when the lights went down. I on the other hand, wide awake with heartburn and a baby wriggling inside of me, watched on, not knowing really what to expect. I was soon rapt with attention. 

Four years ago, I watched with the rest of the American public as a charismatic Senator Obama, from my much-loved state of Illinois, addressed the public, time and time again. As I saw the emotional response he was evoking in the American people in a very short amount of time, my radar pinged once again. More than once I pictured that scene of my mom pacing the back porch. Feeling rather than knowing it was her, but not her. 

"Beware of wolves in sheep's clothing." It was instinct at a very base level. Despite outward appearances and reassurances, something very important was off. Do NOT let him in the door, my gut screamed at me. 

Know this now. My political beliefs and convictions are irrelevant here. So are yours. Republican, Democrat, Independent, what have you. In 2016: Obama's America, best-selling author, Dinesh D'Souza searches to find answers to Obama's past. D'Souza asks the initial questions that had crept into my mind all throughout the last election. Who IS Barack Obama? He had come out of nowhere, no one seemingly knew him or what he was about, yet suddenly America got swept up in this giant wave of Obama that was strong and powerful enough to carry him into the White House. How? Why? I remember hearing him give speeches and addresses and being left with the feeling that he hadn't really said anything of value or direction. Rhetoric, platitudes and redirection. Yet, when he spoke, people listened. Burnt out on a war that people had lost passion for, an economy that was not as strong as it had been just years before, the idea of a "new America" spoke to so many hearts across the nation. Hope and Change meant a fresh approach to the ideals that have always made America great. It also couldn't help but pull deeply at your heartstrings that a mere fifty years after the civil rights movement, we could have an African-American president. The level of hate and fear in our country a few decades ago was now being transcended, and we were a part of it. 

But, as the documentary states, this was an accomplishment of the American people, not Obama. He knew that this redemptive power could sweep him into office, and it did.  His agenda went unnoticed, his background and belief system went widely unchecked. His family, his friends, his mentors, the people who shaped his view on the world were blatantly overlooked in favor of the image and imaginations the American public wanted to see and feel. People didn't want to know who Obama was. They just wanted this man to be president. They wanted to be able to tell their grandchildren that they were a part of this historic time in history. That chance to be a part of a redemptive moment in history overrode our instincts.

Make no mistake. His agenda is neither liberal nor conservative. He hasn't made any moves over the last four years that have made sense to either party. A series of random and odd displacements of power and control. There is a reason why both the left and right are disappointed and at the very least, scratching their heads after four years. There has been little "hope and change," but a series of strategic anti-American moves that (if he is left even more to his own devices these next four years with no election to win), will allow him to, brick-by-brick, unbuild all that Americans hold dear. All that makes our country great will be leveled in one quick but devastating swoop. 

The truth of the matter is that the American people elected a man to the highest level of power, gave him the keys to the land of our inheritance and we knew literally nothing about him or his belief system. During D'Souza's journey to understand Obama, he discovers how Hope and Change became radically misunderstood. That his new slogan "Forward" has a now ominous tone when you understand what drives him and what his core beliefs about America are. What would someone do if they felt that America became great only on the backs of third world countries and industry? What if that someone, who constantly maintained his disdain for the "rich," and the one percent, recognized that even the poorest of people in America are still considered "rich" on a global level? What if your deepest convictions were to dismantle and distribute wealth and power evenly not to your country, but globally? The answers will haunt you.

I grew up in mainly a blue collar, hard-working, predominately liberal America, and since college, have lived in more conservative America. I see and respect both sides of the political coin; even to understand that it's not just two sides. There are many facets, ideas, hopes, beliefs and convictions that make up the American tapestry. That ability to question, to defend, to debate, to think outside the box, is part of the American formula that sets us apart. The ceiling is low in other countries, but here in America, we can rise as high as our ideas, imaginations and creativity will take us. All political parties ultimately believe in this and want great things for America, they just have different paths and opinions on how to get there. 

What we have not fully seen is that a path to a better, stronger America has not been forged these last four years. Because we chose not to know who we put in office, a path has been forged, not to a renewed America, but to a completely different America. A leveled and broken America. That change will have repercussions and consequences that extend far beyond our own lakes and rivers, to foreign oceans and continents. 

I plead with you. See 2016: Obama's America. Once we choose to see, the truth is painfully clear. As powerful an office as the President is, we still have the time and power to change our destiny and protect what is rightfully ours and our posterity's. To redirect America to what it has always been. Not conservative or liberal. Not red or blue. Not wrong or right. 

Ours. 

By Melanie

A Time to Choose

Robert Frost said, "In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life.

It goes on."

Time is fleeting. Countless events, people, heartaches, joys and despair happen around us continually, and time is simply the ever-stalwart soldier that marches on. In its silent tread, it reminds, heals, teaches, gives perspective; it motivates and depresses. And in the end, it is no respecter of persons. Inevitably, it goes on.

I think back to a short eleven years ago to the morning of September 11^th, 2001. It’s the most recent teacher of perspective that time has to offer us of mass loss and learning. In the days, weeks, months, even a few years to follow, we as a people became knitted together: in a cause, in love, in loss, in patriotism, and most notably, indivisible under God.

Churches across the nation were more full than ever before. The foundation of everything we had known to be true was yanked out from under our feet that day. Our country was reeling and grasping for a sense of right and truth to be restored. We were openly vulnerable in an undeniable and connective way that only human suffering affords. It was a powerful, undeniable wave of humanity that was inspiring and humbling to be a part of.  

Instantly, we saw our flag through new eyes, and our fellow man with softened hearts. The women and men killed that day were suddenly as much our mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers as they were to the people who truly lost them. There was no mocking of God, or the values our country was built on, but a clinging to them. We were immensely proud of these facts more than ever before and would defend against anyone who threatened them again.

And life goes on.

2012: I look around at our current America and she is a stranger to me in so many ways. Like seeing someone you love after a car accident. It’s them, while at the same time, it can’t possibly be. Where there was unity, there is division. Where it seemed the simple draping of our flag demanded respect and awe, there are countries now burning it in their streets. Where there was a turning of hearts and minds to faith, family and God, there is a systematic denial and indifference. The mere word ‘religion’ is almost spat out by the media with disgust and mistrust.

Where there was once an outcry with one voice, there is now dissension, class warfare, and lines drawn deeply in the sand. There is a desire to be divided and contrary one with another simply for division’s sake, rather than any real desire to seek for truth and understanding.

While we are capable of so much good, time quietly shows us that pride continues to be our downfall. Time distances us from the moments that define and change us, until we forget what the enemy had been and assume we must have healed ourselves.

America as we know it is changing. It’s hard to recognize that change when you’re living it. It will be much easier to read a book 20, 50, or 100 years from now and see things clearly, with the perspective of historians. It rightly seems odd that it is truly us here, now, that are making the pivotal decisions that will forever mark what happens in our lifetime and generations to come.  But make no mistake that America IS changing, and we all have the ability and wherewithal to chart the course of the change it takes.

  

We will soon enter either a time of rebuilding and posterity, or one of enslavement to the path of least resistance. It will be a time of rediscovering love for our neighbor and fellow man in service, or a time of bitterness and blame. It will be a time of new ideas, innovation, and the use of technology to bring us to new heights and discoveries around the world, or a time cloaked in fear of that very technology and the world’s common hatred of us. It will either be a time of truth-seeking and shining the light on those who would deceive and lead us astray, or a question of who will be able to manipulate us the best until our intuition and agency seem a useless gift. It will either be a time where we defend the very values and principles on which our country was founded, or abandon of them for the notion that we need no one but ourselves.

Time will not wait for us to swallow our pride. Make your choices and stand firm behind them. Get involved in this election and do not stand idly by, convinced your contributions and voice don’t matter. When our world changed eleven years ago, the choices and path of the American people were swift, strong and clear. We acted on what rang true and right in our hearts, knowing that tomorrow depended on it. If we want to continue to be a beacon of hope, prosperity, liberty and faith, we must admit our mistakes, and come together again. We must consistently demand the highest standard of behavior from our elected officials, the media and ourselves. If we do not, we will fail and we will most certainly suffer the consequences.

You are only here once, what do you want your one life to be like? Individually and collectively, we hold the power to choose the course of the life we lead. And for better or for worse, it will go on.

By Melanie