MinuteMom Magazine - February 2012

MinuteMom February 2012• Volume 1 Issue 6

Keeping it all going: Finance, food & a Full Life

stand For the Family Voting Info you need

YYPresident’s Letter Welcome Dear Moms and Moms-at-Heart, This month we are all about saving your family: at the bank, the grocery store and in government.

Quoting our Co-Founder Anita Reeves, “Are you MOM enough???”

The fairly unheard of day Financial Fast program is about curbing the common perception and our own, that we need to consume to live or be happy. Spendthrift or frugal, we each consume more than we need to. With the recent downturn and uncertainty of the economy, we’re all feeling the pressure to meet our obligations, while preparing for the future. Financial strain brings stress to not only yourself, but every relationship in your life, i.e. spouse, children, family and friends. This stress is the common cause of divorce. It has an all-encompassing effect on our lives and we could all use some relief from this stress (even if only for one month).

OAMC or Once-a-Month-Cooking What is it, you ask? It is a system of producing a month’s worth of meals or entrees in a one or two full-day cooking session. Prepared meals are frozen and then one is thawed each day, thrown in just prior to dinner and served to the hungry people in your life. Practicing OMAC allows you to spend more time with your family or pursue that always elusive ‘me time.’ OAMC can cut down on the number of times you’re asked, “Mom…what’s for dinner?” It will also cut down on the tempting ‘I’m too tired to cook, let’s go out to dinner’ expense and will ultimately reduce your food budget by eliminating the last minute grocery store trips for dinner.

Stand for the Family As a fellow mom, Sharon Slater is also working to make a difference for our children and grandchildren’s future. As the author of “Stand for the Family,” she is diligently working to bring awareness and attention to not only the national, but international assault against the institution of The Family. This intelligently and engagingly written book covers different facets of this assault and discusses how we can combat it. The book also details her experience of drafting an amendment declaring the right of mothers to care for their own children, which was in direct opposition to the proposed UN mandated daycare. “Stand for the Family” is a must read for ‘moms’ looking for hope and help in the moral decay happening all around us. Be sure to sign the petition “I Stand for the Family Petition,” provided at the end of her book.

I would encourage you to read Sharon Slater’s book “Stand for the Family” and also to choose one of the other AAM challenges above to research and try out.

Enjoy-

Amber

Photo Provided

Amber Toone National Vice - President As a Mom… A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots® Inc.

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MinuteMom Magazine February 2012• Volume 1 Issue 6

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Features 6 February Financial Fast

What can you learn about your spending habits. What can you save?

By Anita Reeves, AAM Vice-President

14 AMERICA’S EMERGING DICTATORSHIP We are becoming nation controlled entirely by a small group of elitists.

By Michael Connelly

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16 Are we homemakers or are we HomeMakers?

Many generations ago, our society looked upon mothers as fulfilling vital and dignified roles.

By Tammy Hulse, Vice-President of HomeMakers for America

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20 It’s In The Bag! Once Monthly Cooking…Meal Swap

While it requires time and dedication, Once Monthly Cooking leaves you days of stress-free evenings to dedicate to family.

By Kami Watkins

22 School Truancy – Do Parent’s Even Matter?

What used to seem very simple - excusing your child from school - has become an intimidating process.

By sTephanie Morgan of the Nebraska Family Forum

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28 Time to Start Gardening!

Spring is just around the corner and for many of us that means it’s time to start thinking about this season’s garden.

By Auntie Anne

32 Keeping Our Religious Freedom

Most of us think of the ridicule that Tim Tebow receives as evidence of losing our religious freedom, but it is not.

By Susan Payson

As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

February 2012

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Publisher: As a Mom...

A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots.® Inc. www.AsAMom.org

Departments 2 President’s Letter Welcome

10 Book Club Minute Mom Book Club February- Stand for the Family by Sharon Slater

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Values The George Washington Challenge

18 Country TRUE Freedom School Truancy –

26 Country 2012 Republican Presidential Candidate Positions Matrix

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Founding Mothers The Founders’ Wives of New York

38 In Your State State News from AAM Groups

45 As Seen on AAM How Are You “Feeling” About The November 2012 Election?

More Hot Topics ...

46 As A Family SINCERITY- 9/12 Value Diligence And Faith

Editor Diana Learn Coordinator Kami Watkins Contributing Writers: Auntie Anne Lori Burns Carrie Christiansen Michael Connelly Ken Eyring Tammy Hulse Stephanie Morgan Susan Payson Marlene Peterson Anita Reeves Kami Watkins MinuteMom Magazine is published 12 times a year by As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots, Inc. MinuteMom Magazine is available free, on-line.

Copyright © 2012 by As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots, Inc. All rights reserved.

MinuteMom Magazine is not responsible for errors, omissions or contest fulfillment from third parties. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising or editorial material. Advertisers, and/or their agents, assume the responsibility for any claims against the publisher based on the advertisement.

Editorial contributors assume responsibility for any claims against the publisher based on published work. Signed articles do not necessarily reflect the official organization policy.

As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots® is a registered trademark.

Please send all article submissions to: editor@minutemom.org

MinuteMom Magazine is looking for people to share their talents by producing articles, essays, opinion pieces and original poetry.

Artists share your original artwork. Send us photos showing your adventures As a Mom...

Advertising inquiries contact: sponsor@asamom.org Note that submissions are welcome but are not guaranteed inclusion in the magazine.

For more information contact editor@minutemom.org.

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Where is Molly nOW?

Recently Molly was sighted around Washington DC. by Libby-VA Assistant Chair’s family. Molly visited the Attorney General (top left) and then went on to the Department of Justice. Molly also saw the White House.

See more photos at www.asamom.org

Where is YOUR Molly?

Directions:

1. Print Molly on cardstock or heavy paper.

2. Color and decorate to your liking.

3. Cut out and mail Molly, along with a Constitution and personal letter or story, to your friends. You can find a copy of the Constitution to print here: http://www.rollingchrome.com/AAM/docs/ USConstitution.pdf

4. Ask the recipient to take Molly to a local landmark, town hall or other place that a Constitution is needed and document the visit with a photo.

Make sure Molly and her “sponsors” are in the photo too!

5. Ask your family/friends to email the photo to you.

6. Post your favorite Molly photos at AsAMom.org.

7. Request that your friends send Molly and her message on to someone else, or help them create their own.

If you have a scanner you can always email your Molly or use the handy pre colored Molly!

Complete instructions and Downloadable PDFs can be found at www. asamom.org

February Finan¢ial Fa$t Editor’s Note: If 3 years make a tradition, we have one at As A Mom…. For the third year in a row, we are declaring February “Financial Fast” month.

Originally inspired by an article that Anita Reeves, AAM National Vice-President, found, the financial fast has helped many moms to really look at their money habits.

Two years ago when my husband first suggested a financial fast, I never imagined that I would be looking forward to my third and much-needed fast. Any parent who has seen his or her daughter happily wed probably feels the same. In the last three weeks I have had, not one, but two daughters start their own journeys into wedded bliss. Needless to say my pocketbook is anything but happy.

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We started our first fast after reading Michelle Singletary’s Washington Post article, “A 21-day Financial Fast Will Improve Your Money Management.” In the approach described in the article, only the basic expenditures (housing, gas for work, bare bones groceries, medicines, etc.) were allowed. We also decided to keep a written record of unexpected or unbudgeted expenses. We put each expense on this list and indicated if we were able to avoid the expense, postpone it, reduce it, substitute it, or pay it.

My husband and I and chose the month of February to do this. It is the shortest month and I hoped it would be the least painful. We set about recruiting our children. They agreed, but not withwww.AsAMom.org

Photo Courtesy of morguefile

By Anita Reeves As a Mom...

Co- founder and National Vice-President

Simple Rules And Hints To Follow.

1. Do not use credit cards.

2. Only purchase necessities-- see other box.

3. Use cash if possible.

4. If you can, live off your food storage for the month. Not only does this rotate your food, it will help you see what you really use.

5. No restaurant meals - fast food or otherwise. Make your coffee at home.

6. Do not purchase gifts or gift cards.

Do not cheat and tell someone that you will buy their gift after the fast is over. Instead, find ways to bless others without purchasing anything.

Make a gift from supplies you have at home or give a service such as babysitting.

7. Track your savings. Write down what you were tempted to spend. See what you saved. Did you really need that chocolate bar you didn’t buy?

out protest. We wrote out the simplified budget, paid the necessary bills, purchased the food and medicines, and then put away the checkbook and plastic. Within the first two days we had requests for over $2500 in unbudgeted expenses. These included driver’s education class fees for two teenage boys, summer camp fees and deposits, field trip fees, Valentine’s Day party contributions, and charitable collections for school and Boy Scouts. That was within the FIRST TWO DAYS! I could not believe it! After serious family discussion and lots of explanation to others, I put off what fees we could until March. We gave to one charity. I paid the party and field trip fees. In particular, I could not believe how much money the school expected me to have on hand for incidental expenses. With five children still at home, the costs added up quickly.

As we went through the rest of February, my family continued to have unexpected, unbudgeted expenses, this time from my college-aged children. Expenses seemed to come at us from every direction. By the end of the month we had over $23,500 in expenses. Most of them were for small things: every child needed food sent to the As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

school for several events; there were meal requests at church; and there were items needed for a winter scout campout. The biggest cost came when our family van died. We were very responsible and found a good deal on a used replacement, but the unexpected expenses added up quickly.

We became very creative with saving. For example, one of my sons was invited to a birthday party.

Instead of running to the store for a gift, he made his friend’s favorite cookies from ingredients we had in our home. Both he and his friend enjoyed the fruits of his labors.

Our first experiment turned out to be a real eye opener. While we may have given in on items that were not actually essential, we put a lot more thought into all our decisions. We all had to say no to things we wanted or that were asked of us, and it was good practice. We often had to explain our answer, and we found others wishing they had the willpower to go on a financial fast too. I used things in my pantry I did not know I had as I tried to bake things to send in for school and church treats. We became creative with party gifts for classmates. We thought more about the time and effort so many of the expenses too, not only their actual monetary cost. We really did get a new view of life.

The following August, my husband was given an opportunity to become a partial owner of his company but, in return, he would have to give up two-thirds of his salary. This was a great opportunity for him. We were able to make a good, informed decision on what to do because we knew what our absolute essentials were and the reality of unexpected and unplanned expenses. I am so grateful for the opportunity we had to learn more about ourselves and what is really important to us. My husband is enjoying his new job and we are much more practiced at saying, “no”.

What is essential?

YY Anything that by not having – food, medicine, or personal hygiene --would pose a risk to health.

YY Obligations such as bills and mortgage.

YY Required clothing for work or school, i.e., parts of uniforms. Sorry – that cute red dress for Valentine’s Day is not a necessity, nor is a haircut or manicure!

Be a

Mollytician moll•y•ti•cian |mäl i´ti sh en| noun

1. a mom* who is involved in politics, 2. a mom holder of or a candidate for an elected office. antonym – politician: a person who acts in a manipulative and devious way, typically to gain advancement within an organization.

Make sure you are living with in your budget and saving for a rainy day.

For more information on primary elections in your state see the October issue of MinuteMom Magazine

* Mom: a member of Asamom.org may be a mom or mom-at heart.

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In our first financial fast, we learned just how much we regularly were asked to spend over our bare necessities and in our second (much less dramatic) fast we again recognized how many things we thought were “must haves” were really “can live withouts.” On the eve of our third financial fast I can only wonder what we will learn about this time. Fortunately, my youngest daughter is still in kindergarten and will not be shopping for her wedding dress anytime soon.

Hints YY Hide the catalogs and avoid on-line shopping sites.

YY Do not go to malls or window shop.

YY Give purchases a twenty-four hour waiting period.

YY Do not pay for entertainment. Swap DVDs with a friend for a night or check out lectures and library events.

Additions by Lori When Anita first told me about the financial fast I was really excited --much more excited than my family.

A few years before, I had done a month where we only lived off of our food storage and 50 dollars for fresh milk and fruits and vegetables. This was an eye opener as we ran out of our year’s supply of peanut butter long before month’s end.

My family’s first financial fast was not nearly as dramatic as Anita’s. We only had about 1,500 dollars in unexpected expenses, but, like Anita, I found that some of those little things that I was not buying added up. My checking account grew, rather than dwindled, during the month of no spending.

For those of you have tried a financial fast I encourage you to do so again. If you have not tried a fast, then do so now.

Anita L. Reeves is a wife and mother of eight. She is a graduate of Purdue University, a former homeschooler, amd a past PTO treasurer. She is currently her Precinct Committee Person. She was a delegate to her State Assembly and is the Co-founder and Vice-president of As a Mom…A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots, Inc. www.AsAMom.org

February Finan¢ial Fa$t Note$ Unbudgeted Expense

Creative Ways I $aved

Tempted To Buy- But Didn’t

Extra $$ I Put in $avings

Things I Shouldn’t Have Bought

What I Learned About Myself

As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

February 2012

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YYBook Club

Minute Mom Book Club FebruaryStand for the Family by Sharon Slater It isn’t often that I choose the Book of the Month—this month I insisted on it. Last December, I reread Stand for the Family and was overcome by a feeling that every one of us needs to read this book. In the prolog Sharon writes, “My intent in writing this book is not to scare you, but to help you become more aware and, along with that awareness, to provide you with a great deal of hope.” Intent or not, Sharon’s book does scare me. There is so much going on nationally and internationally that is putting our homes, families, and children at risk. Getting just a glimpse of this ongoing battle should be enough to make you want to run toward the foe and engage in the fight for the family. I have a great amount of hope that if we are awake and prepared we can stand as guardians of home and families everywhere. And, this book teaches us how to do just that.

With Sharon’s permission, I would like to share a few of the thoughts that most resonated with me. From the very first paragraph I felt a kinship with Sharon: “Who are you?” The United Nations delegate urgently asked me… Who was I? I was a full-time mom. But somehow I had managed to help this UN delegate support her pro-family position during heated negotiations. P. 1 I strongly believe that the greatest role a woman in our society can play is to be a good mother. Mothers literally hold the future of any society in their hands. No other accom10 MinuteMom Magazine

plishment can compare to a job done well as a mother. Dedicated motherhood is not just good for the children. It’s good—very good—for the mother, the family and society as a whole. P. 77 In the section, Assault on Motherhood, Sharon tells of drafting an amendment that recognized the right of mothers to care for their own children when the some delegates were trying to get the UN to mandate daycare.

Not only does this story give insights into the convoluted way the UN wor it is an example of why things are so anti-family. She goes on to discuss the Assault on Parental Rights, and the sexualization of our children. I no longer can view UNICEF in the same “Halloween-pennies, feel-good” way I once did. I will warn you, some things are not an easy read due to content, and in places Sharon encourages readers to skip if they have had enough. But don’t close the book! Keep reading, as there is a great deal of hope by the time you get to the end!

The book goes on to detail what is happening to wage Assaults on Life, Gender, Traditional Family, Religion.

In chapter sixteen, Sharon discusses how to help immunize your family against these assaults and more. Her tips include: YY Eat dinner together as a family on a regular basis.

YY Dedicate at least one night each week to your family.

YY Spend one-on-one time with each child on a regular basis.

YY Pray together.

YY Never give up on a family member.

YY And more!

At the end of her book you will find the “I Stand for the Family Petition.” I urge each of you to sign it and sign up for her newsletters. (And read them …

I skipped one in December and missed a key speech from Secretary of State Hilary Clinton that I really needed to know about.) Or you can sign the petition and request the newsletter here:

http://www.familywatchinternational.org

Over Christmas, newsletter readers were able to read selections of Sharon’s book for free. For this month’s reading, I have asked Sharon and her publisher for the same benefit for AAM members and MinuteMom readers. So, for this month, February 2012 you may access these sections through the AAM Book Club http://tinyurl.com/7gk7fkn. All of us at As a Mom… thank Sharon and her publisher for this gift.

— Preview by Lori Parker

www.AsAMom.org

A Call To All Moms...

GET YOUR

“Family Defense Manual” TODAY!

This book will help you defend: • • • • • • •

Motherhood Marriage Family Life Religious Freedom Parental Rights The Innocence of Children

Order Your Copy Now At

www.StandForTheFamily.org FROM LORI PARKER, PRESIDENT OF AS A MOM… A SISTERHOOD OF MOMMY PATRIOTS:

“This is a must read for any mom or mom-at-heart who cares for our country’s children and the children of the world. Sharon’s work is all of our work, we all must stand for the family at home and abroad.”

AUTHOR

Sharon Slater President of Family Watch International

YYValues

The George Washington Challenge

Recently I was asked if As A Mom… was going to continue following the 9-12 values each month or if we would follow the George Washington Challenge, which is a lot of the same values just in a different order. At our board meeting we voted unanimously to follow the George Washington Challenge and subsequently contacted Mercury Ink, for permission to reprint key elements from their site.

This is a massive challenge for those of you who missed it was fully launched on January 19th, (see video at http://tinyurl.com/7uhvfhn). This issue we will be covering thoughts on both January’s theme - diligence and February’s theme - faith. If you haven’t started yet don’t worry. Start today with January’s—I am.

5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

2 Peter 1: 5-7 KJV

T he Challenge is based on this.

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So what is this challenge? From the Being George Washington Web Site: The George Washington Challenge It’s time to stop just reading about our history and start experiencing it for ourselves. With the release of BEING GEORGE WASHINGTON, Glenn is challenging us to read the story of America’s most indispensable man — and then to live it – every day for one year.

The Challenge is a program designed around the idea that a habit can be formed in 30 days. So, for each month of 2012 Glenn will introduce a new virtue that Washington was well known for characterizing.

Participants of this program will have access to a special website in which they will be immersed in that virtue for the month through stories, quotes, research and, most importantly, action steps.

Practice what you learn at work and home and systematically track your successes and failures in a journal each day. Through GBTV specials and radio updates Glenn will track the progress of the group, answer questions, and show that real change must truly begin within each of us.* From http://www.beinggeorgewashington.com/george-washingtonchallenge/

Diligence January – Diligence: Anyone who has ever potty trained a child knows the meaning of diligence. I made the mistake of starting the training of my oldest and then pulling back when others suggested that he was not old enough. What a nightmare for both of us, and it took forever! By the time I got to training the youngest I had learned the importance of finishing this task once I started, with no wavering! We were done in about a week. It helped that I was highly motivated and that the deal for the twins was: Learn or change each other’s diapers!

One of our Founding Mother’s, Abigail Adams, was largely self-taught.

She said, “Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence.” We all have chosen to educate ourselves and those around us.

As much as I would like a magic learning pill (and a magic diet pill) they simply don’t exist. All of these things are going to take consistent work.

Much of what this principle entails has been covered in the 9-12 value of Hard Work, yet diligence is more than just hard work, it is seeing the work though to the end!

To read more on diligence see: www.beinggeorgewashington.com February – Faith: Editor’s Note at the time of MinuteMom Magazine’s February release www.AsAMom.org

Faith this next part of the challenge was not yet posted we encourage you to visit www.beinggeorgewashington.com/ about mid month when we assume it will be posted.

Faith is broadly defined as trust or confidence in a person or entity. Faith is often connected with deity. The Phrase “In God we Trust” is a declaration of our collective faith in that hand of Devine Providence that guides us all. One of my favorite Arnold Freiburg paintings is the one of George Washington in Prayer. I have no doubt that he had faith in God. Many of his writings attest to this.

“It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.”

– George Washington “Make sure you are doing what God wants you to do—then do it with all your strength.”

—George Washington Will our writings and acts carry our convictions of faith on to our children’s children? Or will they show we put faith in things that were not meant to last? Years ago I was tasked with teaching the concept of ‘faith’ in American Sign Language. Explaining faith can be difficult in any language, but it required ‘faith’ on my part any one could understand my inept signs in the first place. The story I used was perhaps one you have heard.

One day a mother asked her sixyear-old daughter to carry a lunch out to her father who was digging a well.

When the young girl reached the well she could only see darkness down in the pit. She called out and her father answered her and directed her to toss the lunch into the well. She did. The father realizing there was too much food asked his daughter to join him.

The daughter was scared she could As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

not see him, and although she had his reassurances that he would catch her, she was not sure. In order to eat lunch with her father she had to take a step in to the seemingly dark abyss. This is faith.

There are many times we must step in to the darkness to reach our goal, often we have little more than a feeling that what we are doing is right.

But still we step. I have no idea what the official challenge will entail this month, but I encourage you to have faith in yourselves that you can become a better person. Keep a journal of your moments of faith and see how you grow.

Program Hints: For those of you who follow the

“Make sure you are doing what God wants you to do—then do it with all your strength.”

– George Washington program at http://www.beinggeorgewashington.com/ there is a downloadable form available to track your progress. Just a word of warning from one stretched-too-thin mom to others – oh yes, I know you are reading — do not over-do it. There are eleven lines for things track. Do not try filling in all eleven lines. Choose one or two things that you want to be diligent at.

It is alright to leave lines blank. Cut them off if having blank lines bother

“It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.”

– George Washington you! And remember to write out your full goal, including frequency, someplace. The more detailed the goal is, the easier it is to see when you have been diligent in keeping it.

If you have children, you can use the chart with them giving each member a line or two and use smile stickers or stars to track. Or, just use stickers for yourself – I happen to like seeing stickers on my chart. On the last few pages of this magazine you will find stories about each month’s theme from our American history. You can use these to help children understand the concepts.

Don’t force your goals on your family members. After the first few minutes, my twins did not enjoy changing each other’s diapers any more than I enjoyed cleaning up the mess they made in their attempts. The three of us became very motivated to potty train which is why we were diligent. Let your children choose something they know they need to do. It may not be what you would like them to work on, but they will learn by succeeding. (Note to my teen: No! You may not set a goal to keep my cookie jar cleaned out!)

—Lori Parker

* -Portions of this article used by permission from http://www.beinggeorgewashington.com Copyright © 2012, Mercury Ink.

February 2012 13

America’s Emerging Dictatorship When our founding fathers declared our independence from Great Britain in 1776, the colonists were already in the middle of a bloody and costly war to secure their freedom. Once the war was successfully concluded it was necessary to create a new nation with a form of government that would not allow a single individual or group to establish another totalitarian regime and steal the freedom of Americans.

It took many years and one failed effort with the Articles of Confederation before the founders settled on the Constitution of the United States that established a unique type of government with three separate, but equal branches. These are the executive branch that includes an elected President and his cabinet appointees, the legislative branch that consists of a Congress made up of two houses, the Senate and House of Representatives, and the judicial branch that consists of the Supreme Court and any lower federal courts that Congress might authorize.

A system of checks and balances was put into place to ensure that none of the three branches would be able to dominate the others and establish a dictatorship. In addition, the basic distrust of a powerful centralized government caused the framers of the Constitution to adopt the Bill of Rights that protected the rights of both individual Americans and the various states that formed the United States of America. The system has worked so well that our country became the most prosperous and powerful nation in the world.

Yet, now, almost 250 years later, elements in all 14 MinuteMom Magazine

three branches of government are conspiring to shred the Constitution and rob us of our God given rights. We have a rapidly emerging dictatorship and prime examples of this can be found in what is occurring in the first days of this New Year. As part of the balance of powers prescribed in the Constitution, the U.S. Senate must approve Presidential appointments to major positions in the Executive Branch of Government. The only exception is that during the times that the Senate is in recess the President can make appointments without the approval of the Senate, but they are temporary in nature.

However, on January 4, 2012, President Obama appointed three members to the National Labor Relations Board and a new “Czar” to head the Consumer Protection Agency without Senate approval despite the fact that the Senate was not in recess. This has created a Constitutional crisis of epic proportions.

I refer to this as a Constitutional crisis because this is not the first such action Obama has taken that has clearly violated not only the provisions of the Constitution, but also his oath of office, and he obviously plans to continue ignoring both the legislative and judicial branches of government.

In fact, he actually brags about what he is doing while campaigning for reelection at the expense of American taxpayers.

There is now no doubt that the current President of the United States considers himself a de facto dictator who is so much smarter than the rest of us that he can ignore the Constitution, the www.AsAMom.org

Photo Courtesy of morguefile

By Michael Connelly

supreme law of our nation, and do whatever he wants. History has taught that in order to establish an effective dictatorship there must be three decisive actions taken.

First, if the military in the country is patriotic and pro freedom, it must be marginalized to minimize its ability to resist the imposition of tyranny. Right after the New Year, Obama announced drastic cuts in the size and strength of our military forces across the board. He is claiming to have the authority to do this under the bill passed by Congress that created the so-called super committee that was to enact wide ranging spending cuts.

If it failed to do so there would be massive reductions of the defense budget. In previous articles I pointed out that the very creation of this super committee was unconstitutional and that its failure to act would cause the “doomsday scenario” to unfold for our military. Unfortunately, not only are my predictions coming true, but Obama is not even waiting for the automatic cuts to begin in 2013, he is unilaterally moving to destroy the military now.

Secondly, the citizens of any country to be subjugated must be disarmed in order to diminish their ability to resist the imposition of a dictatorship. It is now clear, by virtue of the ongoing investigation in Congress of “Operation Fast and Furious” that over 2500 semi automatic weapons were sold to Mexican drug dealers on orders from the U.S. government not for the purpose of entrapping the drug dealers, but so Obama could impose gun control laws on U.S. citizens. He has now done so

by Executive Order, bypassing Congress that had refused to take the same action.

In addition, Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton have pledged to sign the United Nations Small Arms Treaty that specifically targets private gun ownership in the United States.

This treaty would essentially abolish the second amendment to the U.S. Constitution and make private ownership of firearms illegal despite the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court has twice ruled that the right to keep and bear arms is a valid and individual right under the provisions of the Constitution.

Of course, the Constitution requires that any treaty that is signed by a President must be approved by two thirds of the Senate to be valid.

The U.S. Supreme Court has also ruled that no treaty can supersede the provisions of the ConstiAs a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

tution, particularly those that deal with individual rights. All of this would seem to render the treaty moot since two thirds of the current Senate will not ratify it, and it clearly violates the provisions of the second amendment.

So why is Obama pushing for it? Simply put, he believes he can ignore the Senate and the court, sign the treaty, and then allow the United Nations to begin enforcing it. If you believe that he won’t try that, just look at what he has done in other areas.

The third goal of an effective dictatorship involves limiting the rights of the citizens to have free speech and a free press. People who can’t communicate and learn the truth are easier to control. Most of the main stream media in this country have already relinquished their freedom of the press and are doing whatever Obama tells them to do. Those that oppose him are under constant assault and Obama’s minions on the Federal Communications Commission are looking for ways to shut down conservative talk radio and control internet content. This is despite the fact that the Supreme Court has said that the FCC has no authority to regulate the Internet. Once again, Obama has issued orders that the Supreme Court and the Constitution be ignored.

Even more frightening is the fact that legislation pending in both houses of Congress will effectively give Obama an Internet kill switch. It is being pushed in the Senate by the usual leftists like Reid and Schumer, but in the House of Representatives it is some Republicans that are pushing it. My next blog article will contain more information about these and other bills pending in Congress.

The bottom line is, we are headed for a country that is no longer a Republic, but a nation controlled entirely by a small group of elitists, and unless the American people wake up soon it will be too late to stop it.

Reprinted by permission from http://www.michaelconnelly.jigsy.com Michael Connelly is U.S. Army veteran, a retired attorney, and a published author, freelance writer, and teacher. He is the author of four books including, “The Mortarmen”, a story about his father’s unit in WW II. His blog can be found at www.michaelconnelly.jigsy.com February 2012 15

By Tammy Hulse Vice-President of HomeMakers for America www. homemakersforamerica.org But times have changed and over the course of the While speaking about those who influenced his life, George Washington said, “My mother was the most past 50 years, there has been a vicious attack on the beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my home, the family and the homemaker. The destroyers mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, of liberty and virtue recognized long ago the powerintellectual and physical education I received from ful influence of mothers and homemakers. They have her.” Across the ocean in another country, Napoleon been working for years, desperately trying to diminBonaparte said, “Let France have good mothers and ish a mother’s influence by deceiving, distracting, she will have good sons.” The leaders of yesterday and discrediting the homemaker. Many of the home arts education courses have been abolished from the honored and revered mothers.

Many generations ago, our society looked upon schools and individuals are encouraged in pursuits mothers as fulfilling vital and dignified roles in the that take them away from the home and family. For development of the nation’s citizenry and society. many, the term “home” merely refers to a place to The home and family were viewed as the fundamen- eat and sleep and the “homemaker” is looked upon tal unit of society and the strength of the family was simply as a maid, cook and child care provider. The considered a critical component of the strength of attack on the family has been so successful that even a nation. Here in America, a term was created to mothers have been deceived about the influence they describe mothers who dedicated their can have on their own children.

The widow of former Egyptian president Anwar time and energy to the creation of the home. The term was Sadat explained the current challenge and why homemaker. Homemakers we need to return to the home. Mrs. Jehan Sadat were held in high esteem and attended a luncheon not long after a mass shooting to help preserve the vital arts in a U.S. high school. As the conversation turned to and skills of homemaking this horrifying event, one man suggested the probthe public schools provided lem was with the failure of law enforcement agenrequired courses in some of cies. Mrs. Sadat immediately countered, “No, the problem is with our homes. Too many mothers have the homemaking arts. abdicated responsibility for teaching their children what is right. What happens in society all begins with mothers.”

A woman’s influence is a powerful thing. One prominent religious leader called women “the one bright shining hope in a world that is marching toward self-destruction.” Today, America is facing disturbing challenges – our economy teeters on the verge of collapse, loud voices are being raised in contentious rhetoric, and stories of shocking violence scroll across our TV screens on a daily basis. Students of history understand the cycles of civilization and recognize these signs of a civilization in decline. Now, more than ever, we

16 MinuteMom Magazine

www.AsAMom.org

Photo Courtesy of morguefile

Are we homemakers or are we HomeMakers?

need mothers and homemakers to stand up and exercise the tremendous influence they can have on their family and society.

There is no place like Home to restore the virtues that made this country great. There is no place like Home to inspire greatness in tomorrow’s leaders. One of our objectives at Homemakers for America is to restore the role of Homemaker to its rightful place of honor and dignity.

Our members will notice a slight change in the spelling of homemaker to reflect the change that must take place within the American home. Our homes must be transformed from a dwelling place to a growing place and the maker of the home must be elevated from maid and cook to creator and nurturer. The term “home” becomes “Home” when it encompasses a nurturing, inspiring environment where family members can achieve their full potential.

The phrase “maker of the home” becomes “Maker of the Home” when mothers become creators of an environment that will nurture, protect, educate, and inspire family members. And thus, the new spelling for our organization will be HomeMakers for America.

The HomeMaker is a nurturer. To nurture means to cultivate, to care for and to make grow. Just as a master gardener creates an ideal environment for plants to grow, the HomeMaker creates the home environment that allows the inherent potential of all family members to be achieved. HomeMaking is vital and dignified. It requires organization, patience, love and work. We have adopted the companion name of Gardeners of Liberty to serve as a constant reminder of the vital roles of creation and nurturing that belong to the HomeMaker.

A nurturing environment includes opportunity for physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual growth and achievement. We recognize that this can feel like a daunting and overwhelming task to women. We too, are certainly humbled by the calling of a mother. Our second objective at HomeMakers for America is to provide education, support and encouragement for women who are looking for help in their role of HomeMaker. We invite women and men across the country to join us as we discard the false notions of recent generations and restore the role of Mother and HomeMaker to the place of honor and dignity it deserves.

Tammy Hulse is the mother of 7 children and is serving as a VP of HomeMakers for America. Her passion is empowering people with truth. She is dedicated to teaching the truth about our country’s history and Constitution, the important of families, and the significant role of the mother and homemaker.

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YYCountry

Freedom. What a wonderful, patriotic and American-sounding word “freedom” is. Sadly, freedom is under attack in ways many of us never thought possible. As we assess this attack, however, we realize that this has been a long time coming. We, as a nation, have been surrendering our freedom for generations, perhaps without realizing it. The quickening pace of our downfall started with the permissiveness of the 60’s--the free love and drug culture.

It has evolved, changed and enlarged with each step of permissiveness: the fight to accept homosexual practices, divorce, substance abuse, women’s lib, corruption in government, dishonest and unethical business practices.

Each of these supposed “freedoms” have been exercised with increasing impunity and disastrous results. You see, freedom isn’t free. Freedom without accountability is simply permissiveness and tears at the very fabric of our society. As our society has become more and more tolerant of those things that go against societal “norms” we have suffered destructive results.

The women’s liberation movement has become an “Anything Goes Movement.” Anything, that is, as long as it’s not the traditional role. The effect has been the degradation of women, the heightened objectification of women and girls and the sexualization of all things female. No-fault divorce has resulted in skyrocketing divorce rates 18 MinuteMom Magazine

If we are to restore freedom to this great nation, we must restore accountability. and generations of children either having damaged relationships with their parents or being forced to raise themselves. Government bailouts of private and public entities have sheltered the guilty and the foolish from the consequences of their mistakes. Politicians tickle the ears of voters without regard for the practical application or costs of their promises and then glibly pass the buck when things go haywire.

If we are to restore freedom to this great nation, we must restore accountability. As a mom, I try to teach my children, every day, that they are responsible for their own decisions.

Once their decision is made, they have also chosen a consequence. Consequences are really neither good nor bad, they are neutral. They are the result of decisions. If I choose to place my hand on the hot burner of a stove, I will get burned. Nobody is punishing me or being mean, it is simply the result of what I have chosen to

do. Until we return our lives to the acceptance of the consequences of the actions we have chosen, we are destined for failure. Politicians, business people, individuals make decisions every day that affect the future. The only way to improve that decision-making process is to experience the results--be they good or bad. Human nature is such that we tend to learn not to touch the burner when we get burned. Freedom and accountability are pillars of our society, without them the whole of it will collapse. To that end, we must fight for the true freedom that allows us to learn and to progress. That fight begins with an increased commitment to marriage and to parenting our children. We must strive for complete integrity in every aspect of our lives and for the courage to stand for our convictions regardless of social and popular pressure. We further fight by patronizing companies and businesses that hold those same values. Finally, we must hold politicians accountable for both their promises and their actions. If they do not meet our standards, they must be removed from office. Only then do we truly begin to be free once more. America can return to the greatness it once had, and that is the America in which I want to raise my children.

—Lori Burns

Note: This article was originally posted on asamom.org and was a 2010 Blog Contest winner.

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TRUE Freedom

Exclusive As a Mom Offer ONLY $49.95 Cook’n the easiest way to keep track of your Favorite Recipes Cook’n can help you prepare a home-cooked meal, print a family cookbook, make a menu, analyze nutritional facts, or sync a shopping list to your mobile device to save time and money at the grocery store. Cook'n puts your favorite recipes at your fingertips to help you create the things that make mealtime enjoyable.

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It’s In The Bag! Once Monthly Cooking…Meal Swap

20 MinuteMom Magazine

bread mixes, mylar bags, etc...) ready for individual meals.

Following the recipe, fill each bag or container with each recipe item. Label each bag with the name of the recipe, measurements of remaining items needed, cooking instructions and date prepared and by whom.

YY Store! Place these bags in cupboard (for dry goods) or freezer. Pull out when ready to use.

You will need high grade freezer bags (gallon, quart, regular snack bags for spices) and foil. If you have a seal-a-meal, use it. You can do frozen or dry meals. It’s up to you and your preferences. Some may want to prepare a dessert and others a main dish.

YY Swap Day. Load up frozen prepared meals in your cooler and get together with your OMC group.

Exchange meals and plan the next meal swap. Bring new recipes to discuss, and get ready for the next month’s OMC-Meal Swap.

Suggestions When cooking hot meals to freeze, you must let all hot foods cool before storing in freezer. Also, if you use a shallow baking dish to lay the filled freezer bag on, then once frozen, you will have a nice, level shape of a frozen meal that is easy to store and not bulky. It’s not fun pulling a lump of frozen food out of the freezer; it doesn’t look too appealing. (Don’t forget to label with date, recipe title and cooking instructions.)

While it requires some time and dedication for 2-3 days, Once Monthly Cooking leaves you days of stress-free evenings to dedicate to family, instead of time spent in the kitchen. Have some fun and enjoy OMC! Kami Watkins is a stay-at-home mother of six children. She has been a community and school volunteer for the past 15 years and resides with her husband and family in Southern California. “Writing is my love!”

Kami’s motto for life is: Be of Good Cheer! www.AsAMom.org

Photo Courtesy of Lori parker

By Kami Watkins Okay ladies, it’s time to get ahead on those dinner meals.

What better way to be creative than to involve 3-5 of your good friends!

We all have crazy schedules, and clearly not enough time in the day. If you want an easy way to prepare meals and have variety without having to look aimlessly into your fridge or do it all yourself, then the OMC Meal Swap is perfect for you.

The idea behind Once Monthly Cooking is to dedicate a day or two for the shopping and assembly of an established menu...in large quantities! This can be done on your own, but why not spice it up a bit by adding your pals to the mix and having some cooking fun?

There are only a few simple rules. (This can be done on your own, or as a group with each person participating preparing her recipe at home).

YY Plan. Find recipes that you all agree upon and that your families will eat. Pick two days, one to assemble and one to swap. Mark these days on your calendar, and don’t let anything interfere with them.

YY Prepare a shopping list of foods from recipes.

YY Shop. With shopping list in hand, purchase enough food for one month’s worth of the meals. If you make only one recipe, make 30 of that recipe. If you have 5 friends and each prepares 30 meals of a different recipe, you come away with 6 different meals. Cool!

YY Assemble and cook. Set aside a day when you will have few interruptions. You need a clean area for assembly of meals. Wash hands. Read through recipes. Be organized! Prepare like items on the same day. Assembling all chicken recipes during the same time, or dry ingredients (bread mixes, for example) at the same time, will keep the area organized and prevent contamination from raw meats to other meals. Once assembled, freeze or store in cupboard (for dry meals).

Lay out one recipe and ingredients in a clean area. Wash hands. Have large ziploc freezer bags, small ziploc baggies for spices (or other containers, such as jars for dry soups or

Lori’s Favorite OMC Recipes BREAKFAST BURRITOS My teenage son leaves at 5:40 each morning for school. This OMC favorite saves both our lives. I make it as a standalone usually at breakfast time (not part of my regular OMC day) about every 3 weeks or when he is hungry. Start to finish, it takes about half an hour. I also use this recipe to rotate through my powdered egg mix and my TVP sausage/bacon – just substitute for eggs or meat.

2 dozen eggs ½ - 1 cup salsa or picante sauce (more or less according to taste) 2 pounds bulk sausage cooked or bacon cooked and crumbled 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese or 24 American cheese slices cut in half 48 flour Tortillas 4 -1 gallon, zipper-style freezer bags.

1. In a very large skillet or wok, scramble eggs until done. Stir in meat and salsa. If the tortillas are not very flexible, warm in a microwave for 20-30 seconds.

2. Set up your production area. A large cookie sheet will hold 6 flat tortillas and makes for easy clean up.

3. Place 1/3 -1/2 cup of egg mixture in center of tortilla, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese or ½ slice of American (if using sliced cheese I usually put on before egg). Roll up tortilla burrito style. Place in gallon bag, 2 rows of 6 will fit in each bag, Freeze.

To serve: cook 1-2 burritos in microwave until heated through -- about 2 minutes.

Variations: For a different taste, add chopped green pepper, onion, tomatoes, or hash browns to the scrambled eggs. Or scramble eggs with some milk for fluffier eggs.

From Left- Putting a chicken casserol into a zipper bag using a container for support Making mass Lasagnas.

4 chicken casseroles ready for the freezer.

Opposite page. OMC in the freezer. 20 meal in 1 1/2 shelves.

LASAGNA (tomato-based sauces) In about the time it takes to create regular lasagna you can have 6-8 dinner-size lasagnas to enjoy for the next 2-3 months.

I know it sounds crazy not to cook your sauces or noodles but it has worked with every tomato based lasagna recipe I have ever used. The key is making sure that every noodle is in contact on at least one side with the sauce. Use your favorite recipe or use store-bought spaghetti sauce to make this even quicker.

YY Triple your recipe for larger amounts.

YY BOIL your hamburger in a large stock pot. This makes a nice crumbled burger, and because the fat will float the top it is relatively easy to skim off the fat, then rinse and drain your burger, to get almost fat-free burger – even out of the 70/30 sale burger! (if you use sausage or turkey burger, cook normally).

While meat is boiling, do next step.

YY In a very large bowl mix all your secret sauce ingredients well -- no need to cook.

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YY In another bowl, mix the cheese mixture well.

YY Add your meat to your sauce mix.

YY Starting with just enough sauce to thinly cover the bottom of 6-8 8x8 or 3 9x12 pans, start layering your lasagna. (Glad makes some black reusable plastic pans with lids, or use foil pans) Layer your lasagna using regular UNCOOKED lasagna noodles.

Cover with cheese as called for by your recipe.

Note: you should not see any uncovered noodles before adding the final cheese. Freeze. 8x8 foil pans will fit in 1-gallon zipper bags. Do not stack on top of each other in the freezer until frozen, unless they have lids.

Cook from frozen for about 1 ½ hours at 350; cover with foil for first hour.

I usually do this on a OMC day and boil extra hamburger, storing 2 cups (1 pound) in small freezer bags to pull out and use when needed.

February 2012 21

School Truancy – Do Parent’s Even Matter?

Parents in Nebraska are increasingly uncomfortable with the changes in school attendance policy as a result of Nebraska’s new truancy law.

What used to seem very simple - excusing your child from school - has become an intimidating process as the attitude of school administrators has hardened and they insist on documentation for extended illness, dentist appointments, and other scheduled absences. Report cards now provide an hour-by-hour detail of attendance and some schools have informed parents they are no longer able to pick school work up in advance of an absence.

Tens of thousands of parents are receiving letters at 5 and 10 days warning them not to miss any more days because the schools “must file a report with the County Attorney’s office on ALL students absent more than 20 days per year, excused or unexcused.” Some of these letters are intimidating and parents feel significant pressure to send their kids back to school before they are fully recovered from illness, cancel important 22 MinuteMom Magazine

family plans, and press their doctors and dentist for afterschool appointments. Others say the tone of these letters is condescending and makes them feel like they are being reprimanded. One such letter tells parents, “It is important for students to attend school regularly… to develop habits of punctuality, self-discipline, and responsibility.”

While this is certainly true, it is doubtful most parents don’t already know this and seems out of place when a student has missed only five days of school. In subtle but important ways the law is forcing a paradigm shift that has diminished parental discretion over school attendance in an attempt to increase school attendance rates across the board.

Parents across the state are beginning to wonder what missing school for a dentist appointment or a couple days to attend a family reunion has to do with truancy. What we naturally think of as a truant, a kid who is skipping school and getting into trouble, is not the only focus of the law.

Instead the law has created a whole new class of www.AsAMom.org

Photo Courtesy of morguefile

By sTephanie Morgan the Nebraska Family Forum

delinquent behavior called “excessive absenteeism,” mandated that schools address it early and aggressively, and then labels all students truant at 20 days regardless of the reason for the absences.

This broad net is catching innocent kids and putting them into the legal system and is prompting parents to ask, “Is this a legitimate use of government power?” Kids with special needs, in special Ed, or suffering serious illness are being hit particularly hard and are finding themselves in juvenile court to the pure horror of parents.

The Nebraska Family Forum has been collecting stories of affected families for months. These stories illustrate the serious consequences of lumping together every absence, excused and unexcused, for purposes of legal oversight. Governor Heineman, standing in solidarity with superintendents throughout the Omaha Learning Community , defended the law by telling Nebraskans that they can trust the “good old Nebraska common sense” of state officials as they manage the early interventions under the new plan. He asked us to trust the government to do the right thing while at the

same time supporting a law that is built on the mistrust of parents and assumes that a considerable segment of parents are putting their children at-risk when they take their kids out of school for anything other than a serious documented illness.

The consensus among Nebraska lawmakers and the Governor is that there is no room for kids to miss school for reasons other than serious documented illness. The law bypasses local school district policies that provide flexibility beyond illness. I believe that some school superintendents see this as a positive change because it gives them more control over attendance and sidelines elected school board’s policies and parental discretion.

Cara Riggs, Omaha South High School Principal, told the judiciary committee that she believes it is unacceptable for kids to miss school for reasons other than serious illness, and that even those kids who miss school for illness should have to present evidence to verify the absence.

When questioned by Sen. Amanda McGill who was concerned that the law could be harmful to

Principle 1: America is good.

Take control of your child’s future.

Teach them our history.

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February 2012 23

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24 MinuteMom Magazine

kids who participate in educational and enrichment opportunities outside of school Riggs said, “You’re either there or you’re not, people!!”

Commissioner of Education, Rodger Breed, shared her sentiment and described how this plays out. He said what happens is a kid in Algebra II, for example, “takes a once in a lifetime trip, then he gets home and gets sick, then he starts his golf season… and he falls behind in math.” I challenged the Commissioner and told him there are plenty of parents capable of overseeing their child’s education during such absences and that it was my observation that most children involved in these extracurricular activities maintain excellent grades.

The law requires school districts to define “excessive absenteeism” at a minimum of “five days per quarter or the hourly equivalent” excused or unexcused. Unfortunately, some districts have taken the law as a challenge to crack down hard on non-attendance at any level. In Millard Public Schools, for example, the district administrators and School Board have gone well beyond the required minimum and defined “excessive absences” as five days in one year for any reason.

Many parents are astonished at this aggressive stance and feel it is unreasonable to think that five absences in one school year is excessive and could

trigger school level interventions that can include face to face conferences with administrators, education and physiological evaluations of students, and investigations by school social workers.

There are certainly areas of concern, schools and students who struggle with habitual truancy (skipping school), but when this type of truancy makes up less than 5% of the student body statewide it is hardly a statewide “truancy crisis” that would justify such broad powers given to school administrators and law enforcement. Hall County Attorney Mark Young told the Omaha World Herald that he doesn’t “think the parent is necessarily the best judge of what is a justifiable absence.” The consensus of State officials is that “oversight of all cases is needed…to verify that students who are reported sick were actually ill and to ensure that children are not missing school for inappropriate reasons.”

This common sense oversight did little to save the Chambers family from an extraordinarily painful year. Their daughter, who suffers from debilitating headaches and terrible sinus infections, has missed more than 20 days of school every year since her symptoms began at age 11. Despite this she has been a good student and is loved by her teachers, involved in band, student council, and numerous after school activities. Being caught up www.AsAMom.org

in the juvenile court system has been a nightmare for this naturally obedient child. Her mother said, “This process is breaking her. I have watched in horror as my daughter’s innocence and carefree nature has been stripped away.

This has changed her personality. That they had made her feel like a criminal and she has begun to doubt herself wondering it maybe she was a bad kid.”

It seems that key proponents of the law believe that these unfortunate side effects are acceptable for the seemingly noble goal of reaching “at-risk” youth and improving attendance rates overall. Senator Brad Ashford, who drafted the law, said the law is working and Ashford defended the reporting requirement and the increased legal oversight. He acknowledged there have been problems in a few cases but said positive aspects of the law outweigh those. Jennifer Chambers reaction is heart wrenching. “I literally want to cry. I can’t believe that they believe that my family is an acceptable casualty in their plans, that my innocent daughter is a guinea pig in their experiment and that doesn’t bother them.” During floor debate in 2010, Ashford said the law is a “convergence of law enforcement and education.” What parents are saying is that they don’t want their families involved with these state agencies in a routine way and that it is a miscarriage of justice to allow legitimate excused absences under school district policy to be used as grounds for legal action against a student or their family. The solution is simple; recognize truancy as it is recognized by the US Department of Justice - as days of unexcused absence.

Sen. Tony Fulton will put forward a bill to restore this definition to the law in the 2012 session, but opposition to this change is wide spread among state education officials who have asked that no changes be made to the law for at least two years.

Jennifer Chambers put it perfectly when she said, “The way I see it, government officials passed a law designed to take out of the hands of parents, principals, and even doctors the discretion over school attendance in an attempt prevent delinquent behavior among certain groups of children. In the process they have usurped the natural rights of parents, thrown innocent children into the juvenile justice system, and disrupted the healthy and happy childhoods of children like my daughter. Their error is intolerable and unforgivable.”

Stephanie Morgan is the co-founder of the Nebraska Family Forum, a grass roots organization to promote policies that will preserve our children’s innocence and dignity and protect the influence of parents in their children’s lives and education.

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YYCountry

2012 Republican Presidential In 2012, voters across the country will have an opportunity to cast a vote for the next President of the United States.

President Obama is running uncontested, however the race for the Republican candidate has been hot. The upcoming primary elections provide an opportunity for every American to cast an extremely important vote.

If you are still unsure about which Republic candidate(s) represent your values -- or if you would like to learn more about any specific candidate -- more than 15 members from several liberty minded groups in New Hampshire -- the Southern NH 9.12 Project, the Greater Nashua Tea Party and the NH 9.12 Liberty Action Team -- spent over 1,300 hours compiling a comparison matrix. There are two versions that can be downloaded, a Full Version (65 issues) and a Condensed Version (23 issues).” ** links below image These documents can be easily used to cross reference positions from each of the four remaining Republican candidates on many of the important issues, ranging from Constitutional values, the economy, energy policies, immigration to social issues. If a candidate has taken both sides of an issue, then both are listed, alerting the reader that the candidate has flip flopped. Each position in the downloadable PDF is also a clickable link that shows the internet source where the information was found.

The goal of this project was to assemble a PDF document of detailed facts on each candidate, in an unbiased manner. Some of the information you may not run across anywhere else. You will find both positive and negative points on each candidate. Armed with this knowledge, you will be in a position to cast an informed vote for the candidate that is truly worthy of your support, as we all seek to restore the representative government that our founding fathers envisioned.

To ensure that each candidate was fairly represented, at least two people performed the research on each candidate.

The results were then combined and verified by a third person before being added to the master document. In addition, each candidate’s campaign team was asked on November 17, 2011, to review and verify the accuracy of each position.

The groups that put this document together are currently working to add President Obama to the matrix. That work will be ready to publish in the spring. For more information, contact Ken@SouthernNH912.com.

26 MinuteMom Magazine

2012 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE POSITIONS

Gingrich

By Ken Eyring Co-founder. Southern NH 9.12 Project

Constitution Will support strict interpretation of Constitution

Yes [3004]

Yes [5

Yes [3019]

Yes [5

Yes [3524]

Yes [5

Supports 2nd Amendment (the Yes [3005] right to bear arms)

Yes [5

Yes [3504]

Yes [5

Yes [5

Yes [5 Wants to Repeal the Patriot Act

No [3754]

Yes [5

Supports SOPA (The Stop Online Piracy Act)

No [9090] "…the bill in its current form is written really badly and leads to a range of censorship that is totally unacceptable. Well, I favor freedom."

Yes [90

No [90 contro govern

No [90 this bil next o wrong

Supports NDAA 2012 (Allows military to arrest and indefintiely detain citizens without a trial)

No [90 canno

Is AGAINST referring to Yes [3012] International laws in US Courts (Sharia, UN, WHO) Yes [3505]

Yes [5

Supports 9th and 10 Amendments (State's rights and sep. of powers between fed. and state government)

Yes [5

Yes [3009] In his book "Lessons Learned the Hard Yes [5 Way" , he praised Gov. Leavitt's support of the 10th presid Amend Amendment Yes [3526]

Yes [5

Yes [3010]

www.AsAMom.org

written ship that om."

Paul

Romney

Santorum

Candidate Positions Matrix

Yes [5501]

[No] [7003] Supports Agenda 21 - MA Climate Protection Plan

Yes [5502]

No [9035] While Gov., his admin negotiated the Cap Yes [8754] and Trade agreement implemented by 10 N.E. states

Yes [5503]

Yes [8009]

No [7754] Supports No Child left behind and Race to the Top Yes [5001]

No [7001] 2004 signed a law to permanently ban many semi-automatic firearms

Yes [8001]

Yes [5504]

No [8944] Supported Assault weapons ban and Brady Bill

Yes [8754] A+ NRA Rating 2006

Yes [5505] Yes [5506]

Mixed Yes/No [8943]

[9052] [9051]

Yes [5751]

No [7900]

Yes [9088] @ 2:30 in

No [7901] Strong support for Patriot Act

No [9088] @ 4:10 "What they are going to do is control your freedom and privacy. We have the government turned upside down."

?? [9087] non-answer @ :56 "Every regulation that has come out during the Obama years, I will put a hold on when I become president, and then I will review those regulations and get rid of the one I don't like."

?? [9089] 1:30 Doesn't know enough about the bill.

Expresses "there are limits to freedom on the internet"

No [9090] "We have made a concerted effort, and this bill is not going to pass, but watch out for the next one." "The Republican have been on the wrong side of this issue."

No [9090] @ :42 "The law as written, is far too intrusive, far too expansive, far too threatening to freedom of speech & movement of information across the internet. It would have the potentially depressing impact on one of the fastest growing industries in America."

No [9090] "I agree with eveybody up here that this bill goes to far, but I will not agree with eveybody that there isn't something that they can and should be done to protect the intellectual property rights of people. The internet is not a free zone where anybody can do anything they want to do and trample the rights of other people."

No [9088] @ 6:10 "That has to be reversed or we cannot have a Rebublic anymore"

Yes [9091] Would have signed the NDAA as written

?? [9092] It's not clear if he supports the NDAA 2012, but he is very clear that he supports the rights of Americans to receive due process of law.

Yes [5513]

Yes [7005] "we’re not going to have Sharia law applied in U.S. courts"

Yes [8001]

Yes [5514]

he Hard Yes [5002] :40 sec in. Responsibility of the f the 10th president is to veto every bill that violates the 10th Amendment Yes [5507]

No [8900]

Yes [8757] No [9039] Stated as Governor he was required by Fed. Law to provide "health care and education" to illegal immigrants

No [9083] believes the federal government should be the arbiter of morality and social standards

Yes [7752] Uses Romneycare as an example of a State's right, and Obamacare as an infringement of State's rights

No [9082] The 10th Amendment should not trump moral law

** Downloads here: Full Version: http://southernnh912.com/sites/default/files/PresidentialCandidatePositions_0.pd Condensed Version: http://southernnh912.com/sites/default/files/PresidentialCandidatePositions_Summary_0.pdf As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy PatriotsÂŽ

February 2012 27

Time to )} Start (}[ Gardening!

Can you believe it’s February already?! Spring is just around the corner and for many of us that means it’s time to start thinking about this season’s garden.

Whether you’re a novice or a Master Gardener, there are decisions to be made and preparation to do – so get out your gardening journal and start this season’s planning and preparation process. You do keep a journal, don’t you?

Why plant a garden? Well, I don’t know anyone who expects their income to increase in the near future, do you? According to the USDA, the average, middleclass American spends 10-15% of their disposable income on food and 82-87% on housing, transportation, health care, insurance, utilities, clothing and personal goods – leaving 0-7% for incidentals and as a buffer. But there are some economists that predict food prices will double or even triple in the coming months! If you’re an average American – with a meager 3% of your income left over after necessities - where are you going to get that 20-45% more you need to adequately provide for your family? Plant a garden!

In 1901, 90% of American households grew some or all of their own food – including keeping a few chickens for eggs. By 1990 this had dropped to only 12%, as the industrial revolution flourished and our way of life changed. But a survey taken in 2010 indicated that 39% of Americans had gone back to gardening to off-set the ever-rising cost of food. Soooooo…. if we follow the trend, learn from history and listen to all the economic experts, we just might want to go back to turn-of-the-century practices and plant some sort of garden just as a practical matter!

28 MinuteMom Magazine

www.AsAMom.org

Photo Courtesy of morguefile

By Auntie Anne

By the way, I wasn’t kidding about that gardening journal. A diary/journal will help you keep track of what you planted, when you planted it, where you planted it, how much you planted, weather conditions during the growing season (including rainfall), pest problems and methods used to deter damage, total yield, total cost and a kaleidoscope of other bits of information you may find valuable – successes and failures – which will determine your final yield. Whether you buy a spiral notebook at the dollar store or pay $50.00 for a leather-bound journal is up to you – but I highly recommend keeping a journal. Record everything you can think of – from a sketch of the garden area to exactly how much you end up harvesting. Do this every year and you’ll soon have your very own expert gardening manual.

Now is the time to review past journals and start one for the new season. Start asking yourself questions and making decisions: YY Where should your garden be located – outside the back door or at the back of your three acres of property?

YY What gardening style will you use – traditional, Lasagna, square-foot, raised beds, container garden, inside garden or basement/kitchen production projects like mushrooms, kefir, yogurt, microgreens or sprouts? A combination?

YY Should it be small or large? How much food do you want to grow? Do you want just a few tomatoes for yourself or do you want to feed family and friends with enough left over to can/freeze/dehydrate?

YY Where do you live and what kind of climate do you have? Most vegetables do best in full sun, but some prefer at least partial shade, especially in very hot cliAs a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

mates. Do you get enough rain or will you need to water? This could determine how large you want to make your garden.

YY Have you had your soil tested? Contact your county extension office for details. Remember that plants draw the nutrients they need to grow from the soil they are planted in.

YY Consider adding a standard 12-12-12 (nitrogenphosphorus-potassium) mixture of commercial garden fertilizer at a rate of 6 lbs per 1,000 square feet and mix it in with a garden rake after you till or plow up the earth.

YY Or – if you prefer to go organic – work some rich, organic compost into your soil – make a compost pile by alternating layers of “brown” and “green.”

The “brown” can be cardboard, newspaper, shredded paper, coffee grounds, peat moss, fall leaves or manure. “Green” might include lawn clippings, vegetable waste from the kitchen, old flower blooms and even pulled weeds. (By the way, NEVER add meat scraps to your compost pile – only plant materials – or you will be attracting animals you really don’t want to attract.)

YY Add a little water to the pile to help the decomposition process (non-chlorinated so as not to kill the beneficial bacteria) and let time and sunshine do the rest.

YY After it has started to break down, give it an occasional stir/toss with a garden fork. When the pile is the consistency of a fluffy, coarse dirt (4-6 months) you’ve magically transformed waste into rich, organic compost and are ready to mix it into your garden soil.

February 2012 29

YY Should you add manure? What type? Ask three farmers/gardeners about manure and you’ll get three different opinions. Here’s mine.

• First, it’s never a bad idea to add manure to garden soil – as long as it is properly aged and you are aware of a couple issues.

• Second, I believe chicken is best, then cow, then horse – but some people prefer rabbit manure. Except for rabbit manure, it should be aged so that it does not “burn” when applied to the soil and/or garden (rabbit manure is not generally “hot” and can be applied fresh, although I personally don’t recommend it).

Chances are your manure will come with some of the animal’s bedding – usually straw – and that’s great…just compost it, stirring with a garden fork every couple of days until the mixture has lost its original aroma and has taken on a “earthy” smell.

• Personally – although it can be done – I’m not an advocate of spreading fresh manure on the garden. It smells bad, contains nasty microbes and can be full of weed seeds if the animal has grazed somewhere weeds are plentiful (horse manure may have more weeds than cow manure). Aging the manure by composting it helps to solve these problems. Never mix raw manure into soil for container gardening – and make sure any manure mixture is thoroughly composted and mixed with regular dirt before filling raised beds or boxes. If applied to a traditional garden or lasagna garden, make sure the manure mixture is mixed well into the soil before planting.

• Compost can also be used to amend the soil if it’s too sandy or has too much clay in it, although – depending on the condition of the soil – it may take an enormous amount of compost to make a difference. If your soil is exceptionally sandy or primarily clay, consider digging out a section – or building raised beds - and filling it/them with a combination of compost and good quality planting soil.

30 MinuteMom Magazine

YY What grows well in your area? How long is the growing season? Not everything grows well in all areas of the country and sometimes the growing season is too short to make it practical. Can you extend it with cold frames or starting seedlings under grow lights in the house? Perhaps you should consider buying young plants instead of seeds? Should you choose organic, heritage or hybrids?

YY If you use heritage seeds and/or want to save seed for next year (saving hybrid seed is not recommended), you will need special precautions and/or procedures to prevent cross-pollination between hybrids and heritage plants – even if your neighbor is the one growing hybrids. Organic seeds and plants can simply be those grown without the addition of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or potting soil mixtures – don’t pay extra to get organic when it may really make no difference – make sure you know what you are getting.

Suggested Gardening Books There are thousands of books on the market, but for you fellow bookworms, here are just a few suggestions: YY “The Backyard Homestead” by Carleen Madigan.

YY “How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits (and Nuts, Berries, Grains and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine” by John Jeavons YY “Kitchen Harvest: Growing Organic Fruit, Vegetables & Herbs in Containers” by Susan Berry YY “Square Foot Gardening” by Mel Bartholomew YY “Lasagna Gardening: A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens: No Digging, No Tilling, No Weeding, No Kidding!” by Patricia Lanza.

YY “McGee & Stuckey’s Bountiful Container: Create Container Gardens of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Edible Flowers” by R. M. Nichols-McGee & M. Stuckey YY “Microgreens: A Guide to Growing Nutrient-Packed Greens” by E. Franks & J. Richardson YY “The Sprouting Book: How to Grow and Use Sprouts to Maximize Your Health and Vitality” by Ann Wigmore www.AsAMom.org

Only at www.asamomestore.com YY On the other hand, if you have a long growing season, you may be able to plant more than one crop in the same space by planting in succession or planting two crops with two different maturity dates together. For example, plant leaf lettuce in section one, then also in section two several weeks later. When section one has been harvested, replant it with leaf lettuce or some other crop.

• Note: Plants will pull the nutrients they need from your soil and you may need to allow the soil to “rest” a season, add compost or fertilizer or grow and spade under a cover crop like vetch to enrich the soil.

YY What kind of food do you want to grow? Now is the time to send for and peruse the seed and gardening catalogs.

YY Choose reputable dealers – those from your own area may have varieties best suited for your region too.

YY Common choices include tomatoes, lettuce, green beans and cucumbers; but, consider kale, parsnips, Brussels sprouts and other interesting edibles too.

A variety is always nice, but the bigger your garden, the more planning you’ll need to do!

• Similar to the Preppers ’mantra, grow what you eat and eat what you grow. Growing enough tomatoes to feed the neighborhood is nice – if that’s what you had in mind – but if your family doesn’t even like tomatoes, you might consider switching to something else.

• Consider companion planting to maximize yield – corn, pole beans and squash (the three sisters) have grown well together for hundreds of years. You can plant a fast-growing crop with a slower-growth crop too. For example, I could plant radishes around the outside of a cabbage plant and the radishes will be ready to harvest long before the cabbage plant reaches maturity.

YY As you look through the catalogs, plan and do your research, make a list of other items you may need – stakes and string, plant markers, gardening utensils, seed starting materials, soaker hoses, pollination bags, etc.

As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

YY Raising your own food and going back to turn of the century practices could also include raising animals. Bees yield pounds of honey. Just a few chickens will get you dozens of eggs. There are advantages and disadvantages to both – along with rabbits, geese, ducks, goats, pigs, and cows.

The good news, of course, is that there is a type and/or style of gardening for everyone – from traditional gardening to growing mushroom spores in your basement – and one or more of them will be just perfect for you!

Happy Gardening and Best Wishes for a Bountiful Harvest!

Auntie Anne grew up on a 5-acre “hobby farm” in northwest Indiana, near where she still resides. A proud alumnus of Purdue and Boston Universities, she has a Masters in Finance and spent over 40 years in the accounting & banking world before retiring. An avid “Prepper,” she is very concerned with recent political events and the future we seem to be creating.

February 2012 31

Keeping Our Religious Freedom When I was given this topic, I was excited.

Since rededicating myself to our Lord Jesus Christ in the summer of 2010, religious persecution (the concept of a persecuted Church) has become one of several precious interests of mine.

I eagerly sat down and wrote a draft - but it didn’t flow. It lacked life. I didn’t like it. I dragged my heels about trying again. I was confused – why couldn’t I write a good piece on a great topic that is near and dear to my heart, and why did it seem that I did not want to do it anymore? Deadline looming, I forced myself to sit down and do more research.

We know that God has His own timing, and that we are to be faithfully and confidently patient. Sure enough, there was a good reason for the writer’s block: the week I ‘sat down’ to do more research, the US Supreme Court thwarted the Obama administration’s plan to establish a State religion! THIS is what He wanted this piece to be about, to serve as a warning to all believers.

The enemy of totalitarianism has always been the church. Christians have typically been the ones to defeat and to confuse as they are the obstacles on any dictator’s path to totalitarianism.

Anyone whose primary loyalty is to God instead of government is a threat and must be neutralized.

Totalitarianism is a master and servant relation32 MinuteMom Magazine

ship, with the ruler/government set as a false god and the citizenry as its devoted obedient worshippers. That arrangement is not consistent with Christianity. But… if the State could get church leaders to teach believers that it IS consistent with Christianity, then there would be no resistance. For whoever controls the messenger also controls the audience. The question is, how can the State accomplish that goal? In the USA, the answer is to revoke the Church’s right to self governance. That is exactly what was attempted in the Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission case. http://www.deseretnews. com/article/700214420/Supreme-Court-rejectsObama-administration-arguments-in-mostimportant-religious-freedom-case.html?pg=1 The original dispute was whether or not a teacher/minister could sue the church for discrimination/wrongful discharge (due to the concept of ‘ministerial exception’, the government cannot appoint church leaders and cannot be involved in church governance so the lower court dismissed the teacher’s complaint). Once it reached the Supreme Court and Obama’s Department of Justice attorney took control, the argument morphed into “the ministerial exception virtually didn’t even exist under the Constitution.” www.AsAMom.org

Photo Courtesy of morguefile

By Susan payson

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 

               

Paperback: List $12.99 - $11.00 Audio Book: List $24.99 - $20.00 Audio only downloads also available: www.longingforeden.com

So what? Well, if the DOJ had won the case, then no religious body (church, entire denominations, charities, etc) would have the right to choose its own leaders, ministers, or representatives. There would no longer be a firewall to protect the Church from being controlled by the State, because if you can control the leadership, then you can also control the organization itself. And remember, if you can control the messenger then you can control the audience - by perverting the religious teachings to align with totalitarianism, be it communism, socialism, or sharia – and by blurring the line between right and wrong (right becomes wrong and wrong becomes right).

This is chilling. Most of us think of the ridicule that Tim Tebow receives as evidence of losing our religious freedom, but it is not. No one has stopped Tebow from praying or speaking about his beliefs.

He still has his full right of religious expression.

The ridicule is disgusting, but it is not illegal.

While we read about the sorry state of American sportscasters, President Obama was quite literally trying to abolish the First Amendment – right under our noses. This truly was an attempted coup!

This was what the Founders warned us about, and so wisely were able to protect us from today with As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

wording so clear that even the most liberal Justice on the current Court could not deny it! The Supreme Court unanimously decided against the DOJ. With no involvement from you or me, our Constitution – inspired by God – was hard at work protecting us. As Justice Roberts wrote in his opinion, “The Establishment Clause prevents the Government from appointing ministers, and the Free Exercise Clause prevents it from interfering with the freedom of religious groups to select their own.” Also, “Requiring a church to accept or retain an unwanted minister, or punishing a church for failing to do so, intrudes upon more than a mere employment decision,” Roberts wrote. “Such action interferes with the internal governance of the church, depriving the church of control over the selection of those who will personify its beliefs.”

Realize that this is not the only tool being used in an attempt to suppress the church and to silence Christians. The NDAA, or National Defense Authorization Act, was a tremendous blow to every person’s civil liberties. It appears to allow authorities to arrest and to indefinitely imprison, without legal representation, any person, foreign or US citizen, if identified to be a February 2012 33

TRENDY WEB & GRAPHIC DESIGN FOR HIP BUSINESSES TM

[ [

Managers of The912-Project.com site WEB DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT WEB SITE RE-CREATION & DEPLOYMENT WEB CONSULTING GRAPHIC DESIGN Special packages for AD CREATION As A Mom Members!

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NETFUSIONSTUDIOS.COM Jason Roberts, president

* also serves on the 9/12 Project board

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jroberts@netfusionstudios.com

terrorist or suspected terrorist. http://www.naturalnews.com/034538_NDAA_American_citizens_indefinite_detainment.html This puts a target on the back of every American as a potential enemy of the State. How does this apply to the First Amendment and religious persecution? People who refuse to accept the surrender of their inalienable rights and all other Constitutional protections to the government could be labeled terrorists. Generally speaking, Christians would not submit willingly or quietly.

Church pastors and lay preachers would potentially go first. Then the TEA partiers, 9/12’ers, and Liberty members, especially the religious ones, would theoretically be next.

and by being aware of current events. Dig for your rights. Read, for example, http://www2.ed.gov/ Speeches/08-1995/religion.html. Christians have been denied their rights of religious expression in public school for years, and we all thought that was just the way it was. We see other faiths getting what appears to be ‘special treatment,’ but when you read this document you realize that that is not true. What is true is that some entity has singled out Christians to persecute and that Christians themselves have been lazy and complacent in accepting it. Go to www.gtbe.org to learn what you can do in your home state.

Demand your rights while you still can. Find out how to derail the NDAA. Dig for supporting documents and network with people who can argue against the NDAA in courts of law or other friendly government entities. Teach your children. Trust the Lord. That is our best shot at remaining free.

Footnote-helpful definitions

This is not a study in paranoia, dear reader.

Detention of religious dissidents is how it was done under Hitler and Stalin, and it occurs today in China, North Korea, and the Middle East. Do yourself a favor and visit this web site http://www.be-a-voice.net/qry/bv_home.taf?_ function=about&_nc=4af999112a85c7fb6d8512 cfd66347f3. It is a real eye opener to the travails of current religious persecution around the world.

Take advantage of their free book offer ‘Tortured for Christ,’ a diary of the torture and murder of the Christian church in post WWII Romania.

How did it happen? The Soviets had control of the country, and claimed the authority to label citizens as enemies of the communist state and to indefinitely detain them while denying them legal representation. Sounds like the Soviet version of the NDAA. It is beginning. We thought it was limited to the discrimination of Christian public school students and the removal of nativity scenes from government buildings. Turns out it is much, much worse. Do not be distracted from the evidence of the true battle raging. How do we keep our religious freedom? By knowing our history As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

*What is freedom of religion?

Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any religion.[1] The freedom to leave or discontinue membership in a religion or religious group —in religious terms called “apostasy” —is also a fundamental part of religious freedom, covered

by Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.[2] ~Wikipedia *What is the First Amendment? http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/First_amendment In a nutshell, it keeps the government from establishing a state religion and guarantees individuals and groups the right of religious expression. It also is meant to prevent the government from persecuting a religious body and/or individual members of a particular religion.

Dr Susan Payson is a wife and homeschooling mother of two. Board certified in Emergency Medicine, writer for the Warren County TEA Party, and President of Greater Lebanon Right to Life.

February 2012 35

YYFounding Mothers

Founding Mot hers

By Carrie Christiansen

Four delegates were chosen to represent the colony of New York by signing the Declaration of Independence.

All were men of prosperity, fortune, and social standing with everything to lose by being vocal members in the fight for independence. Not only were the signers, marked men with a price on their heads, but their wives and homes were specifically targeted by the British to send a message to the rebels and to set an example for all American colonists.

New York was not a good place to be identified as an American patriot. Before the Revolution, popular New York opinion was extremely reluctant to support American independence. The colonists generally had a fine relationship with the British officials and representatives stationed there; consequentially, it was the last of the 13 colonies to sign the Declaration of Independence. No sooner had the Declaration been signed than the British defeated the Continental Army in the Battles of Long Island, Fort Washington, and Brooklyn.

The Continental Army had to retreat and the British Army occupied New York until the end of the war in 1783.

Christina Ten Broeck, the least unfortunate of the aforementioned wives, married Philip Livingston in 1740. They had nine children. Philip Livingston was a member of the first Continental Congress in 1774, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and is remembered in history as “a leader of the crusade for American liberties.” Soon after the signing, the British Army seized his Albany property. Christina escaped with her family and was unable to return home for two 36 MinuteMom Magazine

years. Soon after, in 1778, her husband died of a sudden illness at 62. She spent her widowed years living with her daughters’ families and died at 82 in 1801.

Mary Walton married Lewis Morris in 1749. She was part of a family of NY merchants so notable and wealthy they were cited in Parliament as an example of the wealth of the Province. They had six sons and four daughters. Lewis Morris was one of the first public men to openly counsel resistance to the British and in 1775 was elected to the second Continental Congress. He was placed on a committee chaired by General Washington that was in charge of devising ways and means to supply the colonies with weapons and ammunition.

He was also charged with gaining the allegiance of the Indians, who were loyal to the British at the time. Morris signed the Declaration of Independence, despite warnings of the consequences and knowing there was a large British army and armed ships within canon shot of his estate at Morrisania. Mary and her family had to flee their home when it was attacked by the British army. Their house was ruined, more than 1000 acres of forest was burned, the farm was left to spoil and their livestock were driven off. Mary spent more than six years living away from their home, suffering many privations. When the British Army left NY, and Morris was retired, he and his family returned to Morrisania to restore their wrecked estate. Mary died at 67 in 1794 and Lewis at 72 in 1798.

Hannah Jones was the wife of William Floyd. They had three children. Due to her husband’s involvement in Congress and many issues affecting colonial rights and www.AsAMom.org

Wikipedia

The Founders’ Wives of New York

freedom, she was accustomed to managing his affairs.

The British took possession of their valuable plantation as soon as the American troops withdrew from Long Island. Hannah was able to bury the family silver before escaping with her family and a few neighbors to the north shore, sailing to Connecticut for safety. She spent the rest of her life, until 1781, essentially in hiding. Her death, at just 41 years of age is attributed to the stresses, exposure, and hardships she suffered during her last five years. Their plantation suffered such severe damage that when Floyd retired from Congress after peace in 1783, he chose to start over on an unbroken tract of land along the Mohawk River instead of attempting to repair his estate.

The most dramatic story of these four is that of Elizabeth Annesley, wife of Francis Lewis. They were married in the late 1730s and of their seven children, only three survived infancy. Lewis was adventurous and successful in foreign trade and navigation. He traveled to Europe and Russia, suffered shipwreck off the coast of Ireland twice, and was captured by Indians only to be sent to France as a prisoner until being returned to NY in an exchange. Elizabeth endured stresses and separation from her husband yet stayed a strong woman and supportive wife. Lewis didn’t enter politics until 1774 at age 61 and was soon considered one of NY’s “leading radicals.” He was a member of the Sons of Liberty association, a delegate to the second Continental Congress, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

In 1775, he moved his family to his grand estate on Long Island, which would soon show to be a mistake.

After the Declaration was signed, a party of British horsemen destroyed his home and took Elizabeth prisoner. For months she endured purposefully negligent treatment by the British; little food, no changes of clothing, no bed, and was kept in isolation. She was not released until General Washington ordered the house arrest and threatened the similar treatment of the wives of the British Paymaster-General and the Attorney General of Pennsylvania. Elizabeth’s health As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

never fully recovered and she died in 1778, just two years later. Lewis, whose wealth was entirely lost in the war, lived in near poverty until his death in 1802, at 89 years.

All of the women previously included in this Founders’ Wives series were patriots, doing their part to support the fight for American independence; from managing a life in poverty like Elizabeth Adams, to caring for injured soldiers in the war camps like Martha Washington. But the stories of these four New York women are especially impressionable to me; they lost everything, were driven from their homes, and the experience was so harrowing that two of these women never recovered. They are a harsh reminder of not only the sacrifices made, but the utter hardships and consequences suffered by those who supported the creation of our republic.

Now nearly 236 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, our modern lives seem to have very little in common with those of 18th century American colonists and the historical heroes, our Founding Fathers. It has been such a thrill learning about the families of some of these exceptional men.

Focusing on the role their wives and families played has made the people involved actually relatable, their struggles and goals more personal, and the freedom they ultimately won for us more precious. As a result, I am more inspired to stay informed of the challenges and threats we face, to learn more about American history, and to look for opportunities to exercise patriotism in my life. I hope you are, too.

Carrie Christiansen is a Seattle native, now residing in Loveland, CO. She earned a B.S. degree in Animal Science from Montana State University, which she now puts to good use as a wife and stay-athome mom of two young children.

February 2012 37

YYIn Your State State News from AAM Groups February Presidential Primary/Caucus Information With thanks to Stacy Finch, Rachel KS CM, Jeff Krump, and Cindy Pugh And special thanks to Wiki and to The Green Papers http://tinyurl.com/7b2g9fo Background information and previous elections for primaries, caucuses and states’ participation can be found in the Jan 2012, Dec. and Oct. 2011 MinuteMom Magazine editions. http://issuu.com/minutemom As A Mom has shown the earliest known political activity in each state.

To make the greatest impact on your state elections, it is suggested that interested individuals be involved as early and as often as there are opportunities to make a difference. Often these are at straw polls, at mass meetings, conventions and early caucuses as listed by state and by party.

WISCONSIN Republican Caucuses February-April Wisconsin Republican

• District Caucuses: February - April • Primary: Tuesday 3 April 2012 • Delegate Selection: Winner-Take-All (by district and statewide), Polling hours 7:00a CST (1300 UTC) to 8:00p CST (0200 UTC).

• Voter Eligibility: Open Primary • 42 total delegates - 10 base at-large / 24 re: 8 congressional districts / 3 party / 5 bonus

Delegates for the national Republican Convention will be held in caucuses from February through mid April.

Allocation for candidates will take place in the State Primary in April.

Please check the calendar at http:// www.wisgop.org/ for details on your county.

Wisconsin Democratic

• Primary is in April.

• State wide office elections Aug. 14,

NEVADA 38 MinuteMom Magazine

Nevada Republican

• Precinct Caucuses: Saturday 4 February • County Conventions: Saturday 10 March - Saturday 17 March 2012 (tentative) • State Convention: Saturday 5 May Sunday 6 May 2012 • Delegate Selection: Caucus/Convention • Voter Eligibility: Closed Caucus • Voter Participation: Party members • 28 total delegates - 10 base at-large / 12 re: 4 congressional districts / 3 party / 3 bonus

The 2008 Republican Nevada Caucus Mitt Romney won the precinct caucuses with 51% of the vote while Ron Paul finished a distant second with 14% of the vote. Eventual nominee, John McCain, finished with 13% of the vote. He and other candidates chose to campaign in South Carolina instead.

Information on Nevada Republicans: http://www.nevadagop.org/ For further information on Nevada elections and to see the Democratic schedule, please see Minute Mom Magazine, Jan. 2012 Edition http://tinyurl.com/7gxy3xp • State wide office elections June 12,

MAINE Maine Republican

• Municipal Caucuses / non-binding straw poll: Saturday 4 February - Saturday 11 February 2012 • District Caucuses and State Convention: Saturday 5 May - Sunday 6 May 2012 • Delegate Selection: Caucus/Convention • Voter Eligibility: Closed Caucus • Voter Participation: Party members • 24 total delegates - 10 base at-large / 6 re: 2 congressional districts / 3 party / 5 bonus

Maine Democrat

• Municipal Caucuses: Sunday 26 February 2012

• State Convention.: Saturday 2 June Sunday 3 June 2012 • Delegate Selection: Caucus/Convention • Voter Eligibility: Closed Caucus • 37 total delegate votes - 20 district / 7 at large; 4 Pledged PLEOs; 6 Unpledged PLEOs

The Maine Republican caucus is a modified closed caucus. New voters and voters who have not declared a party may register as Republicans 30 minutes before the caucus begins. Otherwise, a voter must have been registered Republican 15 days before the caucus.

In addition, those who turn 18 by the general election are eligible to register at the caucus site. The delegates chosen at the caucuses are actually non-binding; this means that they will not be bound to any specific candidate.

Like most Republican Party caucuses, there are two components to the Maine caucuses. First, delegates are elected from the attendees. These delegates later represent the caucus goers at the state convention. Candidates generally provide slates of delegates to voters who are interested in supporting them, and voters can ask prospective delegates whom they support for president. Then, a straw poll, called a presidential preference ballot, is taken of the individuals in the room.

It is the state convention which determines who actually goes to the National Conventions. Even after the state convention, all Republican delegates remain unbound to any candidate. Maine Republican Information is at http://www.mainegop.com/ For Democrats, unlike most other caucuses, there was no 15-percent minimum threshold, as long as a candidate had enough votes to elect a whole delegate after rounding. Delegates are pledged but not bound to their candidate. At the state level, delegates were www.AsAMom.org

A Review Of Terms: YY binding: delegates must vote for a certain candidate until released by that candidate YY non-binding: candidates may, at further conventions, change their votes, depending on viability YY proportional: delegates must vote in proportion to the percentages received non-proportional or “winner take all” YY viability: a term for having a minimum percentage of votes for a candidate required to have them proceed in the caucus/convention race. The viability percentage is often 15%.

YY delegates: look at the number of delegates from each state and look to see if they are bound or not when looking at possible outcomes from the National Convention. Many states lost one half of their voting strength (delegates) to the Republican National Convention due to holding their primaries early**.

Since caucuses are non-binding, this rule did not hold true for caucus states.

YY brokered convention: there are not enough delegates to support a “win” for one candidate on the first vote.

The pledged delegates are released from their candidates and can vote for anyone they choose. Before the era of presidential primary elections, political party conventions were routinely brokered. Adlai Stevenson (1952 D) and Thomas Dewey (1948 R) were selected for the Democratic National Convention; these delegates were bound. Information for Democrats in Maine at http://www.mainedems.org/ In 2008, Romney took 51.67% of the delegates chosen by Republican caucus; Obama took 59.3% of the Democratic vote.

State wide office elections June 12, 2012 MISSOURI Missouri Republican

• Non-binding Primary: Tuesday 7 February 2012 • County Caucuses: Saturday 17 March • Congressional District Conventions: Saturday 21 April 2012 • State Convention: Saturday 2 June 2012 • Delegate Selection:Caucus/Convention, • Polling hours 6:00a CST (1200 UTC) to 7:00p CST (0100 UTC).

• Voter Eligibility: Modified Caucus • 52 total delegates - 10 base at-large /

As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

the most recent “brokered convention” presidential nominees. The last winning U.S. presidential nominee produced by a brokered convention was Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1932. For the Republicans this year, the number of delegates needed is 1144.

YY PLEOs: The Democratic Party has what has been termed “Superdelegates” or PLEO’s- Party Leaders and Elected Officials who are non-pledged going into National Convention.

Third party candidates are generally elected at Conventions only. Please look at your own state’s Secretary of State’s or voter information website to find links to viable Third Parties for your state.

Please be aware that there is voting going on the US territories also. For example: the Northern Marianas Republicans will have a caucus for 9 delegates on Feb. 11, 2012.

For more information on the entire schedule of all states and all territories please go to The Green Papers at http:// tinyurl.com/7lypf2d **”No primary, caucus, or convention to elect, select, allocate, or bind delegates to the national convention shall occur prior to the first Tuesday in March in the year in which a national convention is held. Except Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada may begin their processes at any time on or after February 1 in the year in which a national convention is held ...” [Rules of the Republican Party. Rule 15(b)(1)]

24 re: 8 congressional districts / 3 party / 15 bonus

Missouri Democrat Presidential Nominating Process

• Primary: Tuesday 7 February 2012 • Congressional District Conventions: Thursday 26 April 2012 • State Committee: Saturday 5 May 2012 • State Convention: Saturday 9 June • Delegate Selection: Proportional Primary, • Polling hours 6:00a CDT (1100 UTC) to 7:00p CDT (0000 UTC).

• Voter Eligibility: Open Primary • 102 total delegate votes - 58 district / 19 at large; 12 Pledged PLEOs; 13 Unpledged PLEOs

The Republican Presidential Primary has no effect on the delegate selection for the caucuses and Conventions.

There is no formal system applied in the County Caucus to relate the presidential preference of the County Caucus delegates to the election of delegates to

the District and State Convention. The delegates in attendance at each caucus alone determine if presidential preference is to be a factor and, if so, how it is to be applied. Actual delegates for candidates will be chosen at the Congressional District Conventions and these will be binding unless released by the candidate. At large delegates will be pledged to candidates at the State Convention.

Information for the Missouri Republicans can be found at http://www.mogop.org/ Information for the Missouri Democrats can be found at http://www.missouridems.org/ The primaries for state wide elected officials will be held August 7, 2012.

COLORADO Colorado Republican

• Presidential Nominating Process February 2012 39

• Precinct Caucuses: Tuesday 7 February • County Assemblies before: Wednesday 28 March 2012 • District Conventions: Thursday 29 March - Friday 13 April 2012 • State Convention: Saturday 14 April • Delegate Selection: Caucus/Convention • Voter Eligibility: Closed Caucus • 36 total delegates - 10 base at-large / 21 re: 7 congressional districts / 3 party / 2 bonus

Colorado Democratic • Held in March

Historically both the GOP and Dems held their Caucuses on Super Tuesday, which this year is Tuesday, March 6th.

Caucus is for state-wide elections only.

As the only state wide election this cycle is for President (and CU Regent at Large), there is not much going on with the Demcratic caucus as their candidate is not being challenged.

The GOP moved up to Feb 7th to be early in the process and be in the mix when the GOP candidate is decided if that happens early.

Delegates to the county assemblies are determined at caucus. Delegates to the state convention are voted in at the county assemblies. Delegates to the National Convention are voted in at the respective state conventions. The caucus is a non-binding straw vote just for President.

The state meetings are only conventions in presidential election years.

Mid-term elections the state party has an assembly.

The primary on June 26th is for nonstatewide elections. US House, state house & senate etc. Both parties have their primary the same day but a voter must be a declared member of the party to participate.

Information for the Colorado Republicans can be found at http://www.cologop.org/ MINNESOTA Minnesota Republican

• Precinct Caucuses / non-binding straw poll: Tuesday 7 February 2012

40 MinuteMom Magazine

• BPOU Conventions: Friday 17 February - Wednesday 21 March 2012 • District Conventions: Saturday 14 April - Saturday 21 April 2012 • State Convention: Friday 4 May - Saturday 5 May 2012 • Delegate Selection: Caucus/Convention • Voter Eligibility: Open Caucus • 40 total delegates - 10 base at-large / 24 re: 8 congressional districts / 3 party / 3 bonus

Minnesota Democrat Presidential Nominating Process

• Precinct Caucuses: Tuesday 7 February 2012 (tentative date) • Precinct Caucuses: Tuesday 6 March 2012 • State Convention: Saturday 2 June Sunday 3 June 2012 • Delegate Selection: Caucus/Convention • Voter Eligibility: Open Caucus • 107 total delegate votes - 59 district / 20 at large; 12 Pledged PLEOs; 16 Unpledged PLEO’s

Minnesota is a ‘Caucus’ State. The Republican Caucus will be held on Tuesday, February 7th [the 1st Tues. in Feb]. The procedure is run like IA. Each Precinct will meet at 7PM, participants will have an opportunity to present ‘Resolutions’ to the Party Platform, and participants will vote each up or down. Delegates will be Elected to the ‘BPOU’ [Basic Political Operating Unit - basically the greater County

area] Convention and a vote will be cast by each attendee for our nominee for President of the United States.

All have to be present to participate; there is no ‘absentee’ voting or voting by proxy.

The vote is ‘non-binding’ ... like a ‘Straw Poll’, actually. In fact, National Delegates who will represent MN and cast votes for President in Tampa at the National Convention will be elected at each of the 8 Congressional Conventions in March/April and the remaining At-Large Delegates will be elected during the MN State Republican Convention in May. The Democratic Caucuses are run in a similar manner and have a viability requirement. While Hillary Clinton was very far ahead in polls prior to the caucuses, Barak Obama won the caucuses by a 2:1 ratio.

Primaries for state wide elected officials will be held August 14, 2012.

Information for Republicans can be found at http://www.mngop.com/index.asp Information for Democrats-farm labor party can be found at http://dfl.org/ WYOMING Wyoming Republican

• Non-binding straw poll: Thursday 9 www.AsAMom.org

February - Wednesday 29 February 2012 (tentative) • County Conventions: Tuesday 6 March - Saturday 10 March 2012 • Convention: Thursday 12 April - Saturday 14 April 2012 • Delegate Selection: Caucus/Convention • Voter Eligibility: Closed Caucus • 29 total delegates - 10 base at-large / 3 re: 1 congressional district / 3 party / 13 bonus

Dates for Republicans:

• 15-16 February: Fremont County • 18 February: Lincoln County • 21 February: Big Horn County Caucuses • 28 February: Park County Precinct Caucuses

Wyoming will hold its closed county conventions March 6th-10th with a non-binding straw poll 10-25 days before each county convention. Wyoming does not elect or bind delegates until the state convention so therefore does not violate the RNC “super Tuesday rule” and will be allowed all 29 delegates. Approximately 980 country precinct committeemen and women were elected in the August 2010 priAs a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

mary elections and are eligible to vote for the National Convention delegates.

Wyoming’s 23 counties are paired up, while each county chooses a delegate, they alternate between delegate and alternate every cycle. The delegates are not officially bound by the presidential preference but are asked by state party law which candidate, if any; they will cast their vote for at the national convention unless the candidate releases them. In April the state convention is held in Cheyenne where the remaining 17 delegates are chosen, 12 being chosen at county level plus the 3 party leaders. Again, delegates are asked before the votes are taken, which candidate they will vote for. The three party leaders attend the national convention as unpledged.

Wyoming decided on following the RNC rules this year, as Colorado looks to be a battleground state and is caucusing on the same day; Wyoming hopes to build on that energy. However, Wyoming’s caucus will go on into the weekend since many voters find it hard to meet on a weeknight. State

GOP Chairwoman explained “That’s in calving season”. Party central committee members considered breaking the rules again this year, Hooper said, but ultimately decided against it because having fewer delegates would reduce Wyoming’s representation on important convention committees, such as the Rules and Platform committees.

Wyoming Democrats

• Caucus on April 14, the same day as Democratic caucuses in Idaho, Kansas and Nebraska

In 2008, candidates Mitt Romney and Barack Obama won the state in the earlier county conventions.

Ultimately, Wyoming has 3 electoral votes up for grabs and is polled as likely GOP. State wide elected officials primary will be held August 21, 2012 More Republican information can be found at http://wygop.org/ VIRGINIA Virginia Republican February 2012 41

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Join me in sharing in the commitment of caring and community.

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Let’s all make a difference - one woman at a time.

• Local Mass Meetings, Party Canvasses, Conventions: Wednesday 15 February - Tuesday 1 May 2012 • Primary: Tuesday 6 March 2012 • District Conventions: Friday 11 May Saturday 26 May 2012 (tentative) • State Convention: Saturday 16 June • Delegate Selection: District: WinnerTake-All Primary, Statewide: if winner receives a majority Winner-Take-All Primary otherwise Proportional Primary, • Polling hours 6:00a EST (1100 UTC) to 7:00p EST (0000 UTC).

• Voter Eligibility: Open Primary • 49 total delegates - 10 base at-large / 33 re: 11 congressional districts / 3 party / 3 bonus

Virginia Democrat

• Primary (only 1 candidate qualified primary cancelled): Tuesday 6 March 2012 • Congressional District Conventions: Saturday 12 May - Saturday 26 May • State Convention: Saturday 9 June • Delegate Selection: Proportional Primary, • Polling hours 6:00a EST (1100 UTC) to 7:00p EST (0000 UTC).

42 MinuteMom Magazine

Look around… under couch cushions, in the dryer, under the dresser… Lori’s kids would like to point out that children’s piggy banks are off limits… and donate your extra change! * Your donations are very much appreciated, however they are not tax deductible.

• Voter Eligibility: Open Primary • 123 total delegate votes - 69 district / 23 at large; 14 Pledged PLEOs; 17 Unpledged PLEOs

The Virginia Democrat Primary has been cancelled since only one candidate qualified.

Virginia does not register voters by party preference so all primaries are open.

The election of the actual National Convention delegates (who will be formally pledged according to the results of the Virginia Republican Primary) begins with local meetings held in each independent city and county of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The State Party Plan requires each independent city and county Republican Party to hold a Mass Meeting, Party Canvass or Convention to select delegates to the congressional district conventions and state convention and to elect local Party officials The State Party Plan specifies the organization of the state party and

how candidates will be selected. The 79-member State Central Committee sets the policy and plans for the party between larger State Conventions, which gather at least once every four years.

Candidates for elective office can be selected by (1) mass meetings, (2) party canvasses, (3) conventions, or (4) primaries. A mass meeting consists of a meeting where any participants must remain until votes are taken at the end.

A party canvass or “firehouse primary” allows participants to arrive anytime during announced polling hours, cast a secret ballot, and then leave. A convention includes a process for selecting delegates, and then only the delegates may vote. Mass meetings, party canvasses and conventions are conducted by party officials and volunteers. Primaries are administered by the State Board of Elections at all established polling places. Because Virginia does not have party registrations, participation in primaries are open to any www.AsAMom.org

register voter regardless of party. However, on June 15, 2006, the Plan was amended to redefine a primary: “Primary” is as defined in and subject to the Election Laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, except to the extent that any provisions of such laws conflict with this Plan, infringe the right to freedom of association, or are otherwise invalid.

The candidate selection process has been criticized as favoring “party insiders” and disfavoring moderate candidates. For example, both Jim Gilmore and the more moderate Thomas M. Davis were seeking the 2008 Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. However, two weeks following the decision that the candidate will be selected at a convention instead of a primary,[3] Davis announced that he would not seek the nomination.

Virginia demands that candidates have 10,000 valid signatures for placement on the Republican Primary ballot.

All candidates were informed in October of this requirement and advised to obtain 15,000 signatures to make absolutely sure they had the required number of valid signatures. Only two candidates met this requirement; Mitt Romney had over 15,000 signatures and Ron Paul has slightly less than 15,000 but well within the threshold of error. http://rpv.org/ Democratic delegates must be aware: All delegates shall in good conscience reflect the sentiments of the presidential candidate to whom they are pledged in that candidate’s caucus on the first ballot at the district convention and again at the State Convention.

State wide primaries for elected officials will be June 12, 2012.

MISSISSIPPI Mississippi Republican

• Primary Will Be March 13, 2012

Mississippi Democrat

• Precinct Meetings: Saturday 18 February • County Conventions: Saturday 10

As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

March 2012 • Primary: Tuesday 13 March 2012 • Congressional District Conventions: Saturday 31 March - Saturday 28 April • State Convention: Saturday 26 May • Delegate Selection: Proportional Primary, • Polling hours 7:00a CDT (1200 UTC) to 7:00p CDT (0000 UTC).

• Voter Eligibility: Open Primary • Voter Participation: Party members • Voter Affiliation: Voter registration does not include party affiliation • 45 total delegate votes - 26 district / 9 at large; 5 Pledged PLEOs; 5 Unpledged PLEOs

Saturday 18 February 2012: Precinct Meetings begin at 10:00 AM local time. The purpose of the precinct meetings are to elect delegates to the County Convention. No person shall be required to state presidential preference at the precinct level. Contact Mississippi Democrats at http://msdemocrats.net/ GEORGIA Georgia Republican

• Precinct Mass Meetings: Saturday 18 February 2012 • Primary: Tuesday 6 March 2012 tentative) • Precinct Mass Meetings / County Conventions: Saturday 10 March 2012 • District Conventions: Saturday 14 April 2012 • State Convention: Friday 18 May Saturday 19 May 2012 • Delegate Selection: District: WinnerTake-All or top two; Statewide: Proportional, • Polling hours 7:00a EST (1200 UTC) to 7:00p EST (0000 UTC).

• Voter Eligibility: Modified Primary • 76 total delegates - 10 base at-large / 42 re: 14 congressional districts / 3 party / 21 bonus

On Feb 18 all counties with 80,000 or more in population hold mass meetings to vote for delegates only. Smaller counties can chooses to meet now or on March 10th.

On March 6th the vote for candidates is done by polling and at that point the

delegates that were previously voted for are BOUND Each district gets 3 delegates. If there if a winner with 50% they get all 3 delegates. If not the winner gets 2 and second place gets 1.

31 delegates are proportionally allocated with a minimum of 20% to receive these delegates. The 3 RNC leaders are allocated to the winner of the state vote.

The delegates voted in on March 10th are also BOUND by the March 6th polling.

The National Convention delegates are elected April 14th and May 18-19,

by District and state convention respectively.

They are bound by the Presidential Preference vote held March 6th.

More information on Georgia Republicans: http://www.gagop.org/ State wide elected officials primary will be July 31, 2012.

ARIZONA Arizona Republican

• Primary: Tuesday 28 February 2012 • District and Country Conventions: Sunday 1 April - Saturday 21 April 2012 (tentative) • District Caucus and State Convention: Saturday 12 May 2012 • Delegate Selection: Winner-Take-All, • Polling hours 6:00a MST (1300 UTC) to 7:00p MST (0200 UTC).

• Voter Eligibility: Closed Primary • 29 total delegates - penalty: 50% of 58 [10 base at-large / 27 re: 9 congressional districts / 3 party / 18 bonus]

Arizona Democrat

• Presidential Nominating Process • Non-binding Primary: Tuesday 28 February 2012 • Congressional District Caucuses: Saturday 31 March 2012 • State Convention: Saturday 21 April • Delegate Selection: Proportional Primary, • Polling hours 6:00a MST (1300 UTC) to 7:00p MST (0200 UTC).

• Voter Eligibility: Closed Primary • 80 total delegate votes - 46 district February 2012 43

/ 15 at large; 9 Pledged PLEOs; 10 Unpledged PLEOs

Arizona Presidential Preference Election or Primary will take place on February 28th 2012, with a registration deadline of January 30, 2012. Arizona holds a closed primary so only registered Party members can cast their vote.

All 29 of Arizona’s delegates to the Republican National Convention are pledged to the presidential contender receiving the greatest number of votes in the Primary. The state was penalized 50% of its delegates by moving its Primary before “Super Tuesday,” a rule implemented by the RNC. The state considered losing its delegates a fair price to pay for getting the state the recognition it deserves by being a diverse population that is “a good bellwether of the country,” and “deserves to play a meaningful role in the selection of the Republican Party’s nominee in 2012.”

In 2008, John McCain won the Republican Primary with 47% of the vote.

In 2008, Hillary Clinton won the Arizona Democratic Primary with 50.3% of the vote as opposed to Obama’s 42%.

More information on Arizona Republicans: http://azgop.org/ More information on Arizona Democrats: http://azdem.org/ State wide primaries for other elected officials will be August 28, 2012.

MICHIGAN Michigan Republican

• Primary: Tuesday 28 February 2012 (tentative) • County Conventions: Thurs. 3 May 2012 • Congressional District Caucuses / State Convention: Friday 18 May Saturday 19 May 2012 • Delegate Selection: District: WinnerTake-All or top two; Statewide: Proportional, • Polling hours 7:00a EST (1200 UTC) / 7:00a CST (1300 UTC) to 8:00p EST (0100 UTC) / 8:00p CST (0200

44 MinuteMom Magazine

Electorate Education UTC). Relatively small portions of this state are in CST and so the vast majority of the polls are closed by the time indicated EST, when the networks feel they can project.

• Voter Eligibility: Closed Primary • Voter Affiliation: Party affiliation is changed • 30 total delegates - penalty: 50% of 59 [10 base at-large / 42 re: 14 congressional districts / 3 party / 4 bonus]

Michigan Democrat

• Non-binding Primary: Tuesday 28 February 2012 • Precinct Caucuses: Saturday 5 May 2012 • District Conventions: Saturday 2 June • State Central Committee: Saturday 23 June 2012 • Delegate Selection: Proportional Primary, • Polling hours 7:00a EST (1200 UTC) / 7:00a CST (1300 UTC) to 8:00p EST (0100 UTC) / 8:00p CST (0200 UTC). Relatively small portions of this state are in CST and so the vast majority of the polls are closed by the time indicated EST, when the networks feel they can project.

• Voter Eligibility: Open Caucus • 203 total delegate votes - 122 district / 41 at large; 20 Pledged PLEOs; 20 Unpledged PLEOs

In moving their primary to February, the Michigan Republicans forfeited 50% of their delegates. To compensate, they chose like many other states, to have a “winner take all” delegate pledge.

In 2008, Mitt Romney took the state in the primary but by a small margin which was viewed as a loss for him as his father had been Michigan Governor. John McCain came in second in that race.

The Democratic National Committee determined that the date of the Michigan Democratic Primary violated the party rules and ultimately decided to sanction the state, stripping all 156 delegates and refusing to seat them at the convention. Despite this, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the primary could go ahead as scheduled.[2] The DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee later met on May 31, 2008, and agreed to seat all of Michigan’s delegates with each delegate having only receive half a vote.[3] As a result of this compromise, Michigan had 78 votes at the convention. On August 24, the delegates had full voting rights restored.[4] On December 10, 2007, the Michigan Democratic Party issued a press release stating that the primary would be held on January 15, 2008, and that the Democratic ballot would contain only six choices: Hillary Clinton, Christopher Dodd, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Uncommitted, and Writein.[12] The press release also urged supporters of Biden, Edwards, Obama and Richardson to vote “uncommitted” instead of writing in their preferred candidates’ names.[12] In order for any such write-in votes to be counted, those candidates would have needed to file additional paperwork by January 4, 2008. None did so.

A comprehensive review of the voters and the votes for the Democratic candidates and how it eventually played out can be viewed at http://tinyurl.com/6rnjxt Primaries for state wide elected officials will be August 7, 2012.

Information for Michigan Republicans: http://www.migop.org/ Information for Michigan Democrats: http://www.michigandems.com/

www.AsAMom.org

YYAs Seen on AAM How Are You “Feeling” About The November 2012 Election?

This discussion isn’t really about any one candidate. It’s about generalities. I ask how are you “feeling” about the General Election because I thought I would like to gauge the atmosphere from where you are sitting in the country today. There was a time, not too long ago when I thought the Republicans were sitting in “the catbird seat”. The fact that President Obama’s numbers were so low and the economy doing so poorly, I thought there was a definite possibility he would be looking for a new job next year. I thought the House would stay in the in the “R” column, but I heard someone on Fox the other day say that is not a given. I also was hoping to gain seats in the Senate, so if President Obama does win the election, as least we would have a “firewall” in place to block some of the “grow government” legislation that could come our way, if he does get four more years (the very thought gives me pause). What I am feeling today as I watch and hear all

the ugly politics going on in Florida, is that we are shooting ourselves in the foot. I have heard the theory that all this nastiness is good, because whoever comes out of this Primary season will be stronger for it. I don’t know, I am thinking sometimes after a fight for your life (albeit your political life) that you just may come out of it the winner, but mortally wounded. A mortally wounded creature is always prey for a predator.......

I live in Ohio. A swing state. A bellwether state. We vote on March 6--Super Tuesday. 66 delegates up for grabs in a winner-take-all primary.

My city of Columbus is basically Dem country, so the atmosphere around here doesn’t feel to inspiring. The Dem’s are going to fight for Ohio, no doubt about it. President Obama has been here once, and Vice-President Biden has been here twice already this month. It’s going to be a long year. Sigh.

According to USA Today, in a poll last month from Quinnipiac, Gingrich and

Romney narrowly beat Obama in this state. I am not optimistic. All our State elected official’s are Republicans, and that may help. However, we had an ugly battle over SB5 (collective bargaining law) this last year. The law passed but was overturned in the November 2011 election. Because the “unions” won a big victory here, I believe they will feel empowered to make a huge difference for the Dem’s in November of 2012.

This is causing a “feeling” in my neck of the woods that Obama has a real chance here in Ohio, and if he can win here, he can win it all, IMO. We have Senator Sherrod Brown (D) up for reelection this year. He is one, if not the most Liberal Senators in Congress.

If Obama wins here, it’s a given Brown will too. Yikes!...

Read more and join in the conversation at: http://tinyurl.com/6wvggep

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More Hot Topics ...

Remarks in Recognition of International Human Rights Day--Hillary Rodham Clinton Recently I read this speech given by our Secretary of State gave this past month in Switzerland. We need to look at how the US is using our tax money to effect foreign nations by perpetrating myths and furthering a social agenda and further destroys the institution of the family. if you haven’t read today’s Newscap do so as the family institution is under fire from all areas.

According to the Huffington Post Hilary Clinton’s speech has been made into a music video by the State Department. I am not going to imbed it here.

I did not see the State Department’s logo however so I am not sure if they As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

are correct on the source.

This speech also ties in to this White House Presidential Memorandum -International Initiatives to... released the same day.

The things most disturbing to me include.....

Join in at: http://tinyurl.com/7gx54ft

February 2012 45

YYAs A Family

SINCERITY- 9/12 Value Abraham Lincoln was a man of great sincerity. He did many kind acts for people for one reason only--in his heart, he deeply cared about them. This is one of his stories: A poor little drummer boy, pale and delicate, and only thirteen years old, came one day with many others to see the President. The President spied the little fellow in the crowd and kindly said, “Come here, my boy, and tell me what you want.” The child went up to him and leaning against his arm-chair said timidly: “I have been a drummer boy two years in one regiment; but my colonel got angry with me and turned me off.

I was taken ill, and have been in the hospital a long while. Today is the first time I have been out, and I have come to ask you to do something for me.”

The President inquired of the child very kindly where he lived. “I have no home; my father died in the army, and my mother, too, is dead,” said the poor boy, bursting into tears. “I have no father, no mother, no brother, no sister, no home, nowhere to go; nobody cares for me,” he sobbed in great distress. The President’s eyes were full of tears; he said, tenderly, “Can’t you sell newspapers, my child?” “No,” replied the boy, “I am too weak, and the surgeon says I must leave the hospital, and I have no money.” The President was much affected; he did not speak, but he took a card from his pocket and wrote on it special directions to certain officers to care for the poor little drummer boy. The child’s pale face lighted up with a joyous and grateful smile when he received the card, and he felt that he had one friend in the world, the good President.

Questions: What is Sincerity?

How did President Lincoln show sincerity?

How did the little boy feel?

When you show sincerity how do you feel?

How can you show sincerity to others?

Note to parents starting this month the As a Family will trasition from the 9/12 values to the George Washington Challenge.

Kids contribute to this page by sending your ideas to editor@minutemom.org 46 MinuteMom Magazine

www.AsAMom.org

photo courtesy of wikipedia.org

Taken from The Story of Lincoln for Children by Frances Craven (1898) (Found in the Freedom Series at gardenofliberty.org)

Diligence And Faith

Of the 102 passengers who crossed the ocean on the Mayflower, 39 of them were children. Life was very hard for our Pilgrim fathers in the New World. During the first winter, more than half of them died.

The captain, seeing their distress and sufferings, offered passage back to England for anyone who wanted to return.

No one in the group took up the offer. You see, they had set their sights on a new life of freedom and with great diligence, they were determined to succeed no matter what it cost them.

They started building homes and planting crops while hunger was their constant companion. They grew thin and weak. By the third season, they had high hopes of a large crop. They desperately needed a bountiful harvest or they might starve to death. The corn had been carefully set with fish, like the Natives had shown them. They anxiously looked to the sky for signs of rain. But day after day and then week after week passed by–not a single drop of water.

The sun scorched overhead and the corn started to wither away.

Now it was the middle of July. They faced losing the entire crop -- how would they survive through the coming winter? They had done all that was humanly possible. Listen to the words of their leader, William Bradford, who tells us what they did next: “...they set apart a solemn day of humiliation, to seek the Lord by humble and fervent prayer, in this great distress. And He was pleased to give them a gracious and speedy answer, both to their own and the Indians’ admiration that lived amongst them. For all the morning, and greatest part of the day, it was clear weather and very hot, and not a cloud or any sign of rain to be seen; yet toward evening it began to overcast, and shortly after to rain with such sweet and gentle showers as gave them cause of rejoicing and blessing God. It came without either wind or thunder or any violence, and by degrees in that abundance as that the earth was thoroughly wet and soaked and therewith. Which did so apparently revive and quicken the decayed corn and other fruits, as was wonderful to see, and made the Indians astonished to behold. And afterwards the Lord sent them such seasonable showers, with interchange of fair warm weather as, through His blessing, caused a fruitful and liberal harvest, to their no small comfort and rejoicing. For which mercy, in time convenient, they also set apart a day of thanksgiving . . .”

They never faced hunger again after that day. Through diligence and faith, our Pilgrim fathers tamed the new world and inspired courage in others who followed their lead.

“Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produce by His hand that made all things of nothing...and, as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation.” –William Bradford

Marlene Peterson

(Read more about the Pilgrims in The Stories of the Pilgrims from the Freedom Series at gardenofliberty.org.)

Diligence Faith As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

Questions: What is diligence?

What is an example of faith?

How do you feel when you complete a hard task?

What can you do diligently this month?

How can you increase your faith?

February 2012 47

The Save the Constitution - Read It! Campaign is not a group or a program.

It is an Attitude.

The purpose of Save it! Read it! is to encourage patriots everywhere to do two things: 1. Commit to reading The Constitution and review it often.

2. Encourage others to read the Constitution.

We have received challenges to read and defend the Constitution of the United States of America from various sources. All of us must commit to reading the Constitution of the United States of America and review it often. Only by understanding the principles upon which our government was founded can we recognize Constitutional abuses and be able to step up and stop that abuse.

The Save the Constitution - Read It! Campaign started as an extension of the Patriot Pin Program developed by As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots to encourage patriots everywhere to save the principles of the Constitution of the United States of America.

Classroom packs of 25 bookmarks are available from www.AsAMom.org Pins, Pendants and bumper stickers are at www.asamomestore.com

www.SaveItReadIt.org Š2010 As A Mom...A Sisterhood of Mommy PatriotsŽ www.asamom.org