Best of MinuteMom 2011-13

MinuteMom 2013 Special Edition

Special Best of Edition

Are you a 9.12er?

Education:

a history of how we got to this

United Nations Prepping

The Best of all Minutemom Articles

YYFrom T he Board Welcome Dear Moms and Moms-at-Heart, Four years ago, the nation witnessed the birth of the 9.12 movement. As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots has been a part of that movement for most of that time.

As a Sisterhood we have shared and educated each other as we move towards our goal of “empowering Moms and Moms-at-Heart in preserving our Constitution, country and children’s future.” For the past two years MinuteMom Magazine, a free online magazine, has been one of the tools we have used to accomplish this goal.

Like everything else at As a Mom..., this magazine is a labor of love. It is only possible with help of patriots like you. As you browse back issues at www.minutemom.org you will notice works from many contributors and many groups. We invite you to share your talents in writing, art and photography with us in future issues.

Hope you enjoy some of our favorite articles from the past two years in this special ‘best of ” edition.

photo L.. Parker

Lori Parker Chairman and Co-founder As a Mom… A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots® Inc. www.asamom.org www.minutemom.org

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MinuteMom Magazine 2013 Special Best of MinuteMom Edition

Features 6 Are you a 9.12er?

The 9.12 Project was inspired by who we were as Americans on the day after the most devastating attack on our nation’s soil.

By Yvonne Donnelly, The 9.12

24 Genealogy of the Constitution A visual look at the history of the Constitution.

26 Getting Back to the Basics A new year is the perfect time to double check the food storage area for proper preparation.

Project National Chair

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By Karen (Grainlady)

28 Stewards of Liberty What amazes me even today is that these brave souls have sacrificed in every way imaginable.

By Kami Watkins

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10 Becoming MinuteMom I saw in my mind an army of Minutemoms standing up to fight against the tyranny of today. I saw the moms across America ready at a minute’s notice.

14 The Agenda 21 of Education When our children return to school this year, many parents will find that there is something else new and it’s called the Common Core Federal Curriculum.

By Sherry Marquelle & Melissa Smith

18 Pro-family Victory at UN Obama’s Radical Sexual Agenda Ruins UN Negotiations!

By Sharon Slater, President of Family Watch International

32 Take A Stand… For Religious Freedom If this attack on the first of our rights, our Religious Liberty, is allowed to stand, no faith, no freedom will be secure..

By Barbara Samuells, President 9-12 super Seniors

34 The US Constitution: A Primer- Part One Many of the items we all rightfully get angry about are directly caused BY perversions of the Constitution.

By Catherine G. White

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38 Patriot Political Preparedness Being prepared to defend what you believe.

By Susan Payson

42 AAM University Presents... special Report Pull out section on the thoughts behind modern education.

by Diana Learn, As a Mom... Director of Education

56 February Financial Fast What can you learn about your spending habits. What can you save?

By Anita Reeves, AAM Vice-President

60 THE REAL WAR: Our Principles and Values Go down each of the 9-12 principles and values and find a war raging against each of them.

By lori parker, President As a Mom...

Publisher: As a Mom...

A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots.® Inc. www.AsAMom.org Editor Kami Watkins Associate Editor Cee Hinkle Art Director Lori Parker MinuteMom Magazine is published 4 times a year

by As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots, Inc. MinuteMom Magazine is available free, on-line.

Copyright © 2013 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.

Departments

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

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

Welcome

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Values Hope…The Anchor of Light

30 Founding Mothers A Founder’s Wife & Daughter: Deborah Read Franklin & Sarah Franklin Bache

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Mom’s Minutes Reach Out, It Matters So Much The Power of Prayer Common Core... Our Cultural Wars

41 Country Our American Flag… Symbol of Freedom

65 As A Family The Adventures of Mailable Molly 4

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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...

Are you a Graphic Artist using Quark or InDesign? Volunteer to be part of our Team.

For more information contact editor@minutemom.org. www.AsAMom.org

Calling All Writers!

MinuteMom Magazine is looking for article submissions. If you think you have what it takes to articulate your thoughts well on important topics relevant to our Country, Constitution or our Children’s future, then why not write for the MinuteMom Magazine?

We have published great articles from Mom’s and Mom’s at heart, just like you.

We welcome authors, bloggers and writers with a passion to submit articles, original short stories, poetry, opinion pieces, as well as prepublished material.

Please e-mail editor@minutemom.org for submission guidelines.

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Best o Septembefr 2011

By Yvonne Donnelly The 9.12 Project National Chair www.the912-project.com

Illustration by L. Parker

The 9.12 Project was inspired by who we were as Americans on the day after the most devastating attack on our nation’s soil; when on 9/12/2001 we came together as “One America” and were not concerned about each other’s political party, religion, or skin color. We were united in our grief and relied on the principles and values that made us the greatest nation in the world.

As 9.12ers, we believe in a strict interpretation of the provisions found in the U.S. Constitution. Also, we are dedicated to the following 9 Principles and 12 Values. See if you agree with at least 7 of the following 9 principles: YY 1. America is good.

YY 2. I believe in God and He is the center of my life.

YY 3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.

YY 4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.

YY 5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.

YY 6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.

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

YY 7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.

YY 8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.

YY 9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

Since most of the principles speak for themselves, I’d like to concentrate on a just a couple of the nine, because while most people would agree with them, it is more important to actually live them.

Take principle #1 - America is good.

Everyone would agree America is good. But if you question what has made us good or think to yourself, “America is good but…”, read no further. You’re not a 9.12er.

What made us good is our belief in the Constitution, in the freedoms laid out by our Founding Fathers, and in the idea that ours is a land of opportunity. It means in America Special Edition 2013

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everyone, no matter who we are, has an equal shot at making our own wealth and, if we choose to, can decide with whom we want to share it -- which is Principle #7. What it does not mean is that America is good, if we all share in the wealth created by others.

Next, consider principle #9 - The Government works for me; I do not answer to it. Again, most people would agree; we don’t answer to the Government. But our actions speak louder than our words. We find ourselves on the perpetual slippery slope of merely going along with what the Government tells us is in our best interest, without ever questioning it. Take for example taxes, specifically property taxes. I used to live in Monroe County in Western New York – an area with the nation’s highest property taxes (which was based on a percentage of each home’s assessed value). The people in that county should be taking to the streets every weekend in protest. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a nice place, but it’s not Beverly Hills or South Beach.

We need our citizens to be better educated as to what “We the People” actually means.

We are constantly being given the opportunity to give our power away and we do so willingly. As parents and caretakers we allow the school system to control what is going on with our children instead of doing it ourselves. For example, I had a conversation with a friend recently about the school calling to tell her that her 12 yr. old son had posted “inappropriate statements” on his Facebook page. I asked my friend if this had happened during school hours. It hadn’t. So I questioned why it was the school’s business. She replied, “Well, I want the school to inform me of this behavior“. Really? Here’s an idea. You, not the school, monitor what your son posts on Facebook! Stop relying on the system, the Government. And if you agree 8

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with the concept of putting the power back on the parent, you’re a 9.12er. (Another idea might be that your 12 yr. old shouldn’t be on Facebook, but I digress).

Now, our 12 Values: Honesty, Reverence, Hope, Thrift, Humility, Charity, Sincerity, Moderation, Hard Work, Courage, Personal Responsibility, & Gratitude.

9.12ers feel that our values are what shape our character as good citizens, and we work everyday at following them -- again, not just talking about them, but actually living them.

Somewhere along the line we stopped teaching, or at least stopped following, the values that most of us were taught by our parents.

9.12ers recognize the need to turn back to our core principles and values in order to help restore the Republic to what it was intended to be. We truly believe that if everyone exercised these principles and values everyday, we would have a better tomorrow. And we hope that by demonstrating these values ourselves, others will follow.

Values are not a political belief for those in the 9.12 Project. It isn’t about being a Democrat or Republican. Personally, I’ve spent time on both sides of the aisle. In fact, I spent more time on the left than the right.

As a student at Colorado State University, I studied social work because I recognized that there are those that need a “hand up” in our society. However, I soon realized while working in the system, that it was all about a “hand out” instead.

Our country was created by individuals who came here and worked hard. They pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, dusted themselves off and got down to business because they recognized that this is the land of opportunity. Think about the hard work and sacrifice that your parents, grandparents www.AsAMom.org

Principle 1: America is good.

Take control of your child’s future.

Teach them our history.

The Exclusive 9/12 Project Youth Program ConstitutionalChampions.org and those before them endured to make it in this country. Then ask yourself if you’re living up to their standards.

Yes, espousing these values can be challenging.

Take the attribute of moderation as an example.

Some of us live beyond our means, then complain about our situation and expect others to feel sorry for us, and the government to bail us out. The simple answer is to live without the stuff. I’ll bet your children would rather you spend time with them instead of slaving away to provide more stuff.

And if you’re thinking that’s easier said than done, I disagree wholeheartedly. Do the math, evaluate your life and live more moderately. You’ll be surprised at what you won’t miss and your children will learn what’s really important in life. It may not be easy, but it will be worth it.

Finally, remember that an important goal among 9.12ers is to reconnect with our communities. Join a group and/or volunteer for an organization that is meaningful to you. Educate yourself As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

and then teach your children about the history of our country; about our Founding Fathers; about the role of the three branches of our government and the details of our Constitution. Our country has moved away from these basic teachings but we can change that.

The 9.12 Project was launched to bring us back to a place where we know our history, exercise our principles and values, and get to know our neighbors once again. Let us not require another attack on our great country to be a reminder of who we used to be.

Yvonne Donnelly is a professional Coordinator of Volunteers with 25 years of experience working in notfor-profits. She is currently the Chair of The 9.12 Project, a volunteer-based grassroots organization connecting communities thru education, service and dedication to the 9 Principles and 12 Values that members commit to live in their daily lives. www.the912-project.com

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e B co

By Anita Reeves

As a Mom... Co- founder and National Vice-President

ming

In the first few days of our new organization I found myself pondering how much difference we moms could make. Could we turn the tide? Could we really do what needs to be done?

After processing numerous member applications, reading the comments you, our soon-to-be new members wrote, I was energized. The commitment was evident; the flame of freedom was burning brightly in your hearts.

Continued reflection found me contemplating the revolutionary period of our country’s history.

I thought of the many challenges faced by the

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colonists and remembered the Minutemen. I love this part of our history! The Minutemen militias were specially trained groups ready at a minute’s notice to fight against threats to the safety of the settlements’ citizens. The threats to safety came to include the advances of the King’s troops and the tyranny which jeopardized the liberty and peace of the residents. These men were ready to lay down their lives and were truly invested in the future of their land and people; perhaps that is why they recognized the cause of truth and chose to take a stand.

m o M e www.AsAMom.org

Design Lori Parker

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

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I pictured a young family in the evening darkness just sitting down to a fireside dinner when a call to assemble is heard. The young wife stands, anxiously wringing her hands in her apron. The strong and calloused father rises and moving quickly to the corner of the small room, grabs his musket and pouch. He allows himself a brief glance at his wife and their sleeping baby while snatching his tri-cornered hat off the peg. The woman brushes a kiss on his cheek as he opens the door. He runs to answer as she tenses at the sight of his shadow fading into the night and wipes at the tears running down her face. The scene is one of tenderness and courage. They stood against injustice. Their sacrifice made a difference in my life.

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Next I saw in my mind an army of Minutemoms standing up to fight against the tyranny of today. I saw the moms across America ready at a minute’s notice to run out to a protest, sit down at a corner desk to send an email, or call a representative.

I saw moms giving minutes to the fight. I saw a brighter future. I saw us, me and you, being the difference.

Take time to look at your life and evaluate what you need to have at the ready. Do you have the names, numbers, addresses and email addresses of all your elected officials waiting at the ready? Do you have good sources for truthful information? Have you become familiar with major bills and dissected them based on principles? Have you prepared talking points so you are able to articulate your views and propose solutions to the problems? Do you have a good method for vetting candidates?

Take some time today to see if there are any gaps in your preparation. I believe as moms we hold the future in our hands everyday and it is up to us to rise and course-correct our deviant path as a nation.

It will be moms who have the courage to stand up for the basic principles of honesty, integrity, work and responsibility.

The early colonial Minutemen made an enormous impact at a crucial time in the opening of the Revolutionary War by standing up for right and inspiring others to join them. And I believe Minutemoms are the difference today that will rescue our nation from its threatened predicament and save our constitutional foundation.

My admiration for the colonial Minutemen shaped me into the extremely patriotic woman I am today.

I still remember asking myself at a very www.AsAMom.org

Molly Who? As a Mom…members are familiar with the silk screen illustration based on C.Y. Turner’s 1907 mural painting of Molly Pitcher, which was created for AAM by Lori Parker.

Recently MinuteMom Magazine spoke with Lori about Molly.

Q. Why Molly?

A. Anita (Co-Founder) had a vision for a video of a woman morphing into a Minutemom. I wanted to create it for her, but video is beyond my skills. One of the early posts featured information on

Molly. She seemed like a natural icon to help tie us to our founding mothers and to use for As a Mom… Q. What was the inspiration?

A. I found pictures of C.Y. Turner’s work in several places, including a July, 1912 New York Times article, “Splendid Record of Daring Among American Women”. It stood out so boldly that I knew I wanted to use it for a silk screen t-shirt.

Q. Who was Molly Pitcher?

A. Molly is a composite of several

young age if I would have had the courage to stand up and take on the British. I asked the question over and over. I thought about the principles these men and their families must have lived by in order to resist tyranny. I asked myself if I too could live by those principles and fight for them if necessary. I resolved to try. That’s why I am here today. That’s why I email and call elected officials. That’s why I attend political meetings. That’s why I spend time studying political articles. That’s why I used all of my family’s mad money fund and went to Washington to voice my opposition to Obamacare. That’s why I spend hours on the computer working in this organization. That’s why I strive to instill in my children these same principles. That’s why when I contemplate the future of my oldest son, who is in the United States Air Force, I am proud and thankful, not fearful. That’s why I

Revolutionary War heroines. Mary Ludwig Hayes, Margaret Corbin and Deborah Sampson all vie for recognition as the real Molly Pitcher. I don’t think who she was, is as important as what she stands for--the determination to do the hard thing. As moms, many do not expect us to do the hard thing, but as Minutemoms we can and will help to save our country.

am so motivated to do everything in my power to keep liberty and freedom alive and at the forefront of all I do. That’s why I want to be fully prepared and ready to go at a minute’s notice.

Ralph Waldo Emerson paid tribute to the heroic Minutemen in a poem. The first stanza was then used on a United States postage stamp. It reads, “By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled; Here once the embattled farmers stood, And fired the shot heard ‘round the world.“ Being inspired by Emerson’s words, I penned a tribute to our Minutemoms: “By the desk, computer and phone, Their flag to freedom’s cry unfurled; Here the mighty mothers stand And carry on “the shot heard ‘round the world.”

Stamp wikipedia

Anita L. Reeves is a mother of eight. She is a graduate of Purdue University, a former homeschooler a past PTO treasurer, and PTA newsletter editor. She is a Master Gardener, a licensed ham-radio operator, and the administrator of a cooperative preschool.

She was a delegate to her State Assembly and is the Co-founder and former Vice-president of As a Mom… A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots, Inc. As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

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The Agenda 21 of Education When our children return to school this year, many parents will find that there is something else new and it’s called the Common Core Federal Curriculum.

Best ofber Septem12 20

By Sherry Marquelle & Melissa Smith

The Agenda 21

of Education

Does it sound like a good idea to turn our children’s education over to the same bureaucrats that run the Post Office? Is it a better idea to turn our educational system over to Federal arm twisting done to clueless State officials who were forced to sign onto a system without the details. I guess it’s true, the state has to agree to the standards before they get to see the standards, right?

When our children return to school this year, along with new supplies, backpacks, and teachers, many parents will find that there is something else new and it’s called the Common Core Federal Curriculum. Just like a pair of shiny new shoes, this national set of education standards will be unveiled to many for the very first time and sold as the latest 14 MinuteMom Magazine

greatest thing. The best we could hope for is that those shiny new shoes don’t hurt our feet too much! While the nation was preoccupied with our national debt, health care and many other high-profile issues, our current administration in collusion with the Department of Education has quietly and successfully taken control of America’s schools.

With very little public awareness and in some cases no public debate, Common Core will replace state education standards and testing. America’s educational system has always been locally controlled with input from parents, school boards, and state officials. But, that is now being replaced with a one-size fits all, top-down model, complete with federally funded tests. The tragedy will www.AsAMom.org

© Miflippo | © Photoroller | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

by Sherry Marquelle & Melissa Smith

come as parents realize that the standards are not being raised, but lowered dramatically.

Schools will also now be in the business of collecting massive amounts of individually identifiable student data, which will go into a state-wide longitudinal data base. Even more concerning, students will be individually tracked through their school years into the work force with everything from test scores, disciplinary actions, family data, and medical history. Because of a revision in policy regarding privacy coming from the Department of Education, this individual data can be shared with any other government entity without parental notification or consent.

Finally, parents will find that despite the rhetoric about school choice and vouchers, for the majority of students there will be only one choice - the Common Core. Whatever brick-and-mortar school your student may attend, Common Core mandates both curriculum and in many cases methodology.

Even Homeschoolers will feel the pinch!

“School Choice” and “Common Core” ironically go hand in hand. All schools-- private, charter, and eventually even home school will be forced to teach the Common Core Curriculum if they expect their children to be able to pass Common Core tests. And yes, homeschoolers will be mandated to take and pass the test as well.

Some parents may not be aware of the slick P.R. campaign being used to sell parents on the Common Core. Instead, they may stumble onto it and find out the hard way, when they realize that the math their children are bringing home has turned “fuzzy.” They’ll likely begin to ask why the failed “new math” of the 60’s has made a comeback. What they will find, if they do much digging, is that thanks to the Common Core State Standards, which have been adopted by 46 states, traditional math, textbooks, and math facts are As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

out. Group work, high tech computer-driven learning is in.

Parents who are able will have to remediate math skills by teaching traditional math at home or take their children to the nearest private tutoring service for instruction.

You see the fact that the Common Core Math Standards encourage the use of “fuzzy” math, is simply one of their many deficiencies. Another, is that Geometry is required to be taught by an experimental method, never used successfully anywhere in the world. In fact, this geometry methodology was abandoned in the former Soviet Union for its failure when used with math prodigy students.

Leading experts are sounding the alarm, proclaiming that under the Common Core, eighth grade students will be two years behind their international competitors in the area of mathematics. The quality of the final Common Core Math Standards is so poor that Stanford Professor James Milgram, the only content expert on the Validation Committee for the Common Core Math Standards, was unable to sign off on them.

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all, the logic implies that schools should be in the business of producing “human capital” and training students to fill the needs of big business. Therefore, time is better spent making sure they know how to read technical manuals, so they are prepared as “adequate entry-level workers for existing factory jobs.”

In case you wondered, much of the funding for the development of Common Core came from the Gates Foundation. Yes, that would be Bill Gates, founder of computer giant Microsoft. Sounds like a dream come true for techno-nerd education.

Just like with the Math Standards, parents will discover that the only content expert on the Validation Committee for the Common Core English Language Arts Standards, Dr. Sandra Stotsky, was also unwilling to sign off on the final product, calling the standards an “empty skill set”.

Some old enough to remember the early and mid 90’s, may recognize that the agenda for a federal takeover of America’s schools is not new.

Indeed, during the Clinton Administration National U.S. History Standards were released by the U.S. Department of Education. Lynne Cheney, who was the Chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts and Humanities at the time, exposed them as being so politically correct, that the U.S. Senate voted 99-1 on a resolution condemning their content. Republicans of the Common Core English/Language Arts at the national level were united in their oppostandards is on training students towards minsition and were successful at stalling the moveimum competencies, preparing them as docile ment, for the time being. workers, not on educating them as citizen leadAdvocates of this socialist model learned ers, critical thinkers and human beings. Why from their mistakes in the 90’s. For starters, should educators bother teaching children to they began with the subjects of Math and think big thoughts by exposing them to great English Language Arts Standards, rather than works of literature? with the potentially controversial subject of When the expectation is that our children History, but can it be far behind? Secondly, by will be widget-makers and data crunchers, running the creation of the standards through humanities education is viewed as a waste of private D.C. trade associations (the National time and a poor government investment. After Governors Association and the Chief Council 16 MinuteMom Magazine

www.AsAMom.org

MourgeFile

After pulling their hair out over the “new math,” parents may turn their attention to the Common Core English Language Arts Standards, in hopes that at least there, the curriculum will be better. What they will find is dumbed-down content and expectations.

Under the Common Core students will be able to graduate from high-school reading at a seventh grade level! English classes will have abandoned classic and creative literature in favor of studying “ informational texts.” The emphasis

of State School Officers), they could falsely claim to the American public that a federal take-over wasn’t afoot. However, no sooner was President Obama elected that he began talking about tying federal funds to the Common Core. Obama’s advocates had found their heavy stick, and it worked miracles.

In a very short time, 46 states had agreed to adopt the Common Core and with it the data gathering, dumbing-down of state standards, and a blank check for all future educational mandates.

The transfer of power began with the 2009 stimulus bill, which increased the Department of Education’s discretionary spending by 25,500 percent! With over $4.35 billion in federal funds to dangle in front of cash-strapped states, Obama effectively made Race to the Top funds contingent upon states adopting the Common Core Math and ELA Standards. In order to be competitive, states had to agree to sign onto the initiative before the standards were ever released. Once they were published, states had eight weeks in the middle of the summer to officially ratify them.

Concerned citizens may ask how legislators in so many states could have let such a thing happen. The answer is that most of them knew absolutely nothing about it and never cast a vote. Shockingly, this radical shift in power and abdication of authority was made by State Boards of Education, which in many states aren’t even elected. Advocates of the Common Core knew that allowing a public debate on this issue might doom their ship. They had to circumvent the difficulties inherent in the democratic process - and they did.

However, this is America. The truth is making its way out, and people in states all over the country are fighting back. Governors Palin (AK) and Perry (TX) had the good sense not to sign on to Common Core in the first place. Meanwhile, Governor McDonnell promptly withdrew Virginia once he realized what was at stake, and South Carolina’s Governor Haley is looking desperately for a way out. These are all encouraging signs that the fight to As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

retain local control of our schools is not a lost cause.

However, the most exciting thing happening is occurring at Tea Parties throughout Indiana, Utah, and a dozen other states, where they are making the defeat of the Common Core a number one priority.

This is truly an American Revolution with dissent emanating from the ground up.

In Utah, efforts have been so successful that the State Board of Education reversed itself and pulled out of the federal testing component.

Likewise, Patriots in Indiana are quickly making Common Core a dirty word with elected officials. To connect with other concerned citizens and to learn about grassroots opposition that may already be occurring in your state visit the Truth in American Education website at www.truthinamericaneducation.com. There you will find the most up to date information on this issue. The words uttered by President Reagan are true: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”

Ronald Reagan If Patriots don’t stand up and fight the Common Core today, they might just wake up to a very different America tomorrow.

Sources: 1. Written Testimony for a Hearing on Senate Bill 373: R. James Milgram, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor, Department of Mathematics, Stanford University, January 23, 2012 2. Controlling Education From the Top Why Common Core Is Bad for America:A Pioneer Institute and American Principles Project White Paper by Emmett McGroarty and Jane Robbins 3. Testimony for a Hearing on Indiana Senate Bill No. 373: Sandra Stotsky, Professor of Education Reform, 21st Century Chair in Teacher Quality, University of Arkansas, January 23, 2012 4. Comments On The Common Core Standards For Mathematics: June 2010 K-12 Final, Submitted by the U. S. Coalition for World Class Math http://usworldclassmath.webs.com/

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Best oifl Apr 2012

Pro-family Victory at UN Obama’s Radical Sexual Agenda Ruins UN Negotiations!

“Quick!” said a UN delegate, grabbing my arm, “The U.S. delegation is in the hallway trying to convince a group of delegates from developing countries that they should accept “comprehensive sexuality education” without recognizing the “right of parents!”

He immediately had my attention.

I was at the UN Commission on Status of Women (CSW) in New York with the Family Watch International [FWI] team trying to protect the family and family values during this critical meeting.

Family Watch Launches Petition/Campaign to Stop the Sexualization of Children At CSW our team, with support of youth from all around the world, had just launched our petition campaign calling on the UN and governments to stop the sexualization of children through dangerous “comprehensive 18 MinuteMom Magazine

sexuality education” programs.

We had been aggressively lobbying delegates all week asking nations not to accept provisions calling for “sexuality” education. We urged them to demand that the rights of parents to guide the sex education for their children be recognized in the three main documents under negotiation, one on combatting HIV/AIDs, one on preventing maternal mortality and the main document negotiated at CSW every year called “Agreed Conclusions.”

The schedule had been grueling, especially for developing nations that only had one delegate to cover the negotiations on each of the three documents. It was literally impossible for such countries to keep up. We know because we stayed up many of those nights analyzing the latest drafts, which were complicated and deceptive in the ways they tried to promote an anti-family agenda. www.AsAMom.org

Photo Courtesy of un multimedia

By Sharon Slater President of Family Watch International www.familywatchinternational.org

Obama Administration Blocks Provisions Recognizing Parental Rights, Religious and Cultural Values Negotiations on the maternal mortality resolution were being completely controlled by the U.S, since it was their original resolution to begin with. But to everyone’s surprise, the U.S. unilaterally stopped the negotiations. They then produced a new text which was supposed to be a compromise text. While the text still contained most of the controversial anti-family elements like paragraphs calling for “sexuality education” for children and “reproductive rights” for both women and girls, they had removed the key provisions calling for recognition of parental rights and respect for national sovereignty and religious and cultural values.

The U.S. arrogantly refused to put these provisions back in, clearly showing the Obama administration’s contempt for parental rights, religious and cultural values, and displaying great disrespect for the positions and views of many other member countries.

Fortunately for me, due to lack of space, the UN had kicked the delegates out of the room where nations had been engaged in intense closed negotiations on this U.S.-led resolution, ostensibly aimed at preventing maternal mortality. The reality was that the resolution appeared to be just an excuse to promote the radical feminist agenda internationally to appease Obama’s supporters.

Laurie Phipps was the lead negotiator for the U.S. delegation, and as I came upon her in the hallway she was explaining in a very patronizing way to delegates from developing countries why the “right” of parents did not need to be mentioned in the paragraphs regarding sexuality education and a “right” to sex education.

I was fuming.

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I pushed my way through the delegates and challenged her exclaiming that the majority of Americans firmly believe that parents have the “right” to guide the education of their children and that she was abusing her mandate to represent the American people.

I exclaimed that the Universal Commission on Status Declaration on Human Rights also recog- of Women Opens 56th Session nizes this “right” of parents and that what she A wide view of the was doing was wrong and she was not repreGeneral Assembly Hall senting the views of the American people. at the opening of the She was taken aback and finally asked me fifty-sixth session of what delegation I was with. I told her I was the Commission on an American citizen and that Americans the Status of Women (CSW). On screen is would be ashamed of what she was doing.

Marjon V. Kamara, PerShe demanded that I leave telling me that I manent Representative was interrupting “intergovernmental” nego- of Liberia to the UN and tiations. While I backed off, I continued lis- Chair of the fifty-sixth tening from a distance. session.

U.S. Promotes Abortion Under the Guise of Reproductive Rights Ms. Phipps then began to tell the delegates in her patronizing voice, as if she were speaking to school children, that she had no idea why people were saying that “reproductive rights” included abortion because clearly they did not and that it was very important to have such a reference in the document.

It was all I could do to restrain myself from challenging her again. Instead, I waited until she was done and as the delegates walked away I informed them that Ms. Phipps was intentionally misrepresenting the facts because she knew full well that her boss, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a Congressional hearing admitted that the Obama administration considers even the weaker term, “reproductive health,” to include abortion, let alone “reproductive rights.”

Special Edition 2013 19

write articles and do press conferences to let his people know that what is coming out of the UN is not consensus but rather policy made by manipulation, blackmail, coercion I had also overheard Ms. Phipps firmly say and deception. He reported having been there was no chance for any further changes shoved out of the way by a U.S. delegate as he to the maternal mortality resolution despite was trying to explain to a fellow African delthe fact that numerous controversial proviegate how harmful comprehensive sexuality sions remained. It was clear that the U.S. education is and why it needed to be opposed. was going to coerce the developing countries (and it is now common to blackmail them Holy See Delegate Calls the U.S. to with the threat of withdrawal of aid money), Account for Promoting Controversial to get “consensus” on their highly controver- Agendas that Hurt Women and Children sial resolution.

These excerpts from the official statement of the delegate from the Holy See upon the adoption of the U.S. resolution on maternal mortality seem to eloquently capture the feelings of many delegations: “My delegation notes with grave concern various agendas which were being advanced during the negotiations regarding so-called “reproductive rights . . . ,” “Language contained with the ICPD A number of delegations were extremely Programme of Action affirms respect for upset by the U.S. manipulation and strong- religious and ethical values. Regrettably, the arm tactics. Caught off guard by the U.S. main sponsor failed to allow a paragraph to actions, African nations whose lone del- affirm these principles which respect conegates were overwhelmed with the other science and the freedom of religion . . . ” “It is the sacred and solemn responsibilnegotiations going on, especially their own resolution under negotiation to combat HIV/ ity of parents to care for their children and AIDS, were unable to stop the U.S. from no one—including the state—has a right to declaring consensus on the maternal mortal- advance an agenda which does not respect the ity document. My guess is many counties natural moral law. The attempt on the part of did not even have a chance to read the docu- the main sponsor [the U.S.] of the text to not ment before it was adopted. This certainly did recognize the prior and primary responsibilinot improve the way that much of the world ties, rights, and duties of parents regarding their children, is disrespectful of the nature views the U.S. In reality there was no consensus on the of marriage and the family and undermines radical provisions in the document, and a international law. . .”

“The advancement of an agenda which pronumber of African countries subsequently motes “sex education” and artificial contrawithdrew their co-sponsorship from it.

One African delegate was so angry he said ception to children, and completely disregards he was going to go back to his country and their parents’ involvement, is antithetical to U.S. Through Coercion and Manipulation Achieves “Consensus” on Their Resolution

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“A number of delegations were extremely upset by the U.S. manipulation and strong-arm tactics.”

the role of the state which has the responsibility to promote the common good of the family and society. . . ” “It is tragic that the present resolution is clouded by various attempts to advance the aforementioned agendas which are contrary to respect for human life.”

U.S. and EU Exploit AIDS Pandemic to Promote Controversial Sexual Rights.

A mother and her U.S. handled the maternal mortality resochildren smile and make lution that thankfully, they did the almost funny faces for the camFortunately for those of us who want unthinkable—they stood up to the U.S. and era inside their home in to protect the family and family values the the small town of Clay the EU. They refused to accept the proviU.S. shenanigans and manipulations on the Ashland, Liberia. sions promoting sexual rights which included maternal mortality document began to backcomprehensive sexuality education for chilfire. The developing countries had had quite dren. They refused to come to consensus enough of the U.S. bullying and refused to even though it meant that their own resoluaccept controversial anti-family provisions in tion was thrown out. I think everyone was the HIV/AIDS resolution, especially after in shock. it became quite clear that the U.S. and the European countries were bent on using the U.S. Obsessive Focus on Sexual HIV resolution to promote sexual rights and Rights Ruins Negotiations Causing Main Document to be Thrown Out especially the LGBT agenda.

In fact, I think it was the last straw when By that time, delegations had to focus on the EU proposed a provision promoting the the main document “Agreed Conclusions.” controversial International Guidelines on The African voting bloc, feeling the power HIV/AIDS and Human Rights. This awful they had to refuse the demands of the develdocument says that to combat AIDS, nations oped countries, continued to strongly refuse must legalize same-sex marriage, abortion, to accept the unacceptable. They determined prostitution and comprehensive sexuality again that no document was better than a bad education for children. Please note that the document and made it clear that they would U.S. delegation also announced in their briefno longer be bullied by the Western countries ing that they were supporting the reference to and especially by the U.S. these controversial guidelines yet again.

In the end it was the U.S. that ruined the main CSW document, which was supposed African Countries Stand Up to the to have the objective of helping rural women U.S. and Refuse to Back Down overcome poverty. The U.S. had again tried The resolution to combat HIV/AIDS to turn that document into a radical feminist became stacked with controversial U.S. and document and were refusing to recognize the EU proposals that actually promote the des“right” of parents, demanding sexuality educatigmitization of the highest risk behaviors for tion and also demanding language promoting spreading AIDS. The African and Islamic “modern contraceptive methods” and multiple delegates were so upset with the way the references calling for “access” to contraceptives.

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Special Edition 2013 21

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.

Almost twice as many Americans watched the Superbowl than are registered to vote.

75% of potential voters are not registered to vote.

Be a Mollytician and make sure your friends are registered to vote.

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

22 MinuteMom Magazine

The U.S. delegates also refused to allow the reference to “reproductive rights” to be placed in a context that would limit its meaning to make it hard for it to be used to promote abortion. They said they had “instructions” not to come to consensus unless all of their demands were met.

So in the end the main document had to be thrown out too, all because of the U.S. obsessive focus on sexual rights.

CSW 2012: A True Victory for the Family All in all CSW was a great pro-family victory because the developing countries, especially the African Group, stood up to the U.S. and the EU when it really counted, not just in a statement but in action—refusing to accept the unacceptable. This will put them in a position of strength in the future as everyone will now know they mean business when they say they can’t accept something.

Some people wonder why the U.S. is losing popularity worldwide. Could it possibly be because internationally, the Obama Administration is pushing initiatives to advance a radical sexual rights agenda that they would never dare push in the U.S.? Remember, President Obama recently issued a directive to U.S. embassies and agencies saying that the U.S priority is to promote LGBT rights even in countries like Pakistan, and in African countries with the highest HIV rates. At CSW we saw firsthand how the Obama Administration is clearly making enemies right and left by trying to force a radical sexual rights agenda on the developing world.

Sharon Slater is the author of Stand for the Family: A Call to Responsible Citizens Everywhere. For the past ten years, Sharon has been leading pro-family advocacy teams at the United Nations. She is the president of Family Watch International www.familywatchinternational.org, an organization that works to protect the institution of the family. She is a wife and mother of seven.

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YYValues

Best Octobeorf 2011

Hope…The Anchor of Light

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What better relief from despair can we have, than to exercise hope.

Despair brings darkness while hope brings light. Hope is that flicker of light in our hearts, encouraging us to press on. It is that shining beacon that invites us to continue on our path to something more promising. It invites the spirit of happiness, gratitude and a bright outlook on the future.

Hope is trust and confidence in God’s promises. Its fruits are the expectation and belief that something better is ahead. In Hebrews 6:19, we read, “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast...” Sure and Steadfast! Confident and immovable like an anchor. Strong enough to keep us bound to a certain standard or course. This anchor of lightthis hope- is connected by the links of trust, belief and optimism to our hearts. Once removed we will drift and float amid the stormy waters seemingly alone in despair!

Is there any better time than now, when hope is absolutely necessary to abide the storms ahead? There are catastrophes upon this continent and abroad that require the hope of noble women and men to bring light where there is otherwise impending darkness. We have the

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ability as women to alter the course for humankind in our very actions and deeds, and it all begins with a renewed outlook on any situation or circumstance. We can bring hope like a beam of light that pierces the heart, to those that are drowning in despair, conflict and sorrow.

Here at As A Mom... we have examples of this, as I’m reminded of the beginnings of the Blankets, Books and Buddies program. When AAM founder Lori Parker took a trip to Joplin, Missouri on the heels of last spring’s devastating tornado in that town, she carried with her the simple gifts of blankets, books and stuffed animals. And she experienced firsthand the joy that came from seeing the recipients experience a renewed sense of hope.

B, B &B has offered something uplifting and positive to residents in Alabama, Mississippi and other states as well. And now New York and Vermont are on the list of those in need.

When there is a crisis and you ask yourself, “What can I do?” the answer is simple. Offer hope!

We offer hope when we share a loaf of bread with a neighbor; as we take notice of someone in need; as we share our experiences on prepping, take the time to share a smile

or kind word; as we make a lasting difference in people’s lives. There are countless ways we can serve one another, and the best way in which to do this is to get outside of ourselves and show the brightness of the future. That is the essence of our faith in God and the result of true charity. These three sisters, faith, hope and charity are the fruits of each other, while their nemeses are doubt, despair and selfish inaction.

These sister virtues, faith, hope and charity work best unified and undivided. As do we. If we are to receive the full benefit of faith, we must hope for it. If we are to receive the benefit of hope, we must have faith in it. If we are to exercise true charity, both faith and hope must abide in order to deliver the selfless act of kindness. All require positive action and outlook.

Let us all change our mindsets to things of a brighter future. Let us be confident and immovable in bringing light and joy to those in need. Let hope be the “anchor of our souls,” as we endeavor to fulfill our destinies as women, to bring light and renewed confidence to our nation and its people.

—Kami Watkins , CA

Special Edition 2013 23

Genealogy of the Constitution based on Writings of Krisanne Hall and w. cleon skousen ~ created by MM staff

Our Founding Fathers did not invent our government out of nothing. They relied on thousands of years of the human experience as inspiration and patterns to follow. These are just a few of the concepts and documents that are in the Constitution’s Family Tree.

Moses- Concept Of Representative Government by setting leaders of groups and councils of leaders Moses used a government that allowed small issues to be dealt with locally.

1100 Charter of Liberties Under duress King Henry I makes promises to follow certain laws including: No Estate Tax and no member of government above the law.

The Magna Carta 1215 Signed by King John it re-established liberties : Clause 61 established what became parliament.

Clause 14 established taxation through representation. Due process of the Accused also set forth.

Photos Wikimedia Commons

Best toefr Win 3 201

Marucs tullius Cicero- Natural Law He recognized that there were laws that were universal or divine that governed all men.

Petition of Right 1628 After illegal taxation and other problems King Charles I found his powers further constrained by Parliament. Kings could not levy taxes, use foreign laws to judge subjects or quarter soldiers in homes.

Portrait of Sir Randolph Crewe, the Chief Justice of the King’s Bench, who was dismissed by Charles I for refusing to declare the “forced loans” legal.

English Bill of Rights 1689 Established that a monarch could only rule with Parliament’s permission. Also addressed right to bear arms, freedom of speech, cruel and unusual punishment and the military.

1776 Declaration of Independence

1787 Constitution of the United States

Getting Back to the Basics of a Well-Stocked Pantry

By Karen (Grainlady )

26 MinuteMom Magazine

family as well as others you may need to provide for in an emergency. For women of child-bearing age, include molasses as a good source for iron in a food-source supplement.

Guideline #1: Choose nutrient-dense whole foods over refined and processed foods as much as possible; and choose foods from all the food groups (meat/ meat substitute, grains, fruits, vegetables and dairy/dairy substitute). Learn to cook more things from scratch if you tend to rely on ready-made or convenience foods. This will help save money.

Whole foods are generally better. They are higher in fiber which gives a satisfying fullness for a longer time, lower in sugar and fat, and generally cost less. Whole foods are also the original “fast” food because many are ready-toeat with little or no additional preparation.

In a study on the subject, it was estimated that there is approximately .17 worth of grain in a box of cereal that retails for $3-$4. Using whole wheat, I can make 50 pounds of “cereal” for $20 when I purchase wheat from the local mill and make my own flakes, farina for cooked cereal and cold cereal. I had to learn how to incorporate whole grains in our diet, but it was important enough to make that transition. It took time to find things that worked for us and that we like, www.AsAMom.org

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Best oafry Janu12 20

It’s a new year and the perfect time to double check the food storage area for proper preparation, quantity and variety. Let’s open the pantry door and take a look inside. We’ll check out the three layers of home food storage as outlined in many how-to books about prepping.

YY 72-hour Emergency Foods/Instant Food: Foods that are ready-to-eat, not requiring heating or refrigeration, and often found in single-serving sizes and from all the foodgroups. Includes just add (hot) water items like oatmeal, soup, hot drinks. These foods need to be portable and emergency ready.

YY Pantry Foods: Items from all the food groups which you normally use for everyday meal planning, cooking and baking. Aim for enough for 6-12 months.

YY Long-term Emergency Foods: These include the “Seven Survival Foods” (grains, legumes, seeds for sprouting, salt, oil, sweetener/s, powdered milk or substitute), and foods with the longest storage life (freeze-dried, grains, powdered, etc.) Keep enough for one year or longer.

Be mindful - all food is rotated from the storage to the pantry. Store foods that meet all personal needs (dairy-free, nut-free, sugar-free, low-sodium), emotional needs (did I mention chocolate…), and nutritional needs for your

but it pays dividends by providing a lot of wholesome food at a low price.

Even so-called “junk” food can be made from scratch using whole foods, and you can improve the nutritional profile by making it at home.

Even on a small food budget we don’t do without snacks. We do different snacks, which is another cost-effective measure. Make baked “chips” from sliced potatoes, sweet potatoes, even spinach; and the ever-popular tortilla chips baked from easy-to-make homemade tortillas – my #1 emergency bread recipe. Dehydrated zucchini slices are a great chip substitute. Bake incredibly tasty “chips” with freshly-milled whole wheat flour, water and seasonings. And don’t forget popcorn, the wholegrain winner of snacks, but use the whole grain in a stove-top popper, air popper, or a microwave popcorn popper and skip the microwave bags of popcorn to save money.

Graham crackers and other snack crackers can easily be made from pantry ingredients. Freefor-the picking apple slices are dehydrated each fall and are a food staple for snacks and cooking.

Make these items special treats and save money by not buying snacks and junk food.

Guideline #2: Fill your pantry with INGREDIENTS rather than convenience and ready-made foods. With ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, leavening, spices, flavorings, powdered milk, fat/oil, cornmeal, cocoa, non-dairy creamer, cornstarch, vinegar, etc.), “convenience” foods can be made at home for less. Pancake mixes, baking mix, cocoa mix, pudding mix, Cream of _______ Soup Mix and many other instant meals and sides are easily crafted from basic pantry staples.

Guideline #3: Make the most from the fewest number of food items. In her book, A Year’s Supply In “Seven Days” by Mary Wilde, her food storage As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

“grocery list” for a family of six consisted of less than 50 items.

Tomato powder is a great example. It takes up less space, has an indefinite shelf-life, and I can make nearly all my tomato-related food items with it plus water and a few pantry items (seasonings, spices, sweetener, vinegar, etc.) I can make tomato sauce, tomato paste, pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, taco sauce, tomato juice, ketchup and barbeque sauce using tomato powder, and reduce or eliminate those items from food storage. I have homegrown tomatoes that are frozen and dehydrated, and that rounds out my tomato products.

Powdered milk is one of the most versatile foods in the pantry. Use it for homemade kefir and yogurt, soft cheeses, whipped topping, pudding mix, double-strength for evaporated and sweetened for sweetened condensed milk, and even a nifty “shake” – as well as drinking, cooking and baking. For long-term storage choose brands hermetically sealed in #10 cans, but I also buy it in a 25# bucket for everyday use, or I’ll split a 50 pound bag with a friend for even more savings.

The common thought, store what you eat and eat what you store, makes excellent sense, but it doesn’t make good sense not to try new foods – especially those that have a long shelf-life and can help keep food cost low. With 3 years worth of the “Seven Survival Foods” in storage, I’ve learned how to maximize their use in our diet.

With all three layers of food storage completed, I was able to cut our food budget for two adults from $200 per month to the present amount of $125 per month. That is another benefit from building your home pantry with basic foods.

What a blessing it is to “shop” from home – you literally are never “out” of anything – to be able to wait to purchase food at the lowest possible price before you refill your shelves, and to know you are prepared.

Special Edition 2013 27

Stewards of Liberty What amazes me even today is that these brave souls have sacrificed in every way imaginable.

Best aofy M2 201

By Kami Watkins

Stewards of Liberty Last year at this time I was anticipating the departure of my son into the United States Army.

To say the least, I was anxious, excited and very proud of my son for his choice to serve in the American Armed Forces. My son is now settled with his unit preparing for deployment some time later this year. While we are at the beginning stages of military life, there are those that have long since walked the path we are on. Many who now weather the storms of life without their soldier, beginning a path filled with memories, pride and longing.

For these families, Memorial Day is marked by remembrances, and tributes to honor their fallen 28 MinuteMom Magazine

soldiers. These brave men and women have given all in the name of sacrifice... sacrifice for freedom and liberty. Following duty’s call, they answer.

They leave behind a legacy of service unparalleled in today’s society. That service is spent on behalf of other’s; for we know that soldier’s who have tasted freedom, choose to liberate the captive by putting their own lives in jeopardy. It’s in their blood to serve and they pay the price for the knowledge that freedom can and does exist.

What amazes me even today is that these brave souls have sacrificed in every way imaginable. They have left family and home indefinitely; they have endured visions of war that we cannot www.AsAMom.org

Photo morgue file/Illustration L. Parker

by Kami Watkins Minutemom magazine Coordinator

comprehend, and they have suffered the memories of war that place a continual burden on the mind and heart. They have given their lives in fulfilling their duty to serve. But what is our duty to them?

What responsibility should we, as freedom loving citizens, take upon us in their behalf?

President Reagan said: “I have no illusions about what little I can add now to the silent testimony of those who gave their lives willingly for their country. Words are even more feeble on this Memorial Day, for the sight before us is that of a strong and good nation that stands in silence and remembers those who were loved and who, in return, loved their countrymen enough to die for them.

Yet we must try to honor them—not for their sakes alone, but for our own. And if words cannot repay the debt we owe these men, surely with our actions we must strive to keep faith with them and with the vision that led them to battle and to final sacrifice.

Our first obligation to them and ourselves is plain enough: The United States and the freedom for which it stands, the freedom for which they died, must endure and prosper. Their lives remind us that freedom is not bought cheaply. It has a cost; it imposes a burden. And just as they whom we commemorate were willing to sacrifice, so too must we—in a less final, less heroic way—be willing to give of ourselves.”

Freedom, “It has a cost; it imposes a burden,” (Reagan). The cost…is life, the burden…the responsibility to see that freedom prevails. The “debt,” we owe these soldiers is to honor freedom. That is our duty! These brave soldiers have done their part and we must strive to do ours. We must support our soldiers, these Stewards of Liberty and rise up. It is not enough to say we support them, we must show it in our actions, through our efforts.

We must take action where we see oppression taking hold, and pull it out by the roots. We must instill in our communities the importance of freedom and teach our children the life saving truths in our Constitution and Founding Documents. We must be a freedom loving people in order to preserve that freedom. We must honor those that make the As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

sacrifice to serve. They sacrifice their own comforts, their own dreams and lives, in order to bring freedom to all. Be grateful! Show your gratitude by going out of your way to serve those that have served.

We can take time out of our day to thank those families who have lost service men and women. We can thank those that now serve as well as their families and show our gratitude by giving aid and support to them as they weather the storm of a military life. We can visit our cemeteries and leave flowers and a note simply praising their sacrifice and their love of country. We can pray for them and their families to receive an outpouring of blessings from heaven. We can be the tools in God’s hands to love those that have lost. We can be the healing balm to the wounded heart and soul. This is not only a time to honor our fallen soldiers, it is a time to honor their families, through kind words and actions.

Let us renew our efforts as President Reagan suggested in 1983, “As a tribute to their sacrifice, let us renew our resolve to remain strong enough to deter aggression, wise enough to preserve and protect our freedom, and thoughtful enough to promote lasting peace throughout the world.”

May we honor our fallen soldiers, by fulfilling our duty as American citizens to recall them in hopeful memory, and by following their example to protect freedom, for freedom is the essence for which they fought. There is no greater gift than that of freedom and those that sacrifice in its name.

A special Thank you to all those families who serve in the United States Military, your sacrifice is recognized and appreciated as you try to continue your lives while separated from those you love. We want you to know that your soldier’s are not forgotten. May God bless you for your sacrifice.

Kami Watkins is a stay-at-home mother of six children, one of which just joined the Army...”Hooah!”. 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!

Special Edition 2013 29

Founding Mot hers

YYFounding Mothers

By Carrie Christiansen

Best oafry Janu12 20

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) came from a simple and poor background. Through curiosity, dedication and ambition, he became one of the most well-known men in the American colonies and in Western Europe. It was his passions for both science and politics that lead him to become such an important figure in American history. None of it would have been possible, however, had it not been for his wife, Deborah Read and his daughter, Sarah. These two amazing women willingly took on the responsibilities of the family and the business to allow Ben the time he needed to pursue his dreams.

Deborah Read was the second of seven children, born to parents who were new to Philadelphia from England.

Though her birth was traced to around 1706, very little of her childhood is known. She received little formal education and her father died while she was young, leaving her mom to raise the family in hard financial conditions. Deborah and Benjamin Franklin met each other when he came to Philadelphia in 1723 and became a border in the Read house. Over the next year, they grew close and the 18-year old Deborah hoped to marry Franklin one day.

About that same time, Sir William Keith, the governor of Pennsylvania, was made aware of Franklin’s skill as a printer and proposed to help him start his own printing press in exchange for his traveling to London to purchase printing supplies. Franklin decided to go to London and planned to marry Deborah when he returned.

He arrived in London only to discover the governor had not sent any money to purchase the printing supplies or to pay for his living expenses, as was promised. What was supposed to be a short trip, turned into a nearly two-year adventure. During that time Deborah received 30 MinuteMom Magazine

just one letter from Franklin. In it he told her he would not be returning to Philadelphia anytime soon.

Deborah was heartbroken, but her mother persuaded her to marry John Rogers, a potter, in 1725. The marriage was short lived as Rogers soon ran up massive debts and rumors of an abandoned wife in England began to circulate. Deborah moved back into her mother’s home and Rogers disappeared, supposedly to the West Indies.

Franklin returned to America late in 1726 and started his own printing press. To Deborah’s delight, he proposed. There were rumors of her missing husband’s death, but no proof. In Pennsylvania desertion was not grounds for divorce, so she was unable to legally marry another.

Instead, in 1730, Deborah and Franklin entered into a common-law marriage that would last until her death 44 years later.

To g e t h e r, they would have two children; a son, Francis was born in 1732, but died of small pox at four and their daughter Sarah was born in 1743.

W h i l e Franklin ran his printing press, Deborah took on www.AsAMom.org

Wikipedia

A Founder’s Wife & Daughter: Deborah Read Franklin & Sarah Franklin Bache

the responsibilities of running their general store and book and stationary shop. She enjoyed the work and was a smart businessperson, a good manager, and by taking on these responsibilities, she enabled Franklin to retire early from the printing business, in 1748, to pursue and serve in state and national politics. Beginning in 1757, Franklin spent periods of time up to 11 years long overseas as a representative of the government of Philadelphia and the American colonies, but Deborah never traveled overseas with him. She feared the sea and, not sharing her husband’s interests in intellectual, scientific or political topics, along with not being particularly fond of social situations, Deborah felt she would be far too boring and plain to share company with the elegant and cultured people Franklin was surrounded by in Europe. Franklin was proud of his industrious and frugal wife and they wrote letters often. But, as would be expected with such long separations, their letters became less intimate and more business-like as the years passed and they inevitably grew apart.

Their daughter Sarah had a relatively smooth childhood. Franklin took special care to educate her and it is said she was probably the most broadly educated woman in all the colonies. She had a very close relationship with her father and wrote to him often while he was overseas. Her letters show her interest and understanding of current affairs and insight into the colonists’ frustration.

In October 1767, at 24, Sarah married Richard Bache, a Philadelphia merchant from Yorkshire England. Deborah, now in her 60s, was beginning to have health problems and suffer strokes. With Franklin overseas working to keep peace between the American colonies and England, the newlyweds moved in with Deborah, who blamed her failing health on her husband’s extended absences. Sarah took on all of her mother’s housekeeping and business responsibilities.

In 1774, Franklin wrote his last letter to Deborah, in which he unusually referred to her as “my dear Love.”

She was too sick to respond and died in December of that year after suffering a stroke that resulted in paralysis. Sarah continued to tend to her father’s affairs and he returned for a short time in 1775.

The next few years for the Bache family would be spent having children and moving in and out of Philadelphia due to the British occupation. In 1780, Sarah became a major driving force in the movement of the patriotic ladies of Philadelphia, who aimed to provide the American soldiers luxuries or gold coins to boost their struggling morale. The practical General George Washington, however, insisted the ladies provide much needed clothing items instead. With the help of SarAs a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

ah’s management, the group raised $7,500, hand sewed 2,200 shirts and inspired the creation of similar groups in other states.

In 1785, Franklin returned to his home in Philadelphia and to his daughter’s family, which now included six children.

Plagued with gout and kidney stones, he had to rely on the help of his daughter at home. While he was participating in the Constitutional Convention he was carried around town by prisoners from the local jail in a sedan-chair. At 84, Benjamin Franklin died of a lung infection in April 1790.

Sarah lived 18 more years until she died of cancer. She was the mother of eight children, only one of whom died in childhood. In a letter to her father from M. de Marbois, a French consul-general who lived in Philadelphia as a French representative, Sarah was described as an excellent “model of attachment to domestic duties and love for (her) country.”

Deborah Read Franklin essentially sacrificed her marriage for her country. That sacrifice is something I hope and pray to never experience. Though not having any desire to be directly involved in politics, even to share that with her husband, she admirably conducted her life responsibly and dutifully. Sarah Franklin Bache’s story inspires me to be deliberate in parenting and to always strive to be a life-model for my children. The care her father took in personally educating her and setting an example through pursuing and succeeding in his own passions surely were the major influence on her views and actions. I hope to have that same effect on my children and others; to pass on a sense of personal responsibility, a desire for success, and a love of my country.

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.

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Best uofst Aug 2 201

Take A Stand…

For Religious Freedom

by Barbara Samuells

President 9-12 super Seniors In spite of appeals from the Catholic Church and other churches as well, President Obama has chosen to enforce an HHS mandate that forces all employers to provide their employees with health insurance that must include sterilization, abortion inducing drugs and contraception. There is no doubt that this violates constitutionally protected core doctrines of the Catholic Church as well as the consciences of some other churches and employers.

If this attack on the first of our rights, our Religious Liberty, is allowed to stand, no faith, no freedom will be secure. It is up to each of us, in our own life and our own church, to stand for this freedom for ourselves, for our children and for their children.

Right now, in parishes in New York, there is an effective model for defending our Freedom of Religion.

Anyone, anywhere can follow the process being used by members of the 912 Super Seniors and other volunteers to work in their own churches to found nonpartisan laity groups to educate and advocate for 1st Amendment Freedom of Religion.

All the materials explaining this concept and providing everything to implement this in your own 32 MinuteMom Magazine

church are available in a brief, printable “Quick Start Guide” at www.faithful-action.org. At the same link are additional printouts of supplemental information.

Also, short quotes and talking points for Freedom of Religion can be downloaded at: http://bit.ly/LWUDxV. These church community groups are bringing together faithful patriots to stand for the religious freedom that is critical to their spiritual lives. The history and context of our first amendment, quotes from church leaders of all faiths, and the words of our first amendment are presented along with details of the HHS mandate and its effect on religious principles. This is done without violating IRS restrictions on church activities.

Very like Americans coming together in tea party and 9-12 groups, our fellow church members are heartened to find they are not alone in their concerns and desire to do something to protect their freedom. From non-partisan voter registration to a Freedom Festival, lapel pins, children’s poster contests, speakers and movie nights, each group is finding unique ways to educate those in their church about the need to be aware and to vote their conscience to elect those who will stand for Freedom of Religion. www.AsAMom.org

The groups are encouraged to invite every other faith community in their area to join in their meetings and events. This is already resulting in cooperation among faith communities in New York. The groups are designed to stand for our freedom now and for every generation as they become permanent, vigilant partners in preserving religious freedom.

Churches in the United States of America have flourished in constitutionally guaranteed liberty for over 200 years. That was our founders’ intention, as borne out in their writings. When forming our constitution they knew well the long history of recurring tyranny and religious persecution in Europe.

They intended to insure Freedom of Religion for millions of Americans yet unborn.

Our first amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peacefully to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

We as mothers guard the heart and guide the faith of our families. As moms, I believe we are brought to this time and place by an all knowing and caring Lord.

Through our life experiences he has uniquely prepared each one of us to play a role in preserving His church and its liberty, as well as human liberty itself. Our Founding Fathers, through His inspiration, provided us with a model for organizing a society that became a catalyst for the spread of human liberty over vast populations and areas of the globe. All is now at serious risk.

Comments from some of America’s religious leaders:

“Our churches should defend religious liberty, including freedom of conscience, for all people. The Amish do not carry health insurance. The government respects their principles.

Christian Scientists want to heal by prayer alone, and the new health-care reform law respects that. Quakers and others object to killing even in wartime, and the government respects that principle for conscientious objectors.”

“By its decision, the Obama administration has failed to As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

show the same respect for the consciences of biblical believers and others who object to treating pregnancy as a disease.”

Cardinal Timothy Dolan

Dr. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), told LifeSiteNews.com last month, “We will not comply with” the HHS mandate. “We want the law changed, or else we’re going to write our letters from the Nashville jail, just like Dr. King wrote his from the Birmingham jail.”

Megachurch pastor Rick Warren asked on his Twitter feed, “I’d go to jail rather than cave in to a government mandate that violates what God commands us to do. Would you?”

“Most troubling, is the Administration’s underlying rationale for its decision, which appears to be a view that if a religious entity is not insular, but engaged with broader society, it loses its “religious” character and liberties. Many faiths firmly believe in being open to and engaged with broader society and fellow citizens of other faiths. The Administration’s ruling makes the price of such an outward approach the violation of an organization’s religious principles.” – Nathan Diament, Director for Public Policy, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America

It is our time to stand for our freedom, a responsibility embraced by generations of our forefathers. As our soldier sons and daughters are standing around the world in great peril for our freedoms, we at home are called to stand for our religious liberty. We moms must stand in our own churches and communities for Freedom of Religion. Can we do any less?

Barbara Samuells is the founder and president of 9-12 Super Seniors. www.912SuperSeniors.org focuses on educating seniors, empowering them through recognition of their experiences, maturity and judgment, and helping them take action! An active member of AAM she often contibutes her talents.

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The US Constitution: A Primer Best aofy M2 201

by Catherine G. White President Lincoln once said, “We, the People, are the rightful masters of Congress and the Courts. NOT to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution” Many of the items we all rightfully get angry about are directly caused BY perversions of the Constitution. Yet, you cannot know if the Constitution has been perverted if you have not read and studied it.

Let us begin with words that, when first written, were both treason and heresy: WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and Property. That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever

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any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right and the Duty of the People to alter or to abolish it. ...And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

Why was this treason and heresy? Under English, monarchic law, only the King had “rights” – and he granted privileges to his inferiors – and rescinded those whenever he wished. Stating that a farmhand had rights was treason under English law – and heresy under the Church of England, since the King was also head of the Church. The 56 men who signed that document were risking death by hanging – and leaving their families in penury from writs of attainder, if we failed to win independence. (Some might cite the Magna www.AsAMom.org

Photo WIKIMEDIA

Part One

“We, the People, are the rightful masters of Congress and the Courts. ” Abraham LINCOLN

Carta, saying this affirmed English “rights” – but only partially. Only Lords were assigned rights by the Magna Carta, and these were considered neither absolute nor unalienable.)

The declaration refers to “Unalienable Rights” – what does THAT mean?

The definition of unalienable: “unable to be taken away from or given away by the possessor,” inherent, cannot be “liened” (as in mortgage or tax lien).

Right: A right is something you can do without asking for permission. It is defined

by Black’s Law Dictionary as “a power, faculty, or demand, inherent in one person and incident upon another... the powers of free action.” Rights are INHERENT – and can never be removed from us.

Privilege: A privilege is something you can do only when you have permission. It is defined by Black’s Law Dictionary as “a particular and peculiar benefit or advantage enjoyed by a person, company, or class, beyond the common advantages of other citizens.” Privileges are GRANTED – and can be revoked.

Here’s an analogy: I can walk back and forth across my backyard all day long. There’s nothing you can do, from your adjoining house, to stop me. My property, my right; you have no say. Let’s say the safest access to the bus stop, from your house, is to cut across my yard. I give you permission to do this.

One day, in a bad mood, I see you out there and call out to you to go around; get out of my yard. I have just revoked your permission and privilege, and you have no recourse.

Rights and privileges are OPPOSITES. YY All rights are derived from property, starting with the first property you own – your body. If you cannot control what happens to your body, you are a slave.

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YY Every right implies a responsibility –> and we give away jurisdiction over our rights by relinquishing our responsibilities.

YY The only limitation on your rights is the equal rights of others.

YY Whenever a dispute arises about “rights” – the argument can be clarified by asking, “Who owns the property?”

“To secure these Rights” – the only purpose of Constitution is to protect our individual rights. If all rights are property rights, then only purpose of Constitution is to protect our property. “Property” is the one-word answer to any question on the Constitution.

You may have noticed that earlier I wrote, “Life, Liberty, and Property” instead of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” – this was deliberate. In John Locke’s “Treatise on Government” – a source document used by the Founders in writing the Constitution, he writes, “every Man has a Property in his own Person. This no Body has any Right to but himself. The Labour of his Body, and the Work of his Hands, we may say, are properly his.”

He continues: “The great and chief end therefore, of Mens’ uniting into Commonwealths, and putting themselves under Government, is the Preservation of their Property.” Why did the Constitutional Convention change this to “pursuit of happiness” – because even then, the Founders were thinking ahead to the future abolition of slavery (which the Constitution promised would not happen before 1808; this was a compromise to keep the southern states in the union). By leaving out the word “property” in the Preamble (which today would be called the “mission statement”), they entirely subverted the use of the “but they’re my property” argument.

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BEWARE of the term “Constitutional rights”! NO rights are granted by Constitution; it states they are inherent in us, given by our Creator. This is an all-toocommon twist today. If the Constitution – a document – “gives” us our rights, then another document (or government act) can, theoretically, take them away. ALL our rights come from our Creator, not from any government or government document – and no government act can remove them.

“But what if I don’t believe in God?” some may ask. There are two separate but pertinent answers to this question. The first is that the Founders DID believe in God, and they were writing from their point of view, no one else’s.

The second answer comes from John Galt’s speech in the book “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand (who did not, herself, believe in God): Galt said, “The source of man’s rights is not divine law or congressional law, but the law of identity. A is A—and Man is Man. Rights are conditions of existence required by man’s nature for his proper survival. If man is to live on earth, it is right for him to use his mind, it is right to act on his own free judgment, it is right to work for his values and to keep the product of his work. If life on earth is his purpose, he has a right to live as a rational being: nature forbids him the irrational. Any group, any gang, any nation that attempts to negate man’s rights, is wrong, which means: is evil, which means: is anti-life.”

To reiterate: Our rights are individual, inherent and unalienable, and the only legitimate purpose of government is to protect those rights.

We must also debunk the myth of “community” rights.

Individuals EXIST. Communities do NOT have an independent existence – they are made up of individuals, who may join and leave those “communities”.

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We don’t start with a block of “community” and shave off slivers of “individual” – no; we start with individuals who join to form communities. The only way to protect “community” rights is to protect the individual rights of EACH and EVERY PERSON in that community, always, without fail, and without lapse. You may hear used the phrase “the greatest good for the greatest number”. This is the philosophical basis for communism – and it is utterly antithetical to the Constitution and to YOUR freedom and YOUR rights.

Take this phrase to its logical end: you live in a community of 100 people – but there is only enough food for 90. The greatest good for the community is to kill ten people to ensure enough food for the rest. Histotry shows us, again and again, that the philosophy of “community rights”, applied to nations, invariably ends in mass graves. Hitler. Stalin. Mao. Pol Pot. Castro. Look them up for yourselves, and don’t limit your search to the 20th century; the evil philosophy of “greatest good for the greatest number” long pre-dates Marx’s “Communist Manifesto”.

“Good To Be King,” Michael Badnarik – Chapter Two on Rights and Privileges available online FREE at http://www.constitutionpreservation.org/ - first choice under the “Purchase Book” menu.

“The 5,000 Year Leap,” W. Cleon Skousen Publius Huldah’s blog at http://publiushuldah.wordpress.com

Catherine White grew up in Massachusetts where she also graduated from M.I.T. She is has two terrific daughters and a wonderful husband. She became involved early on in the 912 Project. Catherine has given several presentations on the Constitution in the past year. The most recent talk was at Brandeis University (sponsored by the Brandeis Tea Party) this past March, and it should be available on YouTube in the near future. www.AsAMom.org

YYMom’s Minutes Reach Out, It Matters So Much “Reach out, It matter’s so much” by Laycee http://tinyurl.com/aam-reachout Intro: Everybody is angry it seems like. Everybody is snapping. A lot of people need mental health. From my perspective I can understand the culture of anger. I must admit I was neglected and abused as a child, up to young adult hood. I was manipulated, used, ignored, beat and my version of reality was vastly different than others. I was very angry.

The Power of Prayer “The Power of Prayer,” by Murphy http://tinyurl.com/aam-prayer Intro: Sometimes, life can be daunting, to say the least. Work, (no work), family, school, kids, bills, illness-so many things to deal with on a daily basis. Add to that list what we are dealing with as a countrydebt, taxes, Obamacare, terrorism (foreign and domestic) and a chronically unproductive government in DC and even in our own states.

Common Core... Our Cultural Wars “Common Core...Our Cultural Wars started in the weather underground,” by PJB

http://tinyurl.com/aam-core-cultural

Photo Dreamstime

Intro: With common core, ruled the law of the land right now for schools in 45 states, the Federal Government tells our children what they should be thinking.

We note that the children are now reading about how the Health Care bill is good for America.

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Special Edition 2013 37

Patriot Political Preparedness Best oifl Apr 2012

by Susan Payson

interest clubs, authoritative organizations, media machines, and government itself.

Media Matters, MoveOn.org, Girl Scouts of America, the Heritage Foundation, etc are some examples of institutions that either directly promote or are being used to promote ideas and attitudes that result in a desired voting behavior, societal change, and acceptance of various governmental actions. Individual action refers to the initiative of a single person or grassroots group to exert similar influences as the Institutions.

Does the action of one person really matter? Yes. Simply put – people typically believe what they read, and they are willing to think Acceptance of Individual Responsibility about what is said by a confident person, even One must first recognize that in this ideo- if they do not initially agree. This is your logical battle there are two levels of action “individual responsibility”: find opportuni– institutional and individual. Institutional ties to clearly write well worded defenses of action refers to political parties, special Liberty and condemnations of Communism

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www.AsAMom.org

Dreamstime Free

Our Republic is uttering its death rattle.

There is danger everywhere. Who will prevent what will happen if Constitutionalism fails this November? Where is OUR George Washington, OUR Thomas Paine, OUR anybody?

The answer is: there is nobody left but you. This year will make or break the Great American Experiment. Now is not the time to defer to others what must be done by each and every Patriot.

Success follows from acceptance of individual responsibility, preparedness, and organization.

and Sharia, and join in any conversation you can (or start one) about the Founding Documents, etc. Practice speaking and writing often – you will learn how to deal with various personalities, personal relationships, and the pre-decided opinions of your audience. Most importantly – you MUST allow yourself to be verbally attacked. Get it over with and then the fear of it can no longer force your silence. The worst part of the insult is the initial embarrassment, or the surprise if it comes from someone whom you never thought would be capable of such cruelty to you. Then, do it again. Let me tell you something from experience – it’s the only way.

Make God your center. Make sure that He approves of your words, opinions, and methods. God is the only one whom you should allow to change your course of action, and He is your only friend. Keep these things in mind, and you realize that your confidence comes from Him, and cannot be stolen from you by any man. His is the only approval you should seek, therefore the potential disapproval of friends/family/strangers is meaningless.

Is it uncomfortable? Yes it is - at first. Is it worthwhile? Very much so. It is the essence of ‘grassroots’. Effecting change of opinion at the local level is imperative. The American Revolution was at least in part begun by conversations and debates in coffee houses and meeting halls. The historic Golden Lamb Inn and restaurant in Lebanon, Ohio was just such a place (which is why it is historic!).

And let us not forget the role of pamphleteering, AKA Common Sense etc, in inspiring a Nation to particular action. Modern day pamphleteering is blogging, tweeting, facebooking, trolling comments on online articles, and the old fashioned (and still effective) letters to the editor. Write and talk, talk and write – DO IT!!!

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Preparedness Factual knowledge has its place in this – know what is going on and be able to produce reliable references to any who may ask for proof as you debate and/or write. Perhaps that seems intimidating or is a disincentive to “talk and write,” but this needs not be a list a mile long. Where do you get your information? Probably most of it comes from 2 or 3 sources. Simply keep those in mind, ready to rattle off as needed. One word of caution, though – only PROVIDE sources that are objective and factually reliable/credible.

Opinions are not facts – do not cite sources that mainly produce opinions. Do not cite partisan sources.

One indispensable leg of the preparedness table is to know your enemy.

Wisdom is likely more valuable than being armed with raw current events data.

Yes – I am serious. It is more important that you know yourself: Do you know why you believe the things that you do? How do you know that your views are correct? Could you defend your views if challenged? If not, then what can you do to strengthen your foundational beliefs so that you can express yourself? Do you understand how our Nation came to be in its current situation? What is the solution? The answers to these questions are mostly philosophical; only some require fact finding.

One indispensable leg of the preparedness table is to know your enemy. Get to know their thinking as you just got to know your own. What do they believe? Why do they believe that? Where do they get their Special Edition 2013 39

from the 1980’s, to get things done in real time.

The result – Komen reversed its decision, and the executive responsible for the de-funding decision lost her job. Though the people who APPROVED of the decision likely numbered at least the same as those who opposed it, it was obvious that they were not organized at all and were therefore unable to compete. Lesson: devise a way to notify your group simultaneously and instantly when something needs to be done. Put it in place BEFORE it is needed.

Once something is going on, it is too late to try to figure out who can help you and how to reach them. All members MUST be committed to take action once alerted. (Possible actions – phone calls, letters, peaceful assembly/protest, attending meetings to network or to protest government action/decisions.) Have back up means of communication available in the event that ordinary means are no longer available or desirable.

We are in dangerous times. This is an emergency – literally to save our lives, to save our freedom, to save our way of life. Three years into Tea Parties, Liberty Groups, and 9/12 clubs – have we risen to the occasion? How would we stand if compared to the Founders?

Influencing the Presidential election is only one part of the mission. What has happened in this president’s first term will remain even if he is Organization defeated – unless we succeed. From God we The power of the individual is magnified by have learned that there is nothing new under organizing with other like-minded patriots. the sun. Our current problem is not new. How How? Again, let’s look how others get it done. it happened is not new. How it is to be solved is Do you recall the recent controversy over the not new either. The power is in the hands of the Komen Race for the Cure group’s decision to individual. That means you. And we need you stop funding Planned Parenthood? What hap- right now. pened next is textbook for excellent organization. Planned Parenthood activated its fans and Dr Susan Payson is a wife and homefollowers via social media (Twitter, Facebook, schooling mother of two. Board certified etc) and instantly inspired thousands of people in Emergency Medicine, writer for the to lodge complaints against the Komen decision Warren County TEA Party, and President and the group itself. Meaning, they already had of Greater Lebanon Right to Life. a structure in place, like the little phone trees information? What are their talking points?

What are the most common ways that THEY use to persuade someone with YOUR views? I have found that the absolute best way to learn these things about the opposition is to read the Facebook pages of groups that you do NOT agree with. You risk nothing. You are a fly on the wall, and you will gain much knowledge and wisdom! Scroll through the articles that they post, read the comments of their fans beneath the posts, read the debates that ensue.

Then read the Facebook pages of groups that you DO agree with and do the same thing.

There will be trolls on both types of pages so there will likely be many debates, some of them pretty nasty. You will develop a sense of what the most common baits are as well as what methods are most persuasive and what methods are the least persuasive. You can read when someone is not grounded in their beliefs as they become confused by the troll and begin to be persuaded by THEM! Notice how this happens (and it happens a lot!) and you can stop the process as it happens during a conversation YOU are involved in. The value of that – anyone listening to you or reading your work is not led down a rabbit hole, too. If you can maintain confident footing and credibility then others will listen to you.

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www.AsAMom.org

YYCountry Our American Flag… Symbol of Freedom One of the memories I have as a little girl is the day I was to be enrolled in elementary school with my brother. As my Auntie drove up to the school, she paused in shock and stared at the torn and tattered flag that stood in front of the school building. As I looked up I remember that most of the flag was torn, so much so, that the only visible parts were the field of stars. The words out of her mouth impacted me a great deal. Pointing to the flag she said, “A school that does not care for the American flag, will not care for its students!” Needless to say, we did not enroll in that school, but I did learn an important lesson - attitudes of respect to our nation and its citizens are evident in how we care for the symbols of our beloved country.

I have since witnessed wonderful examples of respect and honor for our American symbol of liberty and freedom. My daughter who is in the fourth grade participates with her class in the raising and lowering of the American flag each school day. This is something she anticipates with excitement. As I drop my daughter off at school, I marvel at the care in which these fourth graders raise the flag in the morning sun. There are about four children in all, and each one has a duty to make sure the flag does not touch the ground. One attaches and hoists the flag with the pulley, one helps by holding the flag, one gently unfolds the flag, and As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

one stands with hands stretched out to watch as it the flag is raised to make sure it does not touch the ground. It gives me a sense of great pride to watch these 9 and 10 year olds showing such respect for the symbol in America that represents the collective strength and sacrifice of its people.

Our American Flag is a symbol.

And as such, it helps to connect us, remind us and encourage us to remain committed to the virtues this country was founded upon.

Historically, our flag represents sacrifice, devotion, liberation and freedom. Every time I see it wave I can’t help but stand in awe at the grandeur and eloquence with which it buckles in the wind, each movement a symphony and testament to our America and its citizens that freedom is worth fighting for.

Gazing upon those stars and stripes, I can’t help but think how, over the generations of our country’s existence, many have likewise sat in heavy reflection about what it means to them. Soldiers in far off places seeing the contrasting colors of red and white stripes with the bold blue and white field of stars, against a backdrop of artillery fire, tanks and the destruction that is so commonplace during wartime, see the flag as a symbol of hope.

Devoted citizens that often sit and watch their flag drift and curl in the sky as they hear the Star-Spangled Banner play during the Fourth of July, see it as a symbol of freedom.

Bes Junt of 201 e 2

Small school-aged children waving their little hand-held flags, singing our national anthem, see our flag as a symbol of strength.

Whatever the flag represents to you, the devotion and respect we show to the symbols of our nation ground us. The American Flag reminds us that we can endure and persevere through all odds.

The way in which we honor the American Flag and other symbols of our country is an external expression of what we feel inside about America and our freedoms.

These symbols connect us to those that have fought for freedom both at home and abroad because it represents something we all believe in…Freedom!

As I look back over the years to poignant moments in history, I think of the conflicts that we’ve had to face as Americans. And, like others who have been on the front lines, we are faced with a struggle to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. During times like these we can look to the symbol of our country, our American flag, like a beam of unending light. We can push through the storms and darkness that threaten our freedomsstanding strong and steady- looking to Old Glory as she ripples in the wind and waves us home.

On Flag Day, June 14th wave her proud and with great honor as a representation of your conviction to the truths you hold dear.

—Kami Watkins

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Best orfch Ma12 20

This month AAM is pleased to announce a new section of the MinuteMom Magazine that will focus on providing the background and foundational knowledge that you need to understand how our society has been transformed from a bastion of individual freedom to a culture of dependency and collectivism. This particular area of study has been a passion of mine for many years and I have spent tens of thousands of hours listening to university lectures, reading books, articles and papers and researching the roots of our societal and cultural decay. The time has come for me to filter, distill and disseminate what I have learned. This series marks the beginning of that project.

I have struggled for some time with the proper starting point for this endeavor. It is such a large and daunting task to try to explain something that has been in the works for hundreds of years, in a clear, concise and relevant manner. Add to that the sense of urgency that so many of us have, and it becomes even more intimidating. It is because of these factors that I have decided to just jump in. I am going to employ the same method I used to learn all this, the “gestalt” method. The basic idea behind this sort of high-level learning is to bombard the student with huge amounts of information, from different sources and with seemingly different purpose, and allow the natural process of the brain—to sort out and categorize—bring it all together into a coherent, and BROAD understanding of the situation.

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In each issue this section will have articles from well-known authors along wiht excerpts from books, lectures and quotes . I will highlight historical figures, philosophies and ideas that have influenced our current culture.

Throughout, I will insert commentary and point out areas of influence. The end goal is for you to have points of truth that will help you identify those manifestations of the destructive ideas that have invaded our culture. www.AsAMom.org

By Samuel L Blumenfeld Professional educators write a great deal these days about multicultural education but few among the lay public actually know what it is. Despite this widespread public ignorance, multicultural education is now an integral part of the American government school curriculum. In fact, our humanist educators now consider multicultural education to be so important that the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) has given it a very prominent place in teacher education programs.

variations and diverse learning styles as a basis for the development of appropriate teaching strategies.”

Although NCATE’s requirements for teacher training, which became effective in January 1979, are quite explicit, nowhere in the NCATE’s publication is there a definition or description of what multicultural education really is. We get hints in the requirements.

We are told of “culturally diverse and complex human encounters” and “differential cultural settings.” We are also told that multicultural education has something What Is Multicultural Education?

The NCATE’s publication, Standards for the to do with racism, sexism, parity of power, values Accreditation of Teacher Education (July 1982), states: clarification, the transmission of values both manifest and latent, the dynamics of diverse culture, linguistic variations, etc.

“Multicultural education is preparation for the social, political, and economic realities How Is It Defined? that individuals experience in culturally But what does it all mean in language that you diverse and complex human encounters…. and I can understand? What does it mean to parents This preparation provides a process by whose children will be subjected to multicultural which an individual develops competencies education? What does it mean to the local school for perceiving, believing, evaluation, and board which will be required to implement a statebehaving in differential cultural settings. mandated multicultural education program in the local school?

“Provision should be made for instruction in multicultural education in teacher education programs. Multicultural education should receive attention in courses, seminars, directed reading, laboratory and clinical experiences, practicum, and other types of field exercises.

“Multicultural education should include, but would not be limited to experiences which: (1) promote analytical and evaluative abilities to confront issues such as participatory democracy, racism and sexism and the parity of power; (2) develop skills for values clarification including the study of the manifest and latent transmission of values; (3) examine the dynamics of diverse cultures and the implications for developing teaching strategies; and (4) examine linguistic As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

A rather comprehensive treatment of the subject can be found in the Spring 1984 issue of Theory Into Practice, the journal of the College of Education at Ohio State University. That issue contains 13 articles on multicultural education covering many aspects of the subject.

Multiculturalism is based on the notion that the traditional JudeoChristian model of American values is no longer valid as the

m is often of is l a r u t l u ts Multic the concep h it w d e t s en contra nd has be or a m is n io t l” assimila salad bow a “ a s a d n describe rather tha ” ic a s o m “cultural ot.” “melting p Special Edition 2013 43

model to be held up to children in the public schools.

These values are generally associated with white “As a descriptor, multiculturalism points to a Anglo-Saxon Protestant culture, usually referred to as condition of numerous lifestyles, values, and WASP culture by its critics. The educators believe that belief systems.”

WASP culture is in decline and is not being replaced by another dominant model. In fact, the American How Is It Taught?

Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) And how is multiculturalism, therefore, to be taught, statement on multicultural education is entitled “No and what will be its desired results?

One Model American.” Ergo, many models will take its place.

“By treating diverse cultural groups and ways of life as equally legitimate, and by teaching A multicultural society is one made up of many about them in positive ways, legitimizing equally valid ideals that can serve as equally valid differences through various education policies models for young Americans. No one is required and practices, self-understanding, and where any longer to conform to the once dominant Judeoself-esteem, inter-group understanding Christian ideal, and the public schools are now and harmony, and equal opportunity are all required to convey this message to the students. promoted.”

For decades the compelling rationale for public education was that it provided the means of Americanizing the millions of different immigrants who came to these shores. It provided a common body of values for all Americans. But apparently that rationale no longer holds. According to Charles A. Tesconi, dean of the College of Education at the University of Vermont: “We all know by now that homogeneity has not and does not characterize American society. We know how great a myth the ‘melting pot’ turned out to be….American society, then is best characterized as a mosaic of an extensive, highly diverse array of cultural elements.

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Thus, multicultural education embraces much more than mere cultural pluralism or ethnic diversity. It legitimizes different lifestyles and values systems, thereby legitimizing moral diversity. The concept of moral diversity directly contradicts the Biblical concept of moral absolutes on which this nation was founded.

Yet, our public schools, in order to be accredited, are now required to teach that there are no moral absolutes, that every individual has the right to freely choose his or her morals, and that ethics are situational. The result has been moral anarchy.

Thus, American public schools are no longer to be used to inculcate a common set of moral and spiritual

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values based on our Judeo-Christian heritage but are to be used to promote a plethora of competing values systems, with Christian fundamentalist values cleverly excluded from competition. In other words, the public school is now a market place of competing pagan and anti-Christian belief systems. The students have a choice, but the market is rigged. That, in a nutshell, is multicultural education.

How is multicultural education taught? It is not a course which is taught separately from the rest of the subject matter. It is, in reality, a world view which, in the words of Theresa E. McCormick, specialist in multicultural education at Emporia State University, “must permeate the total educational environment.”

America’s Way Is For Everyone While that consciousness was given to us by our founding fathers who, for the most part, were indeed white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants, one does not have to be white, Anglo-Saxon, or even Protestant to accept it. There are many blacks, Hispanics, Latinos, Slavs, Catholics, Jews, etc., who accept it.

Becoming an American does not mean aping WASPS. It never did, and it never will. It means accepting the essence of what the founding fathers stood for and died for. That essence is founded on Biblical principles which include the concept of moral absolutes. The public schools now presume that blacks, Hispanics, Indians, Asians and other immigrant children are incapable of understanding or unwilling to accept the philosophy of the founding fathers. Therefore they won’t even teach it to them.

Moral Anarchy Starts Early That means that multicultural education, in the words of Sandra B. DeCosta, associate professor at West Virginia University, “must be carefully planned, organized, and integrated into all the subject areas.

The Results Of Multiculturalism But most emphatically it must begin withen children What kind of Americans will the public schools turn first enter school.” out? Americans ignorant of their nation’s founding principles, incapable of defending their country Thus it is now official policy in the government against foreign ideologies, adrift in a sea of moral schools to inculcate moral anarchy in American and cultural anarchy, at the mercy of fears, slogans, children beginning with grade one. It is now official and nuclear blackmail. policy of the government schools to deny that there exists a common value system know as Americanism Multiculturalism is also an important stepping – unless by Americanism you mean moral anarchy. stone to globalism, that concept of a future world government which the public schools are now Yet we know that Americanism does exist and does promoting more aggressively than ever. In an constitute the basis of American consciousness: the article entitled “Multicultural Education and Global conviction that this nation was created with God’s Education: A Possible Merger,” Donna J. Cole of help and blessings to demonstrate to the world that Wittenberg University writes: with the true God all good things are possible, and that without Him we will be consigned to the same “A multicultural global education would tyranny and misery that now afflicts the millions who address the basic concern of where the live under paganism or atheistic communism. individual fits into the mosaic of humanity and where others fit in the same mosaic….

During the recent celebration of the 100th (It) would aid students in undertanding that anniversary of the Statue of Liberty that concept of our membership in groups affects our values Americanism was expressed over and over again and attitudes….(It) would assist students in song and speech in three simple words: God in recognizing the need to be flexible and Bless America. Those three words acknowledge the adjustable citizens in a rapidly changing existence, efficacy, and sovereignty of the God of the world.”

Bible. They express the essence of Americanism, the peculiar consciousness that makes us different from The NEA of course endorses multicultural-global other peoples. education. Its resolutions of 1986 state: As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

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“The NEA believes that multiculturalglobal education is a way of helping every student perceive the cultural diversity of the US citizenry so that children of many races may develop pride in their own cultural legacy, awaken to the ideals embodied in the cultures of their neighbors, and develop and appreciation of the common humanity shared by all peoples of the earth.”

The purpose of globalism is to prepare young Americans to accept as inevitable and desirable a world, socialist government in which American national sovereignty will be surrendered for the greater good of “world peace and brotherhood.” In any case, multicultural-global education is another

good reason why parents must remove their children from the public schools. Social studies professors have rewritten American history to play down patriotism and national pride, and multiculturalism even denies the existence of such a thing as Americanism. Is this what American parents want their children to be taught in public schools? Probably not. But the sad truth is that they don’t even know it’s going on.

Dr Samuel Blumenfeld has spent the last 30 years writing about American education and seeking answers to such baffling questions as: Why is America experiencing a decline in literacy? He is, no doubt, one of the world’s leading authorities on the teaching of reading.

By Samuel L Blumenfeld As everyone knows, if you can’t read, you’ll be greatly disadvantaged in our high-tech economy. Yet, our public schools turn out thousands of students each year who can hardly read their diplomas. The problem is that our educators have been involved in a decades-old reading war in which two opposing methods of teaching are in battle: the traditional alphabetic-phonics method as opposed to the whole-word, or sight method that teaches children to read English as if it were Chinese, an ideographic writing system as opposed to an alphabetic one.

thousands of parents to teach their children to read in the proper phonetic way.

Last year I received a wonderful letter from a high-school teacher in Florida who has used AlphaPhonics to teach some of his potential dropouts to read. His success has been so astonishing that it calls it miraculous. He wrote, “You have to see it to believe it.”

The reason why it has been so successful is because the program uses no pictures and appeals directly It was in 1955 that Rudolf Flesch first exposed the to the left-hemisphere of the brain, the brain’s full extent of the problem in his best-selling book, language center, and thereby Why Johnny Can’t Read. In it he said, “The teaching creates a new sensation of of reading—all over the United States, in all the competence in a student whose schools, in all the textbooks—is totally wrong and left hemisphere had been left fallow by the school system. By flies in the face of all logic and common sense.” enhancing the brain power of Yet, the educators continued to use this faulty a potential dropout, he begins method of teaching in the schools. It is now called to realize that he can indeed “whole language.” Which is why I then devised succeed in his education, an intensive, systematic reading program, Alpha- and this gives him a new Phonics, that any parent could use to teach their sense of optimism when children to read at home. And it has been used by thinking of his future.

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By Diana Learn How often do you find yourself utterly frustrated after listening to a political speech, watching a “debate” on a news channel or even just eavesdropping on a heated conversation between to average people? If you are like me, the answer is WAY TOO OFTEN. The manner in which people communicate in our modern world is diametrically opposed to the thoughtful discourse of an era gone by. The reason is rather simple.

Modern rhetoric has replaced logical dialog often does win, even when it forwards blatant fallacy. in almost all communication.

Lets take a look at an example from the political discussion of In the days before progressive education, the day. The new debate point for the Left is that Republicans children were exposed to a rigorous classical want to take away access to birth control for women. This education that included instruction in logic. is being forwarded as a women’s health and women’s rights The word logic can be traced back to Greek issue and anyone arguing on the side of the Left has a series of roots and means “the art of reason with talking points that keep the dialog focused on those politically words.” Logical discussion is based upon charged words. reason and facts and is constructed in a way that builds truth upon truth. The very The problem with the entire discussion is that they have nature of logic implies an ongoing search created a Straw Man argument - the use of rhetorical patterns for truth and a willingness to change as new to misrepresent the position of the opponent. At no time principles are discovered. has ANYONE of ANY party attempted to deny access to birth control. The issue is and always has been, a matter of who Rhetoric, on the other hand, is what is pays for it. Conservatives, of course, find it outrageous that taught, encouraged and used, almost the Federal Government demand that tax payers subsidize exclusively, in our modern society. Rhetoric birth control. The Left wants to buy women’s votes. The is also a word with Greek roots, and it is battle is being fought retorically using emotional language defined as “the art of speaking.” Though and informal fallacies. The truth is wholly absent from the logic was once a pillar of the art of persuasive conversation. speech, modern rhetorical speaking places the emphasis on winning a debate or Since the prevailing worldview of our postmodern world is forwarding an idea regardless of its veracity. that of relative truth, or the absence of absolute truth, logic This brand of rhetoric, separated from logic has become largely irrelevant - and our ability to communicate and reason, can and very often does create effectively and honestly is one of the many victims. Think of confusion and error because it is not based this little nugget of information next time you cannot figure in discovered truth, but in desired outcome. out why a conversation frustrates you. Remember, logic always Even more harmful, rhetoric can, and very seeks truth. Rhetoric always seeks victory.

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By Diana Learn “I believe that all reforms which rest simply upon the enactment of law, or the threatening of certain penalties, or upon changes in mechanical or outward arrangements, are transitory and futile.

John Dewey is considered to be the father of modern, progressive education. Over the past 90 years, his influence has permeated and wholly transformed American elementary, secondary and higher education. John Dewey was a Fabian Socialist and was one of only 34 original signers of the Humanist Manifesto I in 1933. John Dewey studied in Germany and was an advocate for introducing the Frankfurt School (originally the Institute for Marxism) intellectuals to American higher education.

“I believe that education is a regulation of the process of coming to share in the social consciousness; and that the adjustment of individual activity on the basis of this social consciousness is the only sure method of social reconstruction. …

“Through education society can formulate its own purposes, can organize its own means and resources, and thus shape itself with definiteness and economy in the direction in which it wishes to move.

“I believe that when society once recognizes the possibilities in this direction, and the obligations which these possibilities impose, it is impossible to conceive of the resources of time, attention, and money which will be put at the disposal of the educator.

John Dewey was very young when he began his work in education theory and reform. He lived to be 93 years old, and was a prolific writer. It is because of his exceedingly large window of influence that he was so utterly successful in the transformation of the American philosophies of education.

“I believe it is the business of everyone interested in education to insist upon the school as the primary and most effective instrument of social progress and reform in order that society may be awakened to realize what the school stands for, and aroused to the necessity of endowing the educator with sufficient equipment properly to perform his task.”

An excerpt from “My Pedagogic Creed” written in January of 1897: “I believe that education is the fundamental method of social progress and reform.

How much of his pedagogic creed was he able to implement over his career? I think we will find that he was enormously successful. We will discuss much John Dewey as this series continues.

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by Linda Kimball There are two misconceptions held by many equality-Frederich Engels wrote, Americans. The first is that communism ceased to be a threat when the Soviet Union imploded. The “All the...large and small nationalities are second is that the New Left of the Sixties collapsed destined to perish...in the revolutionary world and disappeared as well. “The Sixties are dead,” storm... (A general war will) wipe out all... wrote columnist George Will (“Slamming the Doors,” nations, down to their very names. The next Newsweek, Mar. 25, 1991) world war will result in the disappearance from the face of the earth not only reactionary Because the New Left lacked cohesion it fell apart classes...but...reactionary peoples.” (“The as a political movement. However, its revolutionaries Magyar Struggle,” Neue Rheinische Zeitung, reorganized themselves into a multitude of single Jan. 13, 1849) issue groups. Thus we now have for example, radical feminists, black extremists, anti-war ‘peace’ activists, By the end of WWI, socialists realized that something animal rights groups, radical environmentalists, was amiss, for the world’s proletariat had not heeded and ‘gay’ rights groups. All of these groups pursue Marx’s call to rise up in opposition to evil capitalism their piece of the radical agenda through a and to embrace communism instead. They wondered complex network of organizations such as the Gay what had gone wrong.

Straight Lesbian Educators Network (GSLEN), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), People for the Separately, two Marxist theorists-Antonio Gramsci American Way, United for Peace and Justice, Planned of Italy and Georg Lukacs of Hungary-concluded that Parenthood, Sexuality Information and Education the Christianized West was the obstacle standing in Council of the United States (SIECUS), and Code Pink the way of a communist new world order. The West for Peace. would have to be conquered first.

Both communism and the New Left are alive and thriving here in America.

They favor code words: tolerance, social justice, economic justice, peace, reproductive rights, sex education and safe sex, safe schools, inclusion, diversity, and sensitivity.

All together, this is Cultural Marxism disguised as multiculturalism.

Birth of Multiculturalism In anticipation of the revolutionary storm that would baptize the world in an inferno of red terror, leading to its rebirth as the promised land of social justice and proletarian As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

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Gramsci posited that because Christianity had been dominant in the West for over 2000 years, not only was it fused with Western civilization, but it had corrupted the workers class. The West would have to be de-Christianized, said Gramsci, by means of a “long march through the culture.” Additionally, a new proletariat must be created. In his “Prison Notebooks,” he suggested that the new proletariat be comprised of many criminals, women, and racial minorities.

Gramsci’s prescription and Lukacs’ plans were the precursor to what Cultural Marxism in the guise of SIECUS, GSLEN, and the ACLU--acting as judiciallypowered enforcers--later brought into American schools.

Building a base In 1923, the Frankfurt School-a Marxist thinktank-was founded in Weimar Germany. Among its founders were Georg Lukacs, Herbert Marcuse, and The new battleground, reasoned Gramsci, must Theodor Adorno. The school was a multidisciplinary become the culture, starting with the traditional effort which included sociologists, sexologists, and family and completely engulfing churches, schools, psychologists. media, entertainment, civic organizations, literature, science, and history. All of these things must be The primary goal of the Frankfurt School was to radically transformed and the social and cultural translate Marxism from economic terms into order gradually turned upside-down cultural terms. It would provide with the new proletariat placed in the ideas on which to base a new power at the top. political theory of revoltuion The Frankf urt School based on culture, harnessing Remember tha t from the Jo The Prototype new oppressed groups for the hn Dewey piece above? The In 1919, Georg Lukacs became faithless proletariat. Smashing re will be much Deputy Commissar for Culture religion, morals, It would also more on this g ro u o p f p seudo intelle in the short-lived Bolshevik Bela build a constituency among ctuals in the f u tu Kun regime in Hungary. He academics, who could build re! immediately set plans in motion careers studying and writing about to de-Christianize Hungary. the new oppression.

Reasoning that if Christian sexual ethics could be undermined among children, then Toward this end, Marcuse-who favored both the hated patriarchal family and the Church polymorphous perversion-expanded the ranks of would be dealt a crippling blow. Lukacs launched Gramsci’s new proletariat by including homosexuals, a radical sex education program in the schools. lesbians, and transsexuals. Into this was spliced Sex lectures were organized and literature handed Lukacs radical sex education and cultural terrorism out which graphically instructed youth in free tactics. Gramsci’s ‘long march’ was added to the love (promiscuity) and sexual intercourse while mix, and then all of this was wedded to Freudian simultaneously encouraging them to deride and psychoanalysis and psychological conditioning reject Christian moral ethics, monogamy, and parental techniques. The end product was Cultural Marxism, and church authority. All of this was accompanied by now known in the West as multiculturalism. a reign of cultural terror perpetrated against parents, priests, and dissenters.

Additional intellectual firepower was required: a theory to pathologize what was to be destroyed.

Hungary’s youth, having been fed a steady diet of In 1950, the Frankfurt School augmented Cultural values-neutral (atheism) and radical sex education Marxism with Theodor Adorno’s idea of the while simultaneously encouraged to rebel against ‘authoritarian personality.’ This concept is premised all authority, easily turned into delinquents ranging on the notion that Christianity, capitalism, and the from bullies and petty thieves to sex predators, traditional family create a character prone to racism murderers, and sociopaths. and fascism. Thus, anyone who upholds America’s traditional moral values and institutions is both racist 50 MinuteMom Magazine

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and fascist. Children raised by traditional values parents, we are told to believe, will almost certainly become racists and fascists. By extension, if fascism and racism are endemic to America’s traditional culture, then everyone raised in the traditions of God, family, patriotism, gun ownership, or free markets is in need of psychological help.

The pernicious influence of Adorno’s ‘authoritarian personality’ idea can be clearly seen in some of the research that gets public money.

Critical Theory does to societies.” (Intellectual Morons, p 15-16)

Critical Theory is an ongoing and brutal assault via vicious criticism relentlessly leveled against Christians, Christmas, the Boy Scouts, Ten Commandments, our military, and all other y l Theor a ic it r C e aspects of traditional nfus Do not co Thinking. This is American culture and al with Critic ample of society. r ex

yet anothe istortion that will ed e progressiv ure episod t u f a in d be feature anguage.”

L g in r o t s of “Re

“In Aug., 2003, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced the results of their $1.2 million tax-payer funded study. It stated, essentially, that traditionalists are mentally disturbed. Scholars from the Universities of Maryland, California at Berkeley, and Stanford had determined that social conservatives... suffer from ‘mental rigidity,’ ‘dogmatism,’ and ‘uncertainty avoidance,’ together with associated indicators for mental illness.” http:// www.edwatch.org/ ‘Social and Emotional Learning” Jan. 26, 2005)

The Orwellian cast of the pathologies named shows how far Gramsci’s long march has led us.

A corresponding and diabolically crafted idea is political correctness. The strong suggestion here is that in order for one not to be thought of as racist or fascist, then one must not only be nonjudgmental but must also embrace the ‘new’ moral absolutes: diversity, choice, sensitivity, sexual orientation, and tolerance. Political correctness is a Machiavellian psychological ‘command and control’ device. Its purpose is the imposition of uniformity in thought, speech, and behavior.

Both political correctness and Critical Theory are in essence, psychological bullying.

They are the psycho-political battering rams by which Frankfurt School disciples such as the ACLU are forcing Americans to submit to and to obey the will and the way of the Left. These devious devices are but psychological versions of Georg Lukacs and Laventi Beria’s ‘cultural terrorism’ tactics. In the words of Beria, “Obedience is the result of force...Force is the antithesis of humanizing actions. It is so synonymous in the human mind with savageness, lawlessness, brutality, and barbarism, that it is only necessary to display an inhuman attitude toward people to be granted by those people the possessions of force.” (The Russian Manual on Psychopolitics: Obedience, by Laventi Beria, head of Soviet Secret Police and Stalin’s right-hand man)

Double-thinking ‘fence-sitters’, otherwise known as moderates, centrists, and RINOs bear the imprint of these psychological ‘obedience’ techniques. These people-in some cases literally afraid of incurring the wrath of name-calling obedience trainers--- have opted to straddle the fence lest they be found guilty of possessing an opinion, one way or another. At the merest hint of displeasure from the obedienceCritical theory is yet another psychological trainers, up goes the yellow flag of surrender upon ‘command and control’ device. As stated by Daniel which it is boldly written: J. Flynn, “I believe in nothing and am tolerant of “Critical Theory, as its name implies, criticizes. everything!”

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reject these because these principles of liberty “are endowed by our Creator,” who made man in His image.

Cultural determinism, states David Horowitz, is “identity politics-the politics of radical feminism, queer revolution, and Afro-centrism-which is the basis of academic multiculturalism...a form of intellectual fascism and, insofar as it has any politics, of political fascism as well.” (Mussolini and Neo-Fascist Tribalism: Up from Multiculturalism,

by David Horowitz, Jan. 1998) It is said that courage is the first of the virtues because without it fear will paralyze man, thus keeping him from acting upon his moral convictions and speaking truth. Thus bringing about a general state of paralyzing fear, apathy, and submission-the chains of tyranny-is the purpose behind psychopolitical cultural terrorism, for the communist Left’s revolutionary agenda must, at all costs, be clothed in darkness.

Cultural Determinism The linchpin of Cultural Marxism is cultural determinism, the parent of identity politics and group solidarity. In its turn, cultural determinism was birthed by the Darwinian idea that man is but a soulless animal and therefore his identity is determined by for example, his skin color or his sexual and/or erotic preferences. This proposition rejects the concepts of the human spirit, individuality, free will, and morally informed conscience (paired with personal accountability and responsibility) because it emphatically denies the existence of the God of the Bible.

Consequently, and by extension, it also rejects the first principles of our liberty enumerated in the Declaration of Independence. These are our “unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Cultural Marxism must 52 MinuteMom Magazine

The antidote is courage and the light of truth. If we are to win this cultural war and reclaim and rebuild America so our children and their children’s children can live in a ‘Shining City on the Hill’ where liberty, families, opportunity, free markets, and decency flourish, we must muster the courage to fearlessly expose the communist Left’s revolutionary agenda to the Light of Truth. Truth and the courage to speak it will set us free.

Linda Kimball is the author of numerous published articles and essays on culture, politics, and worldview. Her writings are published both nationally and internationally. Linda is a team member of Grassfire, New Media Alliance, and MoveOff.

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By Diana Learn Several of this week’s hot news stories could not have been more timely. This premier AAMU Special Report, and subsequent volumes to follow are designed to provide a broad base of information across all the cultural disciplines. As I was writing for the “development of modern thought” sub-section, current events gave me the ultimate introduction to the essay.

the fact that ethicists were arguing in support of infanticide, was wholly offensive to just about everyone who ran their eyes across the shocking words.

The following day, an article with a similar moral dilemma, made the news. A man in Canada was After Birth Abortions and Bestiality SHOULD Be charged with cruelty to animals Legal… due to the ‘relationship’ that he has I am sure by now, most of you have read or at least with his dog. A long time advocate heard about the article “Ethicists argue in Favor of of bestiality, this man argues that ‘After-Birth Abortions’ As Newborns ‘Are Not Persons’” it simply should not be illegal to (http://tinyurl.com/7polbzo). In this piece, Australian love whomever or whatever one ethicists grapple with the morality of infanticide on loves. the basis of hardship on the family, unexpected birth results or a change in the family dynamic – some What most people will not have typical reasons a woman may chose an abortion. The the intellectual honesty to admit, basis of the discussion revolves around the question; however, is that in both of these when does a human being become a person? To this abhorrent cases, the ‘defendants’ point the authors write: are absolutely correct.

There is a logical and legal argument Both a fetus and a newborn certainly are for after-birth abortions and human beings and potential persons, but bestiality.

The “Journal of neither is a ‘person’ in the sense of ‘subject of a Medical Ethics” response to the moral right to life’. We take ‘person’ to mean an outrage over the initial article individual who is capable of attributing to her (http://tinyurl.com/84ak7e3) own existence some (at least) basic value such explains it perfectly: that being deprived of this existence represents a loss to her.

Many people will and [...] have disagreed with these Merely being human is not in itself a reason for arguments. However, the ascribing someone a right to life. Indeed, many goal of the Journal of Medical humans are not considered subjects of a right to Ethics is not to present the life: spare embryos where research on embryo Truth or promote some one stem cells is permitted, fetuses where abortion is moral view. It is to present permitted, criminals where capital punishment well reasoned argument is legal. based on widely accepted premises. The authors As would be imagined, this article, and in particular provocatively argue that As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

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there is no moral difference between a fetus and a newborn. Their capacities are relevantly similar. If abortion is permissible, infanticide should be permissible. The authors proceed logically from premises which many people accept to a conclusion that many of those people would reject.(emphasis mine)

the incremental course of history and philosophic thought. We MUST consider worldview in ANY discussion of culture/society.

More and more we are being told, and our kids are being taught, that history is not important, and certainly not relevant. Nothing The issue of the morality of after-birth abortions could be further from the and bestiality are both extreme positions that flow truth. History helps answer the naturally from more “modest” positions that have questions “who are we?” “where been accepted by our culture over time. Abortion did we come from?” and “how did used to be illegal. Then there were exceptions. Then we get here?” Without answers to it was ok in the first tri-mester; then the first two. these questions, it is impossible to Late term abortions were followed by partial birth understand our modern world. abortions. Why would the question of after-birth abortion surprise anyone? Why would the “moral line” Modern man lives in a world be drawn at partial birth? How can a few minutes of that is surrounded by a secular time or a breath or two suddenly change an act from monolithic consensus of thought a “right” to a crime? (worldview), but most people do not know what that consensus is, And, what of bestiality? Why should it be illegal to how they are affected by it or in love outside your species? Who determines what is some cases, that they are affected cruel versus loving to an animal? If it is ok to marry by it at all. The way we think is any human, why should a few chromosomes change the sole influence on what we do something from a “right” to a crime? and what we say. In order to be intellectually honest in how we These issues are the manifestation of the “slippery live our lives, we MUST analyze slope” that is all-to-often ignored, scorned or what it is that affects our thoughts completely dismissed when brought to the debate. and actions. Simply allowing the Now, regardless of attention paid or not paid to prevailing worldview to influence the cries of those defending classic values of moral your thoughts, without analysis, absolutes, many of the very perversions that were leaves you vulnerable.

You laughed off the table, are sitting in our headlines. will not be able to defend your positions because your positions So how did we get to this point? How is it that will come from a place of emotion intellectuals are sitting in academic lounges looking and not a place of truth. This goes for the exact point in a human life when it becomes a for EVERYONE of ANY worldview. “person?” Why can’t a man in Canada marry his dog? Through this series of articles, I What makes any of this right or wrong? It all seems hope to inspire each of you to so arbitrary. analyze the process by which you come to a truth or an absolute and And arbitrary defines our modern world to a tee. know exactly how it is that you Can we find out how we got to this point? My goal is know something is true or not to show, logically, that we can. We can trace the path true. Even the Bible does not teach of thought that has brought us to the current, surreal to believe blindly. No one should culture. carry a worldview that is based on blind faith.

How Do You Know What You Know?

It is impossible to make sense of our world Modern consensus of thought is today without a thorough understanding of different than in any time in history 54 MinuteMom Magazine

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People today, as a whole, think differently than they did 100 years ago. Prior to that time the vast majority of individuals - no matter what their “religious” views – lived their lives based on an assumption that truth could be discovered; that man using his reason and through rationalism could arrive at a set of principles that would explain life, its meaning and our place in the universe. Today, that hope has been largely abandoned. The consensus is that absolute truth is not only not knowable, but truth itself is everchanging – in other words, truth as one would think of it, does not exist. The only absolute in life is that there are no absolutes and that everything changes.

With this fluid view of “truth,” we are left with nothing – apart from man and his arbitrary ideas – upon which to build a society.

How did this happen?

The modern worldview was accepted first in Germany and spread geographically. It circulated socially from the Intellectual portion of society and then to the educated, middle class and on through the working class. It was conceived in the discipline of Philosophy and manifest itself through the artists - painters, authors and musicians - then filtered on to the general culture through graphics, drama, general cinema and finally through theology into our churches.

universe grew from a “big bang” of energy that is ever expanding and man evolved from “primordial goo.” While these theories dominate our culture, neither completely answers the questions because there is no scientific precedence for something to come from nothing, and the laws of physics deny order coming from chaos. And though the theory of evolution is accepted as fact, there is still no plausible explanation for the personality and individuality of man. Therefore, man finds meaning in his search for these answers and in his attempt to create a utopian society.

Alternatively, there is the Eastern New Age worldview that answers the questions by forwarding the idea that god is in everything and everything is god. The god energy created the world. We are not separate from the universe, but are in a constant state of flux from one reality to another within the universe. One’s life is a series of relationships within waves of change. Man finds meaning by Choosing Your Worldview searching inwardly for the god that The educated person will CHOOSE his or her resides in himself. worldview, and not simply have the consensus of family, work, school, education or even church Rounding out the 3 most common foisted upon him or her. This worldview, in order to frames is the Christian worldview, be sufficient to base your life actions upon, must which answers the questions with answer two very important questions. First, it must belief in an infinite, personal God. explain the complexity and order of the universe, This God created the universe, and and second, it must provide an explanation for the further created man in His image. personality and individuality of man.

The Christian God is reasonable, knowable, interested and involved The modern secular worldview attempts to answer with His creation, and as such man these questions with science. There is no god. The has the reasonable expectation to be able to discover and learn the truths Diana Learn is a small business owner, of the universe. The Christian God homeschooling mom and the Director of has communicated with man and Education for As A Mom. As an avid observer has given absolute truths in regards of culture and the decline of American to moral and civil conduct. Man finds education, she is dedicated to enlightening meaning in communication with his others to the root causes of our societal decline in the context of worldview and God and through the discoveries of philolosophical thought.

His creation.

To be continued...

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Best oafry Febru12 20

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

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journeys into wedded bliss. Needless to say my pocketbook is anything but happy.

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. www.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?

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 without 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 As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

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 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.

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!

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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”.

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.

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

YY Do not go to malls or window shop.

YY Give purchases a twentyfour 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 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

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THE REAL WAR: Best oef Jun 2012

Our Principles and Values

we live. Do we have problems? Yes, Americans have made mistakes, American presidents have made mistakes, but that is no reason to lay down in submission to other countries, and apologize for our very existence.

American people are good. By and large the people in the United States are good and decent however the media chooses to focus on the negative showing the vile and degrading to be the norm. This of course leads us to believe that we are standing alone when we are not. Just look at what happens when 1. America Is Good. there is a natural disaster; we help each other, America the way the founders envisioned usually before the government gets involved. and the way most of us have lived all of our The American people are good. America is lives is good. We do not need to go apologize good. to other nations for what we believe, or how Over the last few months we have heard much about wars on women, classes and so forth. According to the media I identify with the conservative group that is supposedly behind some of these wars‌So why do I feel so beat up?

Because the real war is on all of the principles and values that we hold dear. It didn’t take long to realize that I could go down each of the 9-12 principles and values and find a war raging against each of them.

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www.AsAMom.org

Stock Free Images Modified

By Lori PARKER As a Mom... pRESIDENT & cO-fOUNDER

Men and women of the integrity are belittled for being old-fashioned, out of touch, or religious zealots. Sadly, news of extramarital Somehow over the years the First affairs, bribery and corruption have become Amendment has been turned upside down the expected norm in the daily media. Movies, by a phrase taken completely out of context television, and music have plot lines and lyrics and found nowhere in the Constitution. The that not only celebrate but reward dishonesty. founders never intended to remove God Gossip magazines survive on dishonesty. from our country. According to John Dishonesty has come to be expected. At a Addams they intended us to be a Godschool near me a girl was regularly put in the fearing people. “Our Constitution corner when she took a test because cheating was made only for a moral and was so rampant that the teacher did not want religious people. It is wholly inadother students to be able to see her paper. equate to the government of any This child was essentially punished for being other.” The amendment assured honest as the teacher’s actions made her the that no particular denomination victim of a junior high style of social juswould become the religion of the tice. Many of us have been greeted by shock state thereby allowing religious when we have tried to correct financial errors leaders to control the government at stores that would have been in our favor. or in reverse for the government to We have come to look at some public figures control religious leaders that they though the glasses of who is lying least. were to be independent of each other.

Yet each of us mingle daily with many Recent events including an atheist honest people. It is a standard we can and rally in Washington DC, law suits seeking should expect and be rewarded for keeping, to remove the 10 Commandments from pubnot looked upon as something old fashioned. lic buildings, and outcries against Christmas nativity scenes have all been waged in the 4. The family is sacred. My spouse name of the First Amendment. Those who and I are the ultimate authorreject new social norms on the basis of reli- ity, not the government. gion or morality are labeled and scoffed at.

The very existence of parental rights orgaThere are those who would have us nizations shows just how much the governbelieve that the only way to follow the First ment thinks they can run our families betAmendment is to remove God from our counter than we can. Thanks to addendum to the try. Unfortunately these people apparently stimulus bill, public education institutions have missed the reading entire Declaration of are gathering more information on our chilIndependence which makes it clear that our dren and us than ever. These educational country was founded on God’s laws and the institutions are often unwilling to recognize inalienable rights that our Creator gave us. the parent as the ultimate authority on their children touting their own degrees in educa3. I must always try to be a more hontion as giving them higher authority to know est person than I was yesterday. what to do with our youth.

Do we even expect honesty anymore?

The very institution that creates famiHonest Politician is the ultimate oxymoron. lies, namely marriage, has been attacked 2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.

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and changed in many states, enabling those who by the laws of nature could not have families, to be called one. A recent article in Huffington Post pointed out that one thing that couples needed to do to have at least a 15 year marriage was to stop thinking of it as “temporary” in our society. Many in America do not think the marriage contract is permanent or binding. Last time I checked “til death do you part” seemed rather permanent.

The thought that if things get too tough you just walk away from your family is prevalent in all forms of the media—as entertainment.

There are legitimate reasons for divorce, however viewing marriage as temporary situation no doubt increases divorce rates.

Families are under attack everywhere, mothers who choose to stay at home are told that they either “do not work’ or are not contributing positively to society. How is raising tomorrow’s Americans not contributing to society? Statistically children from a traditional two parent home are much more likely to receive a higher education, be gainfully employed, and stay out of trouble with the law than their counterparts. Many of us yearn for these types of families even if our current circumstances do not make it possible.

(A 2007 Pew Research poll showed that only 21% of mothers of children under 18 felt that working full time outside the home was the “ideal” situation) Yet those who would seek to protect the traditional family are labeled as unsympathetic, or bigots.

5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.

Tryvon Martin. That this case was clearly tried in the media before charges were even brought is just one example of what has been happening to American justice. The very fact that this case has so much media exposure 62 MinuteMom Magazine

as compared to other similar cases is a form of injustice. Many spend time justifying their acts of by shifting blame to others. Some seek to be forgiven in the public eye for their crimes and circumvent justice by justifying themselves on talk shows.

Judges in many areas, either out of their own corruptness, or simply out of a misguided sense of mercy, to ease overcrowding of jails, allow justice to be blinded as criminals run away. Helicopter parents seek to protect and remove penalties and natural consequences from their own children’s actions. Inmates jam the system with frivolous lawsuits seeking to be released from the sentence they have been given. Money, power and media access often rob Justice of her scales.

6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.

While the Occupy Wall Street protesters sit in their tents and yell obscenities at the passersby many others of us recognize the truth that we are responsible for our own lives and the direction it takes. We do not begrudge those who have gained fortunes legally what they have earned. In our schools the participation ribbon has become the norm. My kids were quite disappointed to learn after a few months in a news school that everyone eventually got the “terrific kid” award.

Some districts have adopted grading standards that are intended to ensure that children not feel inferior. The result is something so odd that it leaves both parents and children wondering how they are doing in school.

The term “all men are created equal” was simply never meant to mean that all men should have everything equally. How boring would a snowfall be to a child if every snowflake looked the same? www.AsAMom.org

Somehow we have been fooled into believing that the government is bigger and better than us. I recently saw a high school student defend a position that the only reason we had safe food in this country was because of Charity, often translated as a love for felthe FDA. His father, who works in the food low man, cannot be forced. Government industry, pointed out to no avail that the stanprograms that may have started out with dards his company keeps are for customer satthe honorable intent to help often become a isfaction and market share and have little to handout and not a hand up as recipients are do with the FDA. They will meet the FDA’s neither required nor encouraged to find their standards but often surpass them in areas own way out of the dilemma. Many feel they where they feel it is better for not only for are entitled to help without doing anything to customer safety but also their satisfaction. help themselves, and become enslaved to the Instead of working for us, the government government in order to keep receiving their often hampers our ability to move forward handout. Laziness is rewarded, those with and to move on. The government seems to no desire to work cry out at the discrepancies think that we have a complete lack of comthey see in the world, and those who work mon sense that such things as buying food for hard to attain what they have are ridiculed. families, wisely using our own money, and Many private charities work as a hand even choosing our own doctors is beyond our up giving what is needed when needed and intelligence. Regulations and red tape have in helping by “teaching men to fish” rather many areas destroyed tradition and tie up the than encouraging dependency on the sysintelligence our Creator gave us. tem. These same charities find themselves in battles with local, and federal governments as Children are a gift from God and a sacred responsibility. they are regulated out of existence.

7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with whoever I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable

This bonus Asamom.org principle was added to the 9-12 on our creation and has been under increasing fire for more than 40 years. It has become a matter of political This is truly what was meant by the First and religious contention. Those who would Amendment. Not a justification for porthwart the biological laws guarantee future nography, or filthy lyrics in a song or saying generations of humans, look upon pregnancy anything you wish, but the right to stand up as a disease rather than a natural outcome of and tell your government when you feel it is a union between a man and a woman. They wrong. However the media would portray demand government provide birth control, those who stand up on the conservative side and abortions in order to circumvent this as complete idiots. Even our president has natural law. Those of us who rejoice in chilmade fun of us. We are told and pressured dren, and find every life is precious are told from all sides to keep silent. that we hate women.

A new ad by Planned Parenthood tries to 9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me. label those who oppose government funding of their institution as those who hate 8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.

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Special Edition 2013 63

women and don’t want to help women get basic health services. Yet as one who has read Margaret Sanger’s views I cannot abide my tax dollars going to an organization that is so clearly fluffing her mission.

Ironically by the laws of our country, a yet unknown species of fruit fly is offered more protection and right to live, than our own species. As millions of dollars will be spent to protect wetlands and stop construction in order that this fruit fly habitat is preserved, giving it a higher status than the child yet to be born that has tax dollars available to kill it.

Honesty, Reverence, Hope, Thrift, Humility, Charity, Sincerity, Moderation, Hard Work, Courage, Personal Responsibility, and Gratitude. These simple one or two word values are also being hammered and are under contestant fire.

YY Honesty ~ discussed in principle number three YY Reverence ~ is lost not only on our generation but generations after. Reverence for the flag, our elders and God. Watch most comedians utilize this complete lack of reverence for a laugh at any turn.

YY Hope ~ now used as a political buzzword. To truly find hope is because of heart felt conformance to the other principles and values which we hold.

YY Thrift ~ save money not spent to keep up with the Joneses rule only is this something our government takes completely for granted but it is something much of America has forgotten is necessary.

YY Humility ~ among other things humility requires us to acknowledge the help of others in all that we accomplish. Such acknowledgment is a rarity for many of our leaders.

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YY Charity ~ discussed in principle seven YY Sincerity ~ with many ties to honesty and it is the quality that is missing from so many political and public figures as they attempt to attract citizens to following them.

YY Moderation ~ home loan best moderation is often ridiculed. Part of having freedom and is understanding the freedom to choose simply not to do something even though it may feel good.

YY Hard Work ~ more than any other principle this one leads to the validation of self worth as we recognize we have tried hard to accomplish what we have done.

Yet those who work hard on a ridiculed from the treatments they make.

YY Courage ~ how many courageous people can you name who have been called names for standing up?

YY Personal Responsibility ~ acknowledging your mistakes, accepting your weaknesses and your circumstances is not something we see touted often.

YY Gratitude ~ the thank you card has all but disappeared from our culture.

Giving thanks to God, to others and our founding fathers is something that never will make the headlines.

We are at war for our values and principles. Moms have long been the teachers and moral background of this and every country.

As moms must stand up for these values and principles and for what we believe in, women continue to live them regardless of ridicule and name-calling that we are subjected to.˜ Lori Parker is the President and Co-founder of As a Mon... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots.

A mother of four, she firmly believes that every one can make something happen for the better if they just begin. www.AsAMom.org

YYAs A Family

Christopher Columbus “There goes that crazy man!”

That’s what the village children would cry when they saw Christopher Columbus walking down the street. His clothes had become tattered and ragged. His hair had turned white.

Most of his friends had deserted him. His wife had died and left him to care for their little son, Diego. Everywhere he turned, people laughed and made fun of him.

For seventeen long years, he had tried to find someone who would believe in his dream–a dream he claimed God had placed in his heart. “Our Lord Jesus desired to perform a very obvious miracle in the voyage to the Indies, to comfort me and the whole people of God.” He shared his dream with the kings of Portugal, England and France. He shared it with the wisest scholars of the royal courts. He shared it with most anyone who would listen. But in the end, they all concluded it was foolishness.

Other men would have given up. But not Christopher Columbus. He never lost hope.

And because he never lost hope, at long last he found a friend in Queen Isabella of Spain. And now the story of the Pinta, the Nina and the Santa Maria that sailed the ocean blue in 1492 is gratefully remembered by a nation made possible because of one courageous man who never gave up.

Kids contribute to this page by sending your ideas to editor@minutemom.org As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

Special Edition 2013 65

YYAs A Family The Adventures of Mailable Molly

Move over Flat Stanley, Molly is here to help save the Constitution!

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Timmy took Molly to be posted and off she went to warn about the danger to the Constitution.

After each warning was delivered, Molly would ask to be sent to another person.

She crisscrossed the new country by stage and by courier, year after year, never to return to her little cottage or its turnip garden.

Eventually someone accidentally stuck her in a book. As you know, flowers pressed in a book are preserved forever, and evidently so are people who are stuck in books. Molly remained there until not too long ago when little Becky was in the used bookstore with her mom. While browsing the overstuffed shelves of dusty literature, she discovered Molly kept safe between pages 142 and 143 of Gulliver’s Travels.

Becky brought Molly home and eagerly read her message.

Realizing that we are now in a situation similar to that of Molly’s time, Becky decided to help Molly share her warning once again. She introduced Molly to a scanner and printer, and showed her how a copy could be attached to an email. To be even more effective, she made a Facebook page and showed Molly how to gather friends. So now Molly helps to write blogs while sending her duplicates all over the country.

Will you help Molly with her Message?

—Lori Parker , asamom.org

Directions:

1. Print and ColorMolly on cardstock or heavy paper.

2. Cut out and mail Molly, along with a Constitution and personal letter or story, to your friends.

3. 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!

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

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

6. 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!

Complete instructions and Downloadable PDFs can be

found at www.asamom.org

www.AsAMom.org

Photos Courtesy of morguefile, molly added.

One day the famous revolutionary war heroine, Molly Pitcher, was working in her garden. Next door her neighbor was having a heated conversation with a newcomer to town.

“I say the Constitution will DIE! Mark my words in the future no one will read it and it will be irrelevant! And this is how we will do it…”

Molly was shocked; she could hardly pull another turnip.

She listened to every word and then rushed inside and wrote it all down. She must get word to… To whom? To her friend George Washington? Alexander Hamilton? What about Martha and Abigail? They would all need to be warned. It was up to them to save the Constitution.

Molly started to copy a letter that she could mail to all her friends. As she hurried down to post them she noticed the newcomer talking with a small group of men. They all seemed to agree – the Constitution should die.

“What will happen if my letter falls into the wrong hands?” thought Molly. She did not dare mail the envelopes. She returned to her little house to think up a plan. She thought all through lunch, all through scrubbing the floor and clear up to bed time. She woke up thinking the next morning, wash day, and kept on thinking all day long. That afternoon she started the ironing, her favorite kerchief first. She was so distracted that she let the iron drop on her toe. “Ouch!” she thought as she looked at her foot and realized it was flat.

Molly looked from her foot to the stack of letters.

“Why if all of me were flat I could fold myself up and send myself with the message. Then I know that it would be safe.”

As she considered the plan she almost leapt for joy, but her flat foot wouldn’t cooperate.

Molly spent the next hour planning for her journey. She asked little Timmy, who lived down the lane, to come by in the morning to collect and mail a letter she would leave on the table along with a treat. She told her neighbors she was leaving unexpectedly for awhile and that they could keep her garden produce in exchange for watching over her house.

Late that night, Molly set out her letter to George Washington, a copy of the Constitution and put on her favorite dress. Bravely she heated up her iron and starting with the foot she had accidentally ironed earlier, she ironed herself flat. This took a very long time and Molly would not recommend it to any one, although it did get rid of all those wrinkles around her eyes. Folding herself up was a bit tricky and she had to experiment with bending first at the knees then at the waist, or should it be first at the waist and then at the knees. To wrap the original letter around her like a blanket or should she wrap herself around the letter. Finally she was done, she leaned against the candlestick and got just enough wax to hold herself together and waited for Timmy.

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