MinuteMom Magazine - Spring 2013 by As A Mom… A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots ®

MinuteMom Spring 2ndQuarter | 2012â&#x20AC;˘ Volume 3 Issue 2

Motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day:

Whose Children are they?

Encourage & inspire

Constitution gun control The power of Beginning

Rotten to the Core? a Beginners guide to Common core

YYFrom T he Board Welcome Hello Moms and Moms at Heart, First of all, I would like to say that our thoughts and prayers are with the good people of Boston during these difficult days and weeks following the tragedy at the Boston Marathon. The American people are resilient and we always face our challenges head on. The first responders to the attacks were heroes, and another demonstration of how we always come together in a crisis. We will keep Boston in our hearts and prayers as they heal and come back better than ever. Encourage and Inspire... These are two of the AAM Actions that we incorporate into our lives daily, including what we do on our AAM site. We Encourage our Moms to educate themselves and then educate others on the many different facets of our lives. Our site has many groups, discussions and information regarding education, prepping, politics, and many other topics. We give our Moms the tools to go out and make a difference in their homes and their communities, and they do just that. Inspiration comes from the members themselves. They inspire each other. I am inspired every day by the men and women of our site. They work very hard at their jobs, in their homes, communities, and for our country. They fight to keep our freedoms and traditions alive, which is not easy, but they persevere regardless of the obstacles. Never giving in, never giving up. The common denominator for most of us is our children and our grandchildren. We all want them to have what we had, and will work tirelessly to give it to them. Our members are the best! It never ceases to amaze me how knowledgeable they are on so many topics of discussion. Here are a couple of the hot topics we are discussing: YY Agenda 21- AAM discussion group has information from Moms all over the country. YY Common Core Curriculum is being discussed in our Educating Americans Forum and in many state groups. I invite you to join AsAMom.org, and if you are a member who is not so active, please take a second look, we have made some changes. As for our more devoted members, I thank you so very much for your tireless efforts to make our site one of the best, most enduring around. It is a joy to share information, thoughts and even our worries together. I always look forward to seeing our Mommy Patriots-we are like “old friends”, working together to “Encourage and Inspire” each other daily. Thanks everyone, and I hope to see you around the site:-)

photo L.. Parker

Patsy Conreaux Vice President As a Mom… A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots® Inc.

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www.AsAMom.org

MinuteMom Magazine Spring 2ndQuarter | 2012• Volume 3 Issue 2

8 Features 8 Common Core A beginners guide to understanding Common Core Standards By JEnn Jones, Jaime Munns, Darlene Eulie, Gwen M. Clark

14 happy Mother’s Day? By Pat Byers, president As A Mom...

KrisAnne Hall

20 What is 1.7%? How much influence should that number have on our lives? By Lori Parker, Founder As a Mom...

24 The US Constitution: A Primer By Catherine G. White

32 Beginning, Learning, Sharing 32

These words contain the power to change our futures By Lori Parker, Founder As a Mom...

38 If My People….

I am watching the destruction of my country. The country that I love with all my heart. By jenn Jones director of Education

44 The 10 Commandments of Survival Gaye Levy

52 Surprisingly Optimistic By Joshua Durgin

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Spring 2013

Departments 2 From The Board Welcome

6 AAM Actions 17 Restoring Humor 18

Blogger Obamacare: Who Run’s Your Life?

Editorial Out of Control - Gun Control Legislation

Book Club Recommended Prepping Books

Mom’s Minutes

54 Values 9-12 Values

56 Poem The Harvest

57 Honors Memorial Day Remembrance May 27, 2013

58 As a Family Patriot Camp... in The Beginning The Adventures of Mailable Molly

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.

Publisher: As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots.® Inc. www.AsAMom.org Editor Kami Watkins Associate Editor Cee Hinkle Art Director Lori Parker Contributing Writers: Aunite Anne Pat Byers Gwen M. Clark Joshua Durgin Darlene Eulie KrisAnne Hall Jenn Jones Gaye Levy Jaime Munns Lori Parker Heather Sellars Kami Watkins Catherine G. White 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. Cover: iStock Photo Please send all article submissions to: editor@minutemom.org Advertising inquiries contact: sponsor@asamom.org Note that submissions are welcome but are not guaranteed inclusion in the magazine.

For more information contact editor@minutemom.org.

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Boston never stop running

Our prayers and hearts go out to all who were impacted by the bombings. Remembering 4â&#x20AC;˘15â&#x20AC;˘13. Please never stop finishing strong. As A Mom...

Thank you to all service men and women and their families that have given the ultimate sacrifice. We are forever grateful for your service and pray for continued peace in your lives. As A Mom...

Encourage & Inspire

YYAAM Actions

Many of my friends like to run for fun, sport, or competition. Some make this endeavor look effortless and carefree, while others show exhaustion similar to my own when even contemplating the feat of fast, steady, upbeat strides while pounding the pavement. I stand in awe at the extent that these athletes go, in order to prepare for a race. Their preparation and training involves serious endurance. They prep and they train-much of their training involving hours of physical exhaustion- taking their body and mind to the limit. Runners see a vision in the distance, a goal they wish to reach or a finish line they aim to cross. Experienced runners plan ahead, especially when they intend to run for the long haul. They make a decision on the distance they plan to conquer. They chart their course 6

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and before even entering the race, they condition themselves by running both short and long distances. They are wise about what they put into their minds and bodies. They train their minds to overcome obstacles, to ignore defeat, focusing on their goal. They train their bodies to avoid the pitfalls of unexpected potholes, bumps in the road or other unexpected hazards. But, they do not give in or give up. Each one of us is like a runner. However, we are not in the planning or preparing stages of our race, we are running it! But, what will keep us going? Why should we continue, even after our expectations, planning or preparation may appear to have fallen short? Recalling our excitement-that surge of electricity and excitement that set us on our path- will remind us of our vision and what

our ‘finish-line’ represents. If we have taken a detour in this race-slowed our pace or stopped altogether- we can ask ourselves a few questions to stir that surge of excitement we once had. YY Why did we get into the race? YY What was so important about pushing ourselves to reach the finish-line? YY Is it as important to finish first, than it is to finish? YY Along this road we each travel, this race we are each in, have we forgotten our goal? YY What will it take to remind us of that spark we have within us, the spark that ignited our drive in the first place? YY What does our ‘finish-line’ represent? Some of us have been in this race for a while. We started off strong, www.AsAMom.org

pacing each step, remembering our goal and our reason for running. And there have been times along the way that we have stumbled. We have gone off course, bombarded by negative thinking, hasty choices and the idea that if we don’t finish first or now, what’s the point. We may feel alone, and our eye may occasionally drift to the ease of life of those not in the race. We need to recognize that we are not alone in this race. We have companion runners by our side. No marathon is an easy task if we go it alone. This knowledge gives us confidence to continue strong, making steady, sure strides towards our goal. We are filled with encouragement and inspired to do more and stretch further when we have the support of our friends and family. Some of us may feel we have nobody on the sidelines cheering us on. At those moments we may forget what we’re doing this for. Don’t ever think that you are on your own, or that your efforts are in vain. Train your thoughts to look at the positive efforts you have made and not one bead of sweat will have been for nothing. Each effort you make towards your goal to secure freedom and liberty from oppression will surely be rewarded. No great reward ever comes easily. To think that it should, would oppose the whole concepts of endurance and perseverance, from which ‘strength’ is developed. Take courage and know that if you are one that has stopped the As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

race, grab someone’s outstretched hand and let them lift you up. Keep your steps sure and steady and your eye on your goal. Surround yourself with those in the same race, going the same direction. Here at AsAMom we want you to know that we are in this race with you. We will not abandon your side, we will see you safely to

the finish line. Our eyes are on the same goal, we know that once we cross that finish line, a new race begins. Go it steady and sure, and set your foot on sturdy ground, because in reality, each finish is a new beginning. Finish strong!

—Kami Watkins

Encoura ge & Inspire

YYMentor someone in your family or community that needs guidance. Lift their spirits by looking at the positive behaviors and actions in their lives. YYUse inspirational and encouraging words and thoughts in your daily conversations with others. YYTrain your mind to see the positive, instead of dwelling on the negative. YYGenuinely praise others. YYDecide what your ‘finish-line’ represents. YYUnderstand that YOU have something to contribute, and it will make a positive difference. YYIf you start it… finish it! YYFinish strong! Spring 2013

Common Core: Something Rotten in Education

Imagine the following scenario: Your children from kindergarten through high school are being taught based on a nationalized standard curriculum that was developed by complete strangers in Washington, D.C. Your school has no say so in what is being taught or how it is taught. Your state legislators had nothing to do with its implemenation, and therefore your voice was never heard. Now consider that everything your child does is being tracked. Imagine there are points of data that are being collected on your child and shared with the federal government. Data such as their medical history, disciplinary records, religious affiliation, bus stop locations and times….Imagine that even though you thought parental rights gave you the power of consent for this data to be 8

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collected and shared, in fact you really have no say in the matter. Imagine that your local school board and your teachers have no control over the curriculum being taught in the school. Imagine that you are a homeschooler and you find out that college readiness exams such as SATs and ACTs have been changed to conform to this new nationalized curriculum being taught in the public school. Imagine an educational system that had been commandeered by an overreaching federal government to determine what and how your children will be taught; and that it is all part of a plan to create the work force of the future. You as a parent have been removed from the equation because after all, it takes a village to raise a child…right? www.AsAMom.org

apple ©i Stock photo

JEnn Jones, Jaime Munns, Darlene Eulie, Gwen M. Clark AAM Common Core TEam

Now, read back through those previous scenarios and remove the word “Imagine”. It is not hypothetical or conspiracy or something that only happens in the movies. It is real; it is happening; and it is more than likely already being implemented in your state and local school district. What is it? Common Core Curriculum. In case you haven’t heard about it, or if you have and you want to learn more this article is intended to give you some of the basics. As with anything else, you need to do more research and educate yourself on this topic as much as possible. If you don’t believe Common Core affects you – you are mistaken. It will eventually affect everyone on every level.

Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus) provided the carrot to dangle in front of the states to get them to commit. An earmark of $4.35 billion was created for states that “made significant progress” in meeting four education reform objectives. These objectives included improving state standards and improving the quality of academic assessments. A month after the Stimulus bill was passed, the Department of Education announced the Race to the Top – a competition of the states to qualify for Stimulus money. Race to the Top was conducted in two phases: Phase 1 was rolled out on November 1, 2009. Applying states were required to show their commitment to Common Core. This History meant the states had to commit to impleCommon Core State Standards Initiative menting the standards in order to be consid(CCSSI) in short, is a set of national K-12 ered for the grant. This was expected witheducational standards. Right now it focuses out ever seeing a draft of what the standards on English Language Arts (ELA) and were. This phase had a due date of January mathematics. 19, 2010. Forty states plus Washington, D.C. In 2008, Common Core Initiative was adopted Common Core in Phase I. developed by two Washington, D.C. trade In March 2010, two months after states based organizations – The National Governor’s were required to show their commitment Association (NGA) and Council of Chief to Common Core in order to be eligible State School Officers (CCSSO). They worked for Race to the Top funding, the NGA and with a progressive non-profit organization, Achieve, Inc. to develop the standards. The three organizations outlined their vision of education in a report called Benchmarking for Success. This effort was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This is stated in the Acknowledgement section of the report. Through 2008 and into 2009 the standards had not yet been completely drafted. The proponents of the Common Core Initiative were determined to get the states locked into the standards as quickly as possible. In February 2009, the American

two months after states were required to show their commitment to Common Core ... the NGA and CCSSO released a draft of the Common Core Standards.

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Spring 2013

Common Core: Rotten Apples

$ $ $

Common Core Standards moves control of school curriculum from the local schools and states to the federal level.

45 States have adopted CCS 5 States rejected the standards 2 States have active repeal legislation WA MT

OR ID

WA KS OK

IA UT

CA AK

WY NV

WV KY

TN AR LA

Most states adopted CCS to be eligible for federal Race to the Top funding, or No Child Left Behind waivers.

Amount of additional content that can be added by stateswon’t be covered on the national tests

SC MS

2009

Late 2009, states were asked to accept the standards before they were even published in March 2010

2 Members of the Common Core Validation Committee did not sign off on CCS because they considered the English and Math standards to be poor

Despite the number of standardized tests that will be implemented - CCS has not been tested and there is no proof that new standards will improve student achievement

$350Million

Amount from USDE funds to create standardized texts

Less than 2% of students move State to State-- one of the “selling points” of CCS was that it would help these students

CCSSO released a draft of the Common Core Standards. Also in March, the Department of Education announced the winners of Phase I grants – Delaware and Tennessee. In April, 2010 Phase II of the Race to the Top grant was rolled out. This phase required applicant states to show proof of steps they had taken to comply with requirements. This phase had a deadline of June 1, 2010. On June 2, 2010, a day after the deadline for Phase II, the NGA released the final draft of the K-12 Common Core Standards. States were then given an extension of the deadline until August 2, 2010, to amend their submissions to show evidence that they had adopted Common Core Standards. By Phase II, forty-seven states (this number includes Washington, D.C.) had adopted Common Core. The winners of Phase II funding were announced on August 24, 2010: D.C., Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Rhode Island. If a state applied for funding under the Race to the Top grant program, they were committing to Common Core Standards whether they were awarded funds or not. Due to the time constraints of the initial phase (which required the commitment to Common Core) the states were signed on to the standards either through their Departments of Education or their governor; meaning they were not reviewed, analyzed or voted on by the state legislatures.

“It’s almost a joke to think students [who master the common Core standards] would be ready for math at a university.” Dr. James Milgram, mathematician. Common Core Validation Committee

First, let’s look at some of the curriculum standard related issues. The English Language Arts (ELA) in Common Core minimizes reading of literary classics, but rather focus on informational texts. A member of the Common Core Validation Committee, Dr. Sandra Stotsky from the University of Arkansas, refused to sign off on the ELA standards because of the poor quality, elimination of emphasis on literature and lower reading levels. The Fordham Institute, a proponent of Common Core, admitted that some states already had better standards in place than Common Core would offer and other states had standards that were as good. Standards? In relation to mathematics, Dr. James As stated earlier, Common Core Standards Milgram, the only mathematician on the affect English Language Arts (ELA) and Common Core Validation Committee also mathematics at this time. The mediocrity, refused to sign off on the standards because at best, of these standards is only one rea- of their poor quality. He stated “It’s almost a son for concern. There are other components joke to think students [who master the comof Common Core that need attention and mon standards] would be ready for math at a should be alarming to parents. university.” As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

Spring 2013 11

Other Concerns If the sub-par curriculum is not enough to motivate you to research this topic further, try this one on for size: The Race to the Top funds included funding for longitudinal data systems. What is that? There is a multitude of data that is collected through various channels. Through expansion of definitions in the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), sharing of the data collected can be shared with more organizations than previously allowed. All without parental consent. For more information on data systems, you can check out the document called “Promoting Grit, Tenacity and Perseverance: Critical Factors for Success in the 21st Century.” This report was done by the U.S. Department of Education with input from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. So moms—at this point are you ready to roll up your sleeves and learn more than this article, or any other for that matter, can tell you? Are you motivated enough to start educating yourselves in the details of this initiative, why it is bad for our kids, our country and dangerous to the future generations? One thing should be made very clear: Common Core is an assault on states’ rights. It plainly states in the 10th Amendment that ”The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” Education is 12 MinuteMom Magazine

not a power delegated to the federal government. It is a power of the states and of the people. Proponents of Common Core would have you believe it is an initiative led by the states, but the devil is in the details. The details show this is a top down power grab. What can we do? Get involved. Just like everything else, the first step is educating yourself. Research. Research. Research. Many states now have coalitions that are bringing this issue to light and getting the word out. Find out if your state does and get involved. Talk to your local school boards and superintendents – even though there is nothing specifically they can do to stop it, they still need to be aware of the issue and why it is concerning. Contact your state legislators and help bring them up to speed on Common Core and why it is bad for your state and your children. Homeschoolers, you are not in the clear on this. You also need to be involved. There are several homeschool curriculum companies who are aligning with Common Core. When the assessments are written to match the curriculum, college entrance exams will be affected. If you are not teaching Common Core, they will make it harder for your kids to get into college. Many people will tell you it is a conspiracy theory. Who doesn’t want better education for our children to better prepare them for the future? We all want that. But it was never intended to be written by unaccountable www.AsAMom.org

organizations and controlled by unaccountable departments of government. This is not about improved education, but it is a matter of control. Control of what kids are learning, diminishing the role of parents and local school boards, and indoctrination of our youth. This issue must be at the forefront for parents. The federal government is once again stepping in to take your place in the lives of your children. The collective can do a better job of raising and educating kids than parents and families – at least this is what they would like us to believe. No one can do better for a child than their parents. So the ball is in your court. So many times you have been called upon to get involved and fight the good fight. Many of us are tired. It seems like a constant onslaught of this issue or that issue. But the fight continues and we need everyone involved and engaged. So dig in and keep going. The future of our children is at stake. Future generations are depending on us to push back against this takeover of education. For too long we have sat back and watched it happen – that time is gone. For more information on this please check out these websites: www.truthinamericaneducation.com www.stopcommoncore.com YouTube also has a series of five videos which give a summary overview of Common Core entitled Stop Common Core. They are well done and to the point. Share them with your neighbors, your friends, family, school boards, teachers, legislators – everyone. You are also encouraged to check out the information on As A Mom... on this topic. We have a lot of really knowledgeable moms out there who have been sharing information on this subject for quite some time.

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

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.

Learn what your schools are doing. Talk to teachers. Explore web sites. Attend school board meetings. Look for information in your State regarding Common Core Don’t have CCS? Look for programs such as CScope (Texas)

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

?? y t i n u m m ear co

Happy Mother’s Day! Oh by the way, that’s not your child. He belongs to the Community. “Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.” ~ Vladimir Lenin “Give us the child for 8 years and it will be a Bolshevik forever.” ~ Vladimir Lenin We have heard these lines of child brainwashing forever. But most of us know it is also in the Bible: Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Have we, like sheep, allowed our Government to “train up” our children concerning how to think? As parents and citizens we still have the responsibility to raise and guide our children. 14 MinuteMom Magazine

We watched the country decide to not award honors to the best of the best—instead we gave ‘Participation Certificates’ to all, win or lose. Does that encourage children to practice and try their best? We watched as no child was held back in a grade at school to become better prepared for the next level of learning. We spent a great deal of emotional and educational capital on feelings, instead of on striving, practicing, correcting mistakes, finding weaknesses and strengthening skills. Suddenly our child’s classroom included many children who were not prepared for the instruction at grade level. Currently, the country is learning the “core” of Common Core and CSCOPE (Texas). We are learning how these are tied to some designers who were active in the www.AsAMom.org

apple ©i Stock Free photo

by Pat Byers President As a Mom...

Weather Underground, Bill Ayers’ group of the 1960’s. We are learning about a contract that The Bill Gates Foundation had with the UN to develop an academic program. Suddenly, we feel like we have to work our way through a minefield with our children. As “momma grizzlies,” we are being very cautious and looking at details with all of our senses. Now we have a shot across the bow and we know what it means from this chilling statement by Melissa Harris-Perry, MSNBC host: We have never invested in public education as much as we should have, because we’ve always had kind of a private notion of children. Your kid is yours, and totally your responsibility. We haven’t had a very collective notion of “These are our children”; so part of it is that we have to break through our kind of private idea that kids belong to their parents, or kids belong to their families, and recognize that kids belong to whole communities. Once it’s everybody’s responsibility and not just the household’s, then we start making better investments.1 Even without considering religious aspects, do children really belong to the “community?”

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Does it really take a village, Hillary? Or does it take two devoted parents? Or even one very devoted parent? Moms feel the same way as parent activist, Yvonne Gasparino, stated: My children, my own flesh and blood, these beautiful little souls that I carried for nine months with nothing but unconditional love from the time the stick read “positive” –are being ripped out of my loving and protective hands virtually and kidnapped by the government for their future use. I will not and cannot let that happen and will fight with every moral fiber of my soul that God has bestowed upon me.2 What does all this mean? Many Americans recognize the phrase, “for the common good,” as code words meaning socialism as opposed to individualism, which is the basis of religion and of America. No one is as selfless as a concerned mother for her children. No outside authority can begin to emulate the care of a parent. Is this all just nudging? Will the next generation actually accept that the ‘common good‘ is more important than the individual good? Every mom knows that a strong woman is

Spring 2013 15

Government does not know our children and their needs, their strengths, weaknesses, and their special gifts.

a strong wife and a strong mom. What could be better for society than that? Accepting the fiction that the Government would be better than we are weakens us. A government who does not know our children and their needs, their strengths, weaknesses, and their special gifts, cannot raise a strong generation. Only we as parents can raise strong generation. We who cuddled them close and sniffed their heads and breathed in their smell. We who watched them pick themselves up when falling while trying to walk. We who bandaged their wounds and made the decision to take them to Emergency Room or not. We who spent hours drilling math facts? We who sat with them at night over broken hearts, comforting them. We who watched with pride and knowledge of â&#x20AC;&#x153;letting goâ&#x20AC;? at 16 MinuteMom Magazine

each of their major steps in life. We as parents know, that as long as we have life, they will pull on our heart strings. Wanting them back, proud they can go. We do have private notion of children. Our children are our responsibility. Our kids belong to our families, and we recognize that kids do not to belong to whole communities. It takes love to train up a child and no community or government could ever love our children as we do. Happy Mothers Day, Cherish it. Keep it. Â&#x2DC; Reference: 1. http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2013/04/07/MSNBC-Host-Says-ChildrenBelong-To-The-Community-Not-Their-Parents 2. on the blogsite http://whatiscommoncore.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/a-mothers-cry/

www.AsAMom.org

YYRestoring Humor

Reprinted by permission Antonio Branco

http://conservativedailynews.com/category/political-cartoons/

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Spring 2013 17

YYBlogger

Obamacare: Obamacare: Who Run’s Your Life?

Who Runs Your Life?

Thomas Paine wrote on December 23, 1776, “Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but “to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER” and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth.” Our founders stood against taxes and government mandated purchases. The colonists demanded that the British Government recognize that their Constitutions did not authorize this type of government control. As a result, the British Government repealed several laws, to include the Stamp Act. This might be a happy ending except the government was not willing to let go of this power; they 18 MinuteMom Magazine

were simply appeasing the people. The government did recognize the Constitution did not authorize their exercise of power, so they remedied that “oversight” by passing a law called the Declaratory Act. The Declaratory Act was a legislative act that declared the government “has, and of right ought to have, full power and authority to make laws and statutes of sufficient force and validity to bind the colonies and people of America, subjects of the crown of Great Britain, in all cases whatsoever.” In addition to expanding the powers of the government, this act stated that all “resolutions, votes, orders, and proceedings, in any of the said colonies or plantations” that even questioned the government’s authority

are “declared to be, utterly null and void to all intents and purposes whatsoever.” The government now only needed to prove that the each law was “fit for the good of the empire” to justify its mandates. Thomas Paine and his fellow countrymen recognized that when the government declares for itself unlimited power, there is no limit on the intrusion into and control over the lives of the citizenry. In the NEW DECLARATORY ACT, Obamacare, the government has declared that they have a “compelling governmental interest” in every aspect of our daily lives, literally a power to “bind us in all cases whatsoever.” The original argument against Obamacare was that if the government can force us www.AsAMom.org

by KrisAnne Hall www.KrisAnneHall.com

to purchase health care, they can force us to purchase anything. This objection remains true. The mandate of one purchase establishes the precedent of future mandates. To argue otherwise is a denial of the very principles upon which our government has come to operate. Unwelcomed intrusion into our lives and the lack of control over our own decisions will only increase as Obamacare and its underlying philosophy fundamentally transforms the landscape of liberty. CVS, a major retail chain, recently told its employees that because of the new Obamacare costs, they must now “reveal their height, weight, body fat percentage and other personal information for health insurance purposes.” CVS feels it must “incentivize healthy living” to justify providing healthcare to that employee. Make no mistake, this is the very thought process our government will adopt to justify its intrusion into your life. The Supreme Court has determined the only criteria needed to justify the government regulating any aspect of your life is proof of a “compelling governmental interest,” which does not sound much different than the British standard of “fit for the good of the empire.” Now that the Supreme Court has declared the mandate to purchase healthcare is a compelling governmental interest, the government will have a compelling governmental interest in promoting “healthy living.” Within that compelling governmental interest will be the As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

government’s right to determine how “healthy living” is defined and what the recipients of its healthcare must do to ensure compliance with the government’s standards of “healthy living.” These standards are already being pushed forward. Just last year, the White House, through its “healthy living” incentives, endorsed by Michelle Obama, pressured Mc Donalds into redesigning its children’s Happy Meals, forcing them to provide fruit in addition to fries, whether the parents wanted them or not. A compelling governmental interest currently justifies the government in enforcing Food Safety Modernization Act that gives the authority to regulate roadside produce markets and opens the door for the government to regulate your home garden. The FDA is currently employing SWAT teams to raid small farms and markets to seize raw milk and cheese because THEY have determined them to be contrary to “healthy living” and therefore have “a public health duty” to confiscate them. (Is this the “army” Thomas Paine was referring to?) Let us not forget NY Mayor Bloomberg’s attack on “sugary drinks” and cigarettes, citing “healthy living” and even death prevention as the motivation to control people in their consumption of these items. Recently the Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report that parents who feed their children solid food before the age

of 4 months are jeopardizing their child’s health. In a clear declaration that the government knows more about a child than its mother, the CDC condemns ignorant and penny-pinching parents for feeding their children solid food before the government has determined them to be old enough to eat it. How long before the government starts mandating baby feeding regimens, authorizing doctors to interrogate parents and requiring them to report parents who dare to feed their child contrary to government regulations? Acceptance of Obamacare at the State level sends a clear message to Washington DC that our States will allow the federal government to “bind us in all cases whatsoever.” Thomas Paine called that Slavery… we call it a compelling governmental interest. Will we accept servitude in exchange for free stuff? Or will we defend Liberty and refuse to comply with these unlawful and unconstitutional mandates? The answer to these questions will determine what kind of country future generations will inherit. KrisAnne Hall travels the country teaching groups the truth about the history of our great founding documents and the government that our founders really wanted us to have. She is a Constitutional attorney and former state prosecutor. She is a disabled veteran of the US Army, a Russian linguist, a mother, a pastor’s wife and a patriot. Author of several books. Spring 2013 19

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by Lori parker Founder & Chairman As a Mom... Over the past year or so we’ve heard much approximately 1.7% of American adults: about the 1% of American workers who pay • Scottish descent1 38% of the national income tax in relation • American Indian or Alaskan to the question: “should the rich pay more Native descent alone or in combitaxes?” Recently a design job for a group outnation with other nationalities2 side of As a Mom… has led me to contemplate • Atheists3 what Americans and how they are affecting • Mormons3, 4 our daily life (or not.) Particularly the num• Jews3 ber 1.7% has become of interest to me as I • Adults with severe ADHD5 was trying to capture the 1.7 percentage in a • Underweight 6 graphic, leading to hours of research trying • Gays/ lesbians7 to find comparisons. • Bisexuals8 Each of the following groups represents Just for comparison, a few statistics on a

Nyc Tartan Day Parade – April 6, 2013

number ten times that size. Seventeen percent of Americans have a tattoo. Seventeen percent read a national newspaper regularly, while an equal number get no news daily. But enough about larger numbers, back to the 1.7%. Is the 1.7% list as surprising to you as it was to me? I realize that it is possible to be a member of several of those groups such as a Scottish-Native-American-underweightgay-atheist, but for the sake of clarity, I would like to treat each of these groups as individual and distinct. According to Gallup we view some of these groups quite differently. For example a 2012 study shows that most Americans estimate the gay/ lesbian population to be 25% of the country not 1.7% of the adult population. Showing that our view is distorted by approximately 14 times reality. 9 Assuming that, “all men are created equal,” each of these groups should be weighing equally in social and political spheres, however depending largely on where we live we may or may not counter any members of these groups. Until Mitt Romney ran for president, many Americans were unfamiliar with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints (Mormons). This group shares the dubious distinction along with the Native Americans to have had Governor Lilburn As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

Williams Boggs of Missouri sign an extermination order against them. Historically Jews and the Native Americans have suffered perhaps the most in terms of loss of life and property at the hands of others. Although Scots, Mormons, Homosexuals and Atheists have all suffered through ignorance and bigotry as well. Those with severe ADHD and who are underweight are largely ignored by the press and society. In recent years some of these groups have demanded special days or recognition, others perhaps even more deserving have not. California does have a Native American Day, from a bill signed by then Governor Ronald Reagan, as do two other states. Personally, I think they are deserving of a day in all states considering we celebrate things like National Donut Day… In New York City there is a Annual New York Tartan Day Parade which is in its 15th year. Gay Pride month, June, has received the endorsement of our President, “I call upon all Spring 2013 21

Americans to observe this month by fighting prejudice and discrimination in their own lives and everywhere it exists.” 10 This month seems to have a plethora of events from parades to banquets celebrated nationwide. The other five groups are not represented by holiday, though it could be argued that Utah’s Pioneer Day is a Mormon holiday, but most states have their own equivalent days celebrating their founding. Politically, these groups have very different impacts. Prayer in school, Gay Marriage and Casinos are just a few examples of the impact that can be had by less than 2% of our population. Other groups have almost no impact at all. I was hard pressed to find anything regarding adults with ADHD (but I did run into some really good web pages about squirrels). I wonder at our audacity of blaming the wealthiest 1% for our country’s financial troubles. I have to ask: what if we treated each of these groups equally? What if high school students had to write of the impact of Jewish, Mormon, or Native Alaskan contributions to the world? (Many schools already have writing assignments on contributions of homosexuals to history.) What if the CDC instituted Underweight Pride Day Parades? What if television had comedy shows featuring Native Americans? Would that impact the conditions on the reservations? What if schools across America celebrated Scottish heritage day? Could we all wear tartans? I love a good bagpipe playing “Amazing Grace.” Unfortunately, in a country where “all men are created equal,” all is not equal. I am sure there are many other 1.7% groups that I missed. If we are to observe President Obama’s words to “fight prejudice and discrimination … everywhere it exists”. Then we must begin to either give many of these 22 MinuteMom Magazine

minorities more recognition or seek to give some of these 1.7% groups less recognition. To do otherwise would be to create even more discrepancy and discrimination. 1. 2.

3. 4.

5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Scottish decent 1.79% 2010 United States Census According to the 2010 Census, there are 5.2 million people who are American Indian or Alaska Native alone, or in combination with one or more races; they make up 1.7% of the total population 2010 United States Census Numbers for religions based on 2008 “U.S. Religious Landscape Survey”. The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Pew Research Center In January 2010, there were 6,058,907 baptized members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints (the “Mormon” church) in the United States. The population of the United States was about 307,000,000. Raising the percentage in US to 1.97% http://www.psychiatry.org/adhd http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/underweight_adult_07_10/underwe... 1.7 Gay/Lesbian Adults http://williamsinstitute. law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Gates-How-... 1.8 Bisexual Adykts http://williamsinstitute.law. ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Gates-How-... http://www.gallup.com/poll/147824/AdultsEstimate-Americans-Gay-Les... – Proclamation by U.S President Barack Obama, May 31, 2011.

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This is 1.7%

Duplicate 1.7% Illustration from first page at 1.7% the original size. Words changed to say â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is 1.7%â&#x20AC;? Use zoom key to view.

The US Constitution: A Primer Amendments 1 – 10: The Bill of Rights Part One: Amendments 1 & 2

The first ten amendments to the US Constitution, now known as the Bill of Rights, was not considered necessary by the Constitutional Convention that wrote the Constitution during the hot summer of 1787. No powers over the individual actions of solvent, law-abiding persons nor over the internal workings of the states were delegated to the Legislative Branch; therefore, the federal government formed after ratification of the Constitution would have no jurisdiction over the rights of the people and the states. However, opposers and critics of the new Constitution (who became known as the “Anti-Federalists”) made the lack of a specific listing of areas where the federal government was forbidden to meddle a major argument against ratification. Some proponents of the new Constitution including the brilliant and 24 MinuteMom Magazine

influential Thomas Jefferson also called for a statement of rights to be appended. Jefferson wrote, “a bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth, general or particular, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference. ” Once the new Congress formed after ratification, seventeen amendments were proposed and passed in the House, twelve passed the Senate and were sent to the states, and ten were ratified by the states in short order. These ten comprise what has become known as the “Bill of Rights.” This article examines its first two amendments. Please note that all of the Amendments that comprise the Bill of Rights are further restrictions on the power of the federal government, in favor of the liberty of the people and areas falling to the purview of the states. www.AsAMom.org

by Catherine G. White

The 1st Amendment begins, “Congress shall make no law…” and Michael Badnarik (notes in his book and his talks that it is a shame they did not end the sentence right there. Unfortunately, that level of wisdom was not granted to the Framers. The sentence continues, “…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 peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Leaving aside grammatical concerns about run-on sentences, let us parse out the meaning of this amendment. “...respecting an establishment of religion,” This the first area where Congress is prohibited from making laws. What is “an establishment of religion?” It was what the Pilgrims, the Quakers, and many others, came to America to escape. It was a nationally mandated, taxreceipt-supported, official religion of the country they fled, which may or may not tolerate the existence of other religions. A state established religion mandated compulsory attendance at services. By state laws general tax funds are used to support the church, usually a tithe of 10% of income– after which one may donate to one’s own church. Also, the ability to vote in civil elections could have been limited to adherents of the one approved faith. The key point is the coercion by the civil government in favor and for the support of one “official” church. Support of one’s own, non-established, church was discretionary and voluntary. At the time the Constitution was drafted, every state had its own official state religion. Many states dropped the requirements in the early decades after the Constitution was adopted. Though as late as 1807 the Presbyterians in Chester, New Hampshire seized a Quaker citizen’s cow for non-payment of the Minister’s Tax. As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

Knowing what an “establishment of religion” is, then – what does the 1st Amendment prohibit? It prohibits Congress from establishing a national, mandatory religion for the United States supported by tax receipts from the populace at large, and further prohibits Congress from interfering in any state’s establishment of its own internal religion. The next phrase, “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ” stops Congress from having any say whatsoever in the private--or public--exercise of religion on the part of the people. Let us also point out that a display of the Ten Commandments is not an “establishment of religion” as those

are principles espoused by many religions not solely Judeo-Christian religions. Additionally, those ten principles form the basis of our system of civil and criminal law; to have them on view by the populace does not establish a religion but rather reminds us of the underlying Rule of Law. It is very appropriate to have such reminders in courthouses, schools, and other public places.

Monument honoring the right to worship, Washington, D.C.

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com/category/1st-amendment

Hoe’s 6-cylinder rotary printing press (1864)

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I shall not replicate the very detailed historical discussion presented there. Instead, I highlight a pertinent sentence: “...the Constitution does not restrict religion to the “private sphere” – it forbids Congress from prohibiting its free exercise anywhere.” Further, note that early administrations held church services in the Capitol Building and many other public buildings. One of the first Congressional acts was to authorize an English-language Bible specifically geared for “use in the schools.” The Congress did not , however, fund the printing with government monies, as education was not an enumerated power of Congress . “...or abridging freedom of speech..” Think what type of speech needs protecting? Is it speech that lauds the then-current administration? Is it speech that utters only statements agreed upon by the vast majority of people? No! The only speech that needs protection is speech that is unpopular, or critical of government, or of the status quo – in short, speech of political dissent. According

to the Declaration of Independence, it is the right and duty of citizens to alter or to abolish a government that becomes “destructive of these ends” – this is only possible when the government does not suppress speech critical of that government. The quote, “I disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it,” (widely attributed to Voltaire, although it does not appear though not in his writings) epitomizes this portion of the First Amendment. As for the maxim, “You can’t cry “Fire!” in a crowded theater” – that is wrong. You can. If the theater is on fire, it is your civic duty to do so. If the theater is not on fire, it is still your right. Every right has a concomitant responsibility; therefore it would be your responsibility to accept the consequences of your actions, which may include lawsuits by patrons and the theater for damages, injuries, lost revenues, and more, possible arrest for spurring a riot or endangering the public. But critical speech is your right. You may also call a spade a spade (a spade is different from a shovel and has a different purpose), and a miserly person a niggard (the use of which pre-dates Chaucer). Another’s ignorance or offense (imagined or real) is not a reason not to use proper or appropriate terminology. “... or of the press,” An informed populace was widely considered to be crucial to the health of the Republic. “The press” was the Internet of the day. We see the wisdom of the Framers every time a dictator or tyrant establishes control of a country- the earliest executive acts take control of information sources – print, radio, television, and now internet as well. Only accolades are permitted – perhaps small, local areas of complaint (corruption in the local dog catcher’s office, perhaps) are allowed as examples to the people and to the world of how the press is still “free” to criticize. www.AsAMom.org

An excellent analysis of the perversion of this amendment to “prove” that no public faith is allowed and no public property can be the site of prayers, religious activities, and protestations of faith, can be found at

The people must have non-government sources of information that they can trust to tell the truth. The federal government is forbidden from interfering with those sources. The Framers did not foresee a time when much of the press would willfully be complicit in presenting a fawning and distorted view of a particular political agenda to the public at large. “...or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,” Public talk about politics and religion, dissent with the current policies of the government, is protected in this phrase. Congress may not stop, limit, or interfere with meetings, assemblies, or rallies. The only limitation on the people is that they are “peaceable” in their meetings. Note that Congress still has no right to limit meetings – but the civil laws against destructive or violent behavior are still in force, limiting the people to peaceable meetings. Peaceable may include loud, vociferous, vehement, and obstreperous words, and may include signs, flags and other props; it may even be rude and offensive – and still be peaceable. “...and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” If the government infringes on our rights or damages us in some way, we have the right to bring suit against it to fix what went wrong. A plethora of federallyfunded attorneys ready to counter all arguments in our suits makes this more symbolic than practical today; it will be another item someday to address and correct. Moving onto a topic under wild debate yet again – and showing the great wisdom of the Framers and Founders yet again – we reach the Second Amendment. A brief preface before we move on to this examination of the Second Amendment: It is a defining characteristic of evil intent to make emotion-laden pleas to solve the wrong “problem,” thereby granting greater power to those whose intent--self-known or not--is itself As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

drawn from evil. We have many laws against murder; yet still murder persists - the passing of laws has done nothing to end this crime. Men can be murdered by many means. Mankind has devised ways to commit this crime on the one, the many at once, at close quarters, at a distance, by proxy, in person, with sanctimoniousness, with hatred, with callousness, with greed, with covetousness, with utter disregard, with insanity, with cold logic, with tools, with hands, with refusal to admit the danger presented by the insane, with refusal to admit the right to protect self -- and with weapons ranging from sticks and stones through common household implements and more. It is neither the tools nor the methods that are evil. It is the desire to murder, and the act itself, that are evil. A thousand machetes and bazookas in the possession of a “Mother Theresa” is a danger to no one, while a strong shoelace (garrote) in the hands of a murderous thug is a danger to the necks of everyone in the vicinity. There is an entire article on this topic alone on my web site, www.constitutiondecoded.com; we will leave this aspect aside in this discussion of the 2nd Amendment. What had happened in the prior twelve years before the Constitutional Convention of 1787? Colonists’ long-standing feud with sovereign King, George III, came to a head in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. The British Regulars were sent out under cover of Spring 2013 27

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hard for its adoption, and then explained its meaning and its intent during passage of the Bill of Rights and the first few decades thereafter. From Blackstone’s Commentaries, 1803, we read, “The right of self defense is the first law of nature: in most governments it has been the study of rulers to confine this right within the narrowest limits possible.” Recall the quote, “laws of nature and of nature’s God.” The Constitutional Framers were well versed in Blackstone’s writings and had seen first-hand the desire of “rulers to confine this right.” They owed their liberties to the success of their resistance to that desire. They were not about to allot a power to the new government that would have prevented that victory. George Mason of Virginia wrote, “when the resolution of enslaving America was formed, the Parliament was advised to disarm the people; ...but that they should not do it openly, but let them sink gradually.” This tactic of gradual encroachment of rights is still in use today. Richard Henry Lee of Virginia wrote, “To preserve liberty it is essential that the whole body of people always possess arms.” On February 20, 1788 the Pennsylvania Gazette printed that, “The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people.” Thomas Paine wrote, “Arms, like laws, discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world, as well as property. Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them.” In Story’s Commentaries on the Constitution (1833,§1890), formerly www.AsAMom.org

Michal Vaněk © Wannous | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

darkness to confiscate the powder stores of the town militia in Concord, and to arrest, if possible, some of the most vocal critics of the King’s actions. The War of Independence that followed was a war of a citizen’s militia against the largest, most well trained, standing army in the world. It took until 1781 and the surrender of General Cornwallis at Yorktown to win independence – and even then it was not final until the Treaty of Paris of 1783 was signed. The Constitutional Convention convened only four years past a war where a semi-trained, citizen-militia-based army defeated the British troops. Without a wellarmed citizenry, today surely we would be singing “God Save the Queen” before baseball games. How on earth can anyone doubt that the Framers meant what they said – that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed? Also, recall from earlier articles, that all rights are individual rights; there is no such constitutional protection of “community” rights.) The prime purpose of the 2nd Amendment is to define the last defense of the citizenry against a government turned tyrannical. “[T]o preserve these rights, governments are instituted...” If it is indeed our unalienable right (and duty!), as “the People,” to alter or abolish a government “turned destructive of these ends” then it follows, by inevitable concatenation, that we must be armed in order to protect that right. The existence of a right to our own lives demands and presupposes a right to defend that life from individuals or from governments who endanger life. I can do no better than to bring you words from those philosophical and analytical writings which formed the understanding of the Constitutional framers, and from those who wrote and advocated the Constitution, propounded it to their contemporaries, worked

appointed U.S. Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story stated, “The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of a republic; since itoffers a strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them...” In a discourse written in 1829, Justice Story also declared, “There can be no freedom where there is no safety to property or personal rights. Whenever legislation ...compels a surrender ...upon any pretext ...it is still in its essence tyranny.” William Rawle, in his book “A View of the Constitution of the United States” (1829) stated, “In the second article, it is declared, that a well regulated militia is necessary to the security of a free state; a proposition from which few will dissent. ...The corollary, from the first position, is, that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The prohibition is general. No clause in the Constitution could by any rule of construction be conceived to five to congress a power to disarm the people.” (italics in original; boldface mine) Additionally, case after case in the Supreme and other courts confirm the right to bear arms. This right pertains to the individual and not to an organized militia, and such As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

right pre-dates our Constitution. In 1876, a Supreme Court ruling states, “This is not a right granted by the Constitution. Neither is it in any manner dependent upon that instrument for its existence.” Another Supreme Court decision furthers the extent, “the States cannot ...prohibit the people from keeping and bearing arms...” and later, that nearly all provisions of the Bill of Rights apply to the states through the 14th Amendment. I will add that those provisions clearly apply, in total, under the Supremacy Clause of Article VI of the Constitution itself. There exists a specious argument that the 2nd Amendment pertains to the National Guard. Ridiculous. The National Guard was not formed until the early 1900’s. This “argument” implies that the Second Amendment had no meaning for over 100 years – and that the Framers were psychic, as well. No, the National Guard did not replace the citizen militias. They were originally considered an “organized militia” under the control of the states. They could not be state armies as prohibited by Article I, § 10. This distinction as an “organized militia” of a state has lapsed and they are now generally under federal rules with some state control, as part of the Armed Services of the United States (part of the “standing army,” of which concept the Founders were so justifiably suspicious), and are now sent to service outside their home states. The citizenry remains an “un-organized militia”, available to be called Spring 2013 29

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buy a new car. James Madison clearly shows in Federalist #44 that a treaty that interferes with the Constitution has no effect, and the 10th Amendment clearly states that any power not delegated to the United States by the Constitution is reserved to the states or the people. When we, the People, once again understand our Constitution and the limitations on the powers of the federal government, any such treaty, signed-and-ratified, would be utterly disregarded and without effect -- and those who signed and ratified it should be out of office immediately. ©Catherine G White, 2013 References: 1. U. S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence 2. The Papers of Thomas Jefferson 438, 440 (J. Boyd, ed., 1958) 3. Publius Huldah; publiushuldah.wordpress.com (see especially the essays on the First Amendment and the Treaty-Making Powers of the United States) 4. Michael Badnarik, “Good To Be King”, The Writers Collective, 2004 available only at www.constitutionpreservation.org 5. W. Cleon Skousen, “The 5,000 Year Leap”, National Center for Constitutional Studies, 1981 6. Online Library of Liberty 7. Blackstone’s Commentaries, 1803 (Sir William Blackstone’s lectures on British common law of 1753; published in four volumes in subsequent years) 8. Rabbi Daniel Lapin, “The Ten Commandments” CD 9. Kurland & Lerner, “The Founder’s Constitution,” Vol. 5, Liberty Fund, Inc. 10. “Gun Control for Dummies,” YouTube http://youtu.be/F584p5kJL-U 11. Innocents Betrayed – The True Story of Gun Control Worldwide” documentary by Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, YouTube http://youtu.be/d7vNj2sb_00 12. Conservapedia 13. www.constitutiondecoded.com Catherine White grew up in Massachusetts where she also graduated from M.I.T. She 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. www.AsAMom.org

to the service and protection of their state. The intent and the purpose of the 2nd Amendment is to preserve inviolate the inherent right of the People to keep and bear arms for the protection of their own lives, their own families, their own property, the defense of their towns and states, the defense of the country as a whole, and of all the above from their very own government should that ever be required. –Finally, we must address fears regarding the over-reach of the UN Small Arms Trade Treaty and how this underscores the importance of understanding the Constitution. Let us stipulate (in its meaning, “to accept for the sake or argument”) that this is signed by a President and ratified by a Senate, none of whom understand their sworn duty to uphold the Constitution of the United States. Would this treaty then be the “supreme law of the land” and supersede our Constitution? NO!! Not if we, the people, understand the Constitution. The federal government is allowed to make treaties only in the areas where the Constitution authorizes them to act, as Jefferson points out in his writings. The Constitution says “...treaties made under the authority of the United States are the supreme law of the land.” It does not say “treaties made by the United States.” Nowhere does the Constitution grant powers to the federal government allowing them to sign away the rights of the people--or the states. Nor may the federal government give away sovereignty over this land; they have none to give! We, the People, retain sovereignty and grant the government privileges - enough power to carry out the duties with which we have charged it. They cannot sign away what they do not have - even as each of us has no power to sign our neighbor up to

Beginning Learning Sharing by Lori parker Founder & Chairman As a Mom... Text from a recent speech. I was somewhat surprised and very humbled to receive a call to speak to [your group.] My first thought was â&#x20AC;&#x153;what on earth could I possibly have to share that would be of value to these women?â&#x20AC;? The amazing sisterhood you have already accomplishes so much. All of you vote and exercise all of your First Amendment rights, including freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Many of you have a concealed carry permit, you are involved in politics locally, statewide and nationally. I have much to learn from you. It did occur to me that one of the reasons I was asked to speak is simply because I dared to begin something new. Today I would like 32 MinuteMom Magazine

to share what I have learned about the power of beginning, the power of learning and the power of sharing . These powers are somewhat linked and are not linier steps but much like a circle or a group hug of powers. All of us remember where we were the morning of September 11, 2001. I was laying on the couch on full bed rest while expecting my twin daughters. My oldest son, then three, finished watching a video tape with his one-year-old brother. The tape went to automatic rewind allowing me to catch just a glimpse of the Today show. It was just at that that horrifying moment that Katie Couric announced that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. www.AsAMom.org

While I will not relive the rest of that terrifying day with you, the one question that kept coming to my mind was “what can I do about what is happening to my country and my world? I am just a mom.” And a Mother I definitely was. By year’s end I was the proud mother of four children all under four years of age, experiencing all of the complications that come with strollers, car seats and children who simply cannot communicate their needs with words. I spent much of the following years concentrating on raising my family, but trying to keep up with political and social events that were going on in the world around me. This was somewhat of a challenge. Just going to vote was an obstacle—one election I can’t tell you who or what I voted for, or what the issues were—but I can give you details on juggling children while voting. Toting babies in a double stroller while trying to keep two little boys holding onto the stroller long enough for me to cast my vote, was a feat in and of itself. Why didn’t anyone tell me I could have voted absentee? My best friend and I often discussed what we could do. At the time, she had eight children with the eldest in the Air Force Academy. She offered knowledge and wisdom, which she shared with me. Together we searched, pondered, and prayed for something we could do to help make this country a better place for our children. Part of the answer started to come four years ago when on March 12, 2009, “The 9-12 Project,” was launched. Neither of us joined the group, but we were intrigued by its premise to help America feel the way we felt the day after the attacks of September 11th, when patriotism and kinship abounded. The Project is based upon nine principles and twelve values: As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

The 9 Principles 1. America Is Good. 2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life. 3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday. 4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government. 5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it. 6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results. 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. 8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion. 9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me. The 12 Values Honesty, Reverence, Hope, Thrift. Humility, Charity, Sincerity, Moderation, Hard Work, Courage, Personal Responsibility, Gratitude That fall on September 12th, rallies were held around the country including one in Washington D.C. and Dallas/Ft. Worth Texas area. That particular day turned out to be one of those rainy, stormy days that we have in Texas. I felt that taking my children into Fort Worth would be more of a headache than it was worth and instead watched on television as multitudes gathered across the nation. The following week then Fox News Television personality Glenn Beck hosted a show focusing on the mothers of the 9-12 movement. That show changed my life. Spring 2013 33

Beginning In my case beginning started with sharing, through the power of sharing. Nancy, a mother from Long Island, shared how she felt that she was the only conservative on the entire island and then at a certain political rally ran into the mother of one of her children’s friends. Soon they had started a small group which they jokingly called “a sisterhood of Mommy patriots” I wanted to join that sisterhood. A quick Internet search showed that no such Internet group existed, it had been limited to just Nancy and her few friends. Second, I was impacted by what I now recognize as the power of beginning. Dr. Frank Luntz, the notated political strategist and pollster was also on that show. During the final thoughts Dr. Frank Luntz section Dr. Luntz said, “If you begin everything with ‘as a mom…‘ You win.” It took me a year to recognize that the brilliance of his statement wasn’t necessarily beginning with “as a mom” as much as it might have been just to begin. One of my favorite quotes by William Hutchinson Murray, is based on an extremely free translation of Goethe’s Foust and is often mis-attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and endless plans. That the moment one definitely commits oneself then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never have otherwise occurred. A whole stream of events issue from the decision,

If you begin everything with ‘as a mom…‘ You win.

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when you begin there is something magic that happens raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents, and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” Regardless of whom actually made this statement of principles, it is true, ‘when you begin there is something magic that happens’. The morning after this particular television show I called my best friend and said “I have a crazy idea. I think I know how to set up a membership based website where moms can get together and share information about politics and education etc. We can create an online sisterhood. I need you to stop me!” Being a great best friend she said, “I will be the first member.” So later that day, I used my knowledge from being a graphic artist and opened the website As a Mom…a Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots, at AsAMom.org, thus launching myself into a previously unknown area of nonprofit activism. For the next five days things went swimmingly with 18 members. My friend and I felt we had done something of value. Then I got this silly idea to call Glenn Beck’s radio show. And this is where the magic happened. At exactly one week from its launch date we had over 35,000 members, thanks to a few minutes on the radio show and subsequent appearance on his television show by a very wide-eyed and naïve me. That magical beginning has brought over 82,000 moms and moms-at-heart together. Many of which have begun magical things on their own. www.AsAMom.org

Sharing One of the earliest stated purposes of As a Mom... was to bring mothers together to share—because we all know something, we all have a piece. Someone may be a retired teacher who knows which textbooks are accurate, another may be experienced with the United Nations, understanding how global politics are affecting us here in the USA. And yet another may be what she considers just, “a stay-at-home mom” who has magnificent research and reasoning skills. It is as if we are each a piece to a magnificent puzzle. Each one of us has been given a particular piece to share to help save our country. No one person can or should do it all. Learning This is where the third power, the power of learning from others, starts. This wonderful synergistic power creates a whole of knowledge more than anyone of us could obtain on our own. Indulge me for a moment while I share bits and pieces of what I have learned from others. We have all had the privilege reading KrisAnne Hall’s articles and perhaps reading her books and blog. I have learned more from her in just a few hours about connections with the Constitution than any other class or reading on the subject. I learned about organizing from a woman named Kimberly Fletcher who started Homemakers for America as her reaction to attacks of 2001. She really is the person who should’ve been on the Glenn Beck Show as she knew what she was doing, and had been doing it for a long time. She could’ve been extremely annoyed with me as a new upstart, yet she freely shared information with me that I needed to know in order to start a nonprofit 501c4 and various ins and outs of hosting online communities. As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

A Mom-at-heart from Colorado named Jeff has a photo collection of his young daughter with the whose-who of American politicians. He is extremely active in his political party. He has spent several hours explaining nuances and differences between various states election processes to me, and has shared his understanding of the political process with thousands of moms and momsat-heart. Enabling them to become more knowledgeable participants in their local and precinct politics. Sharon Slater, a mother of seven from Arizona, has had an incredible journey, which somewhat accidentally led her to do incredible work this past decade within the United Nations to promote family and family values with a group she founded: Family Watch International. Sharon’s books, writings, and conversations have given me more understanding into the Defense of Marriage Act, education and how things at the United Nations affect me. She has also opened my eyes to what the United States is doing to change things, not always for the better, in the global community. In education, I have learned from several past teachers, and homeschoolers, mothers and grandmothers about how politics has made political pawns of our children through Common Core Curriculum, which has been adopted by 45 states (not Alaska, Minnesota, Nebraska, Texas and Virginia) and through other programs such as C-scope which is in 85% of Texas schools. This controversial curriculum has even caught the attention of our state Attorney General. Due to the economy, what is known as “prepping” has become an extremely popular topic. I have been blessed to learn from many about such things as canning, home storage, gardening, and other skills that my greatgrandmothers and grandmothers knew at a Spring 2013 35

Boston Women’s Memorial by Meredith Bergman

idea of As A Mom… to me, this idea is not new and is something our colonial Foremothers knew. Our Foremothers began meeting in organized political groups as early as 1681. In 1707 a physician in Charleston South Carolina reported “that women of the town are turned politivery young age, but through the years have cians also have a club where they meet weekly become lost to many of us. among themselves.” Meetings occurred in I can claim no great knowledge on any of many cities of women’s political groups. the above subjects, but I have learned through These meetings often incorporated the daily the power of others’ willingness to share. tasks that the women needed to do such as, This is what makes a sisterhood. This is what sewing, knitting or spinning. In 1748, long makes women unique. From the beginning before the American Revolution, the “Boston of time we have shared and passed on our Society for Promoting of Industry and knowledge to others. This is the bond that Frugality” sponsored a political rally on the makes a sisterhood of patriots. Boston Common where the women brought Though some have tried to attribute the their spinning wheels and spun spools of flax

Attorney, Speaker, and Mom

KrisAnne Hall

has some great tools for parents!

Teach your children about American Exceptionalism, History of the Constitution and some of the Forgotten Heroes of America’s founding. KrisAnne presents information that you’ll find in no other book or curriculum. Take a look at her books:

Bedtime StorieS For Budding Patriots Essential Stories For Junior Patriots

Not a Living Breathing Document - Reclaiming our Constitution

www.KrisAnneHall.com for a full day. This was in retaliation to English cloth imports and the knowledge that a boycott of English goods could disrupt the English economy which largely relied on the time of their cloth manufacture. As early as 1766 patriot women began calling themselves the “daughters of liberty.” It was these daughters of liberty that held some of the first “tea parties” concocting their own brews of native plants to replace the British tea. In January 1770, five hundred thirty-eight Bostonian women signed an agreement vowing not to drink tea so long as it was taxed. This and other women’s movements probably had more impact on the actual purchasing and use of tea by the early colonists then the famed “Boston tea party” that occurred in December 1773 almost four years later. Today women across the country act as MinuteMoms where they wield cell phones instead of bayonets and begin by doing something. Whether you begin as “as a mom,” or “as As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

a dad,” “as a grandparent,” “aunt,” “uncle,“ or “citizen of the United States...” the most important part is to begin. Until each of us start, we cannot win, because it doesn’t matter what we wish, unless we begin. Whether you begin with the local school board, your state senator, congressman or even the White House- in order to win the battle for our nation’s future we must begin. Beginning is power. Once you begin, learn more. Once you have learned, share it and encourage others to begin. Boldness has genius, power and magic. Be bold. Begin it NOW! Lori Parker is the Chairman and Cofounder of As a Mon... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots. A mother of four, she has a passion for saving this country for her children. She believes that every one can make something happen for the better if they just begin. Spring 2013 37

If My People…

by Jenn Jones Director of Education As a Mom... My heart is breaking. It is aching and heavy. I am conflicted, concerned and often times discouraged. Why? Because I am watching the destruction of my country. The destruction of a country that I love with all my heart. We are bombarded from all fronts by those who try to explain why it is happening and who caused it. While political parties and other factions point fingers at each other in blame and the media gives only the story they deem to be important – there is only one reason why we are where we are. We have turned our backs on the one true God. As a nation, we have rejected the God that created us; the God that blessed us with our 38 MinuteMom Magazine

nation, our freedom, our rights – everything. The solution is not to be found in an election, legislation, a court decision or a political party. God gave us the solution and though it seems unlikely that the answer could be so simple—it truly is. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” ~ 2 Chronicles 7:14 So what does it mean? Does it mean that we should not care about elections, candidates, legislation, court decisions or the actions of our government? Does it mean that we (especially Christians) should simply isolate ourselves from all of this “worldly” stuff? www.AsAMom.org

To me, this is a multi-faceted question. It is a question that lingers with me every second of every day. Though I am not a biblical scholar, a theologian, or even a college graduate for that matter—I will attempt to answer these questions from my point of view; from the point of view of someone who isn’t special compared to anyone else. I am simply a woman who discovered her love and passion for Christ and country almost simultaneously – and I do not believe it was coincidental.

out of our way—out of schools, out of the public arena. Humbling ourselves as a people will help us recognize how far we have strayed and our need for repentance. To return to the One who created and blessed us to begin with. This goes for Christians as much if not more than non-believers. Have we been the light he called us to be? If we had been, I for one don’t believe we would be in the situation we are. We have allowed the wickedness to bully us into being quiet too often. Humble Ourselves How do we get a nation to humble itself? Why do you suppose God made this How do we get a population to humble themstatement? selves? We start with ourselves—us—you These were his conditions of forgive- and me. Realizing that as Christians we have ness. If a nation sinned against God, there erred in our ways; confessing our sins and our was a way to be forgiven and healed. Some shortcomings and asking for God’s forgivemay say this promise only applied to the ness; recommitting ourselves to him. nation of Israel and could not be applied Have you humbled yourself before God? I to America today—I am not one of those am reminded as I write this, that it is somepeople. I believe that as Christians—all thing I need to do on a daily basis. Not a day of God’s promises of both blessing and goes by in our human lives that we do not justice—apply to us because of Christ. have something to lay down before Christ. So what do we do with this? How can this Pray one verse in the bible hold the key to saving our nation? Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines Simple. It is a call from God to return to prayer as: “In worship, to address the Supreme him. It is the way out—the path to redemp- Being with solemnity and reverence, with adotion and restoration. As a nation and a peo- ration, confession of sins, supplication for mercy ple—we have turned our back on him, and he and thanksgiving for blessings received.” is telling us how to come back. God is not only When a nation becomes proud humbling a god of justice—but of mercy! While justice themselves is the first step to returning to and judgment are his nature—his nature is God. Prayer is the second. Why? Because we also love, grace and mercy. He always offers have to humble ourselves—realizing that we us a way back. are not in charge—in order to express solemOur nation was founded on the principles nity, reverence, adoration, supplication and of the Bible. Our founders, even those who thanksgiving. We must expose our hearts to are now portrayed as non-Christian, thanked Him and surrender. the Almighty One and credited him with the In our daily lives I know many of us pray— blessings we received. But as time progressed But how often do we pray for our nation to we became a prideful nation, pushing God be saved? Do we pray for God to reveal to As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

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Seek His Face What does it mean to seek the face of God? To me, it means one simple yet powerfully amazing thing—to see the truth in all things. We live in a culture where truth is relative and changes with the times. The truth of the matter is truth doesn’t change. How can it? God is truth—Truth is God. God is the same all through time. Truth is not gray, it not relative, it is not upto personal interpretation. Truth is rock solid—at least it is supposed to be. When a nation turns from God, it no longer seeks the absolute truth, but rather prefers to make its own truth to fit whatever it wants. That is where we are in America. So in addition to humbling ourselves and confessing our sin, praying for his forgiveness and blessings—God is calling us to seek the truth. But how do we do that? 40 MinuteMom Magazine

For Christians the truth is in God’s word. The truth is in His scripture, His covenant, His promises. It is imperative for Christians to learn, develop and strengthen their biblical worldview so they are equipped to perceive the lies and deception that the world throws their way. If we who are called by our Creator to win others to Christ, don’t have a firm grasp on what the truth really is, how much good can we actually do? If we are deceived and duped by the same lies that non-believers are—how are we supposed to truly win them for Jesus? Learning truth—biblical truth based on who God really is—will show you the face of God. It will set you free. Turn from our wicked ways When many people read the phrase, “turn from their wicked ways” I would imagine they don’t think it applies to them. How many of us really think that what we do is wicked? Wicked is reserved for witches right? Or really bad, evil people? No. Think about it in the context that we have been discussing: A nation who turns their back on God. A nation who has come to believe in and rely on themselves and their own power. A nation who has forgotten who created it. A people who have lost sight of of the face of God. We live in a country where millions of babies have been aborted—killed—never given a chance to experience life, liberty or to pursue happiness. We live in a country where the main topic of conversation today is gay marriage, and how if you don’t support it you are somehow a hate-filled bigot. We live in a country that spends more money than it has, and as individuals many live in the same way. We live in a nation where care of the poor and needy is passed on to the government. www.AsAMom.org

us the moral, virtuous, and godly men and women we need to lead our nation back? Do we thank God for the many blessings he has given us as a people—as a nation—over the years? National Day of prayer is approaching in May. It is an opportunity to gather in our local communities and lift our voices in prayer and supplication. Will one day of prayer solve the problems? No. But it is a beginning, a step in the right direction. I would encourage you to find out where the closest event is and join in. To whom much is given, much is expected. If we as a nation and as a people want the blessings of the Supreme Being to once again flow over our nation, we must be prepared to follow the instruction He gives us in this verse. He makes a promise in this verse which I cling to and believe in so deeply. He is showing us the way back to Him. The question is, will we listen?

Still think we are not practicing wicked ways? I direct most of this to Christians because I believe the burden falls on our shoulders. Why? Because for too long we have allowed the world to overrun us. We have not stood strong on the firm foundation of biblical principle because we didn’t want to be ridiculed or offend anyone. So by not drawing a line in the sand and saying “this far and no more” we are accomplices to what is happening. We must speak out against the wrongs that are being committed in this nation. Not loudly and obnoxiously – but with gentle, assertive, and confident persistence. I hear of people who confess to be followers of Christ yet believe that gay marriage is fine; or they believe that abortion is the choice of a woman at least in certain cases. How does that work? How do you follow Christ yet make exceptions for things that clearly are contradictory to His word and His very nature? It is time for us to get real and make sure our actions and words align with biblical truth. Remember, God’s truth is not relative and is not conformed to the world we live in. It doesn’t change with the times and isn’t modified to fit with what the world tells us is acceptable.

Imagine the response this nation would receive from our Creator if Christians followed these instructions on a daily basis. We are called to be the salt and light of the world. We are called to show the love of Christ to those around us—not simply in words, but in deeds. We are called to speak the truth with love and to stand strong and confident on the foundation of God’s truth. There are times when doing so requires us to draw a line in the sand and tell the world “This far and no more.” It means standing up for the gospel and the biblical truth of God’s word. It means at times we will face ridicule and attack. The taller we stand the more the world will push against us. If non-believers saw more Christians stand up for themselves and for the Truth—truly being the salt and the light, then perhaps—just perhaps—it may draw more people into the salvation of Christ. His Promise Our nation is at a crossroads. We are at a 2 Chronicles 7:14 shows us that if we fol- crossroads. It is time to recognize it for what low God’s ways that he offers us great things it is, commit to doing what He has called us in return. Once we stray away, get bogged to do, and be confident in the fact that He down in sin, or turn our back on Him—he will hear us from heaven, forgive our sin and STILL offers us a way back to where we heal our land. belong. In this one simple verse God offers Jenn Jones is the Director of Education of us the answers. If we simply follow His As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots. instruction—He offers a promise in return. As a mom, I believe that education is the key to saving the next generation, and generaIf we return to what we know is right—he tions after that. Education to me means not offers healing and forgiveness to our nation. only “schooling” but teaching others about The question that lies before each of us at this our history and true foundation as a country. point is: What will we do now? As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

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YYEditorial

Out of Control - Gun Control Legislation A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.~ Amendment 2

42 MinuteMom Magazine

The second group is perhaps more dangerous to my freedoms, they are the ‘legislators.’ All over the country; city, state and national governing bodies are working diligently to regulate gun rights. Statistically, I have a chance of never being a victim of a gun related violence. However, if I am legislated out of my second amendment rights,

I will have no chance to protect myself against the first group. Gun legislation, most of it limiting guns, is being debated on national, state and local levels. Debates over the number of bullets, to size and registration of guns abound. Tragedies, such as that of Sandy Hook, are used as emotional ammunition, photos of big

Last November, I walked into my local firing range and asked to learn to shoot. The instructor thought I was joking. After a very successful lesson, he even thought he was being “punked,” due to my first-timer’s luck at hitting the bull’s eye. I walked out with a new confidence and a check mark on my bucket list. I no longer fear guns. I do, however, fear those who would use guns to endanger my freedoms. Right now there are two groups who are using guns to endanger Americans. The first we will simply call the ‘criminal element’; those that use guns in committing crimes ranging from robbery to rape, drug trafficking to home invasion. I will also include those who would commit mass murders to answer the delusional views they have adopted. This group is the reason that I wanted to learn to shoot to protect myself.

www.AsAMom.org

black guns are used to terrorize the uninformed, and rants by media personalities are used to hold up the conversation. Meanwhile, facts that would be useful seem to be kept buried... Here are just some I dug up while researching for this blog: A 2000 study published in the Journal of Quantitative Criminology indicates that U.S. civilians use guns to defend themselves and others from crime at least 989,883 times per year.1 A 1982 survey of male felons in state prisons found:40% had decided not to commit a crime because they “knew or believed that the victim was carrying a gun.” US Department of Justice reports the number of handguns used in crime approximately 7,500 per year, a minisucle percentage of the 70 million handguns registered in the United States. I didn’t find a stat on how many of those guns were legally obtained and owned... But perhaps the most disturbing information I found was about guns in Great Britain. In 1920 the Brits passed a law requiring civilians to obtain a certificate from the police chief before purchasing or possessing any firearm (except a shotgun). Application requirements included a fee, satisfy[ing]” then the chief of police that there was “good reason for requiring such a certificate” and proving the applicant did not pose a “danger to the public safety or to the peace.” Once issued the As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

certificate specified the types and quantities of firearms and ammunition that could be kept by the applicant. This law caused problems during World War II as civilians did not own the guns needed for those serving in the local home guards, etc. (Yes, the USA did help bail them out.) Apparently they didn’t learn from this and in 1968 expanded the gun laws to include shotguns. Then in 1997, almost all privately owned handguns where required to be surrendered. Not only has the British homicide rate continued to increase but they now have bizarre scenarios that include homeowners being incarcerated for protecting their own homes/lives. Fortunately fighting to keep our 2nd Amendment rights does not mean we need to literally pull out the big guns. We do, however, need to communicate with our legislating bodies that our Founding Fathers

were very smart to include the right to bear arms after dumping the idea of British rule. If learning to shoot has been on your bucket list - go learn. If you are concerned, as a mom, about having guns in your home, look at some of the newer safes that require fingerprints or other methods of gun safety and storage. There is no reason to fear guns, just the people who would use them against you. —Lori Parker

1. www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp 2. bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/htus8008.pdf

Following As a Mom... on Facebook? The info-graphics in this article first appeared on our facebook site. Follow us. Click on the [F] link above or look for As-A-MomASisterhood-of-Mommy-Patriots on facebook.

Spring 2013 43

These days, it is easy to go about our business of survival and preparedness without stopping to think about the rules of engagement. For most of us, these rules are not written or spoken, but have evolved over a period of time. As I have expressed many times in the past, the burden of knowledge - or perhaps I should say the burden of truth http://bit.ly/ZjKkEi- can be a huge weight to bear. That, coupled with the crazy-busy task of life during these hard times, can be overwhelming. Getting up each day, going to 44 MinuteMom Magazine

work, doing chores, balancing the checkbook, and taking care of family members is a big job, but add prepping and learning survival skills to the mix and you have a recipe for exhaustion and perhaps even a bit of depression and gloom. To help overcome my own dizzying sense of having too much to do and too much to prepare for, I sat down a couple of nights ago and attempted to put my own rules for survival into words. I am calling them The 10 Commandments of Survival, to help bring focus and meaning to preparing for hard times. www.AsAMom.org

ÂŠ morguefile.com

by Gaye Levy The Survival Woman backdoorsurvival.com

10 Commandments for Survival Commandment #1: Have the will to live no matter what. Reading about the recent passing Aaron Swartz, political and internet activist, touched me in an inexplicable way. He was so young and so bright and appeared to be doing much to further spread the truth. Having the will to live requires a strong sense of self-preservation and is something we must all work at on a daily basis. To fall into despondency will sabotage our efforts to prepare for the time when supplies are short, when chaos rules the streets or when economic collapse has bankrupt the world. I am not saying that any or all of these have gone as far as they can to take care of things will happen. But on my own risk- themselves. meter, these things are right there at the topCommandment #3: Seek knowledge along with a regional natural disasters such as as a solution to problems. an earthquake- the only question is when? There are so many free or almost free credCommandment #2: Be selfible sources of information these days that sufficient and self-reliant without the tough part is just that: determining who wanting or needing excessive is credible and who is not. Luckily, it is pretty government assistance. easy to vet the reliable members of the alterThis goes without saying. When chaos rules native press. These reports attempt to tell the the land or a natural disaster strikes, we need news without fear-mongering and without to do our best to take care of ourselves. We getting you to spend money (unless you want need to have our own food, our own source of to of course). clean, purified water, our own medical supBefore seeking knowledge as a solution, plies and most important, a robust skill set some effort has to be put into both identithat will allow us to live quite comfortably fying and prioritizing the problems at hand. without electricity or petroleum products. And how many people really do that? Why There will still be a need for government not identity five or six problems and find solid assistance, but that assistance should go to solutions to those before moving on to the those that are truly needy through no fault next group? of their own. That includes the wounded, the Furthermore, while we still have a reliable sick, the working poor, the elderly and the power grid, download free e-books or visit disabled. This may be a pipe dream, but in my survival and homesteading websites to pick sense of right and wrong, taking care of the up skills. Take advantage of the wealth of truly needy is something that government DIY information at your local library for free. should do, provided that these same people Learn do it yourself skills then continue to As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots速

Spring 2013 45

practice and to drill and to learn some more. Turn problems into solutions by using knowledge as your tool.

Commandment #6: Channel fear into positive actions.

Being fearful and running scared is what Commandment #4: Adapt to the the PTB wants you to do. Fear translates into surroundings, wherever they may be. submission and submission results in being controlled. Add a bit of brainwashing and the As comfortable as we may be in our homes, result starts to sound like Hitler’s Germany. the time may come when we have to leave. It A good way to avoid fear is to be prepared may get destroyed in a natural disaster such to fend for yourself in all types of situations. as a hurricane, flood or earthquake. Or, due Go back and analyze the most likely risks to the woes of the economy and unexpected within your sphere of life and prepare for unemployment, you may have to sell that four those first. Go back to commandment #3 bedroom ranch house and move to a modest and seek knowledge as a solution to probapartment. lems. Take control of fear by channeling your The house you live is built of sticks and energy into positive actions. cement and bricks and mortar. Your home, on the other hand, is wherever you happen to Commandment #7: Defend live and if you are lucky, where you are suryour right to freedom and the rounded by loved ones, even if they are the tenets of the US Constitution. four- legged type. Embrace freedom and defend your right to Learning to adapt to your surroundings liberty. the people, the geography and social milieu What is liberty? - will allow you to embrace change as an YY The power to do as one pleases adventure even when the causative circumYY Freedom from physical restraint stances may not be pleasant. And that all YY Freedom from arbitrary or despotic translates into less stress. control Commandment #5: Embrace YY The positive enjoyment of various decisiveness as a core value. social, political, or economic rights and privileges Making a decision when the choices are YY The power of choice poor to begin with leads to complacency and We currently live in a world of airport pat even worse, doing nothing. On the other downs, forced healthcare, mandatory vaccihand, making a decision and then pursuing nations, and the unauthorized surveillance of that decision with decisiveness and gusto will our whereabouts and our communications. likely lead to positive results. Sure, the result Soon we may lose our right to bear arms and may not be perfect, but the willingness to defend ourselves. make decisions, even in the face of uncertainty, Don’t give up your rights without a fight. means you are taking responsibility for your And don’t be so afraid of the power elites that actions and for the outcome of your decision. you fail to speak up to defend those rights. And right or wrong, you will learn from Some people will cower and hide. Instead, why the experience. Doing nothing is simply not not band with like-minded people and make acceptable. your voice heard. If we don’t do it, who will? 46 MinuteMom Magazine

www.AsAMom.org

Commandment #8: Respect others and their right to privacy. Notwithstanding #7, everyone has the right to their opinion and their right to privacy. There are some things that some people simply do not want to talk about or share. Move on and respect their privacy. The time The Final Word will come when you will want them to respect yours. These 10 commandments of survival were set down to help me cope with my own anxiCommandment #9: Pursue love ety and sense of uncertainty about our future and laughter on a daily basis. as citizens of the world. As a prepper, I know We all need a break because truly, the I cannot prepare for every single one of our stress of it all is too much these days. Call it global problems nor can I prevent Mother down time, call it personal time. Whatever Nature from doing what she is going to do if the name, love a little and laugh a little each and when the time comes. and every day. At best, all I can do is to continue to learn Love and laughter are a big part of living a to be self-reliant and independent so that I strategic life (http://bit.ly/13IvGxm). As dif- can keep my sanity and my ability to think ficult as it may be, take ten minutes or take an rationally under check. Some days will be hour, but take some time each day to embrace difficult, and because of that, I will keep livsurvival in this most essential manner. ing these 10 commandments and continue to think of ways that I can do more. At the end Commandment #10: Be of the day, that is all I can do. authentic and real to yourself The world is scary right now and in some and to those around you. ways I can’t help but think that the worst is When things are not going well, it is easy yet to come, and yet I’ll face it with the best to pretend and fantasize that things are dif- I have to give. It is not a matter of if, but a ferent. There is nothing wrong with that as matter of when. long that you know in your heart of hearts Enjoy your next adventure through comthat reality is quite different. You cannot mon sense and thoughtful preparation! make reasonable, practical and viable decisions based upon myth. You need facts. To Gaye Levy, [Survival Woman] survive, you need to acknowledge these facts grew up in the Seattle area. and accept the truth. After spending many years as an Truth will lead to trust, and trusting your executive in the software industry, she started an accounting practice decisions is paramount to have others trust offering contract CFO work. you as well. To be real means to be true to She has now abandoned city life yourself regardless what others think. And for a serenely beautiful rural area on an island in Washington State. She lives and teaches the principles without being real, the other commandments of a sustainable and self-reliant lifestyle through her just don’t matter. website at BackdoorSurvival.com.

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

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YYBook Club Recommended Prepping Books Editors note: this is a selection fo books from the list at from the Preppers Pantry http://www.asamom.org/forum/topics/preppers-pantry-book-list

Cookbooks YY The Amazing Wheat Book, by Learta Moulton YY Cooking with Sunshine: by L. Anderson and R. Palkovic YY Dinner is in the Jar: Quick and Easy Dinner Mixes in Mason Jars or Mylar Bags by Kathy Clark YY It’s in the Bag: A New Approach to Food Storage by Michelle Snow YY TVP Cookbook, The: Using the QuickCooking Meat Substitute by D.R. Bates Food Preservation YY The ABC’s of Home Food Dehydration, by Barbara Densley YY Blue Book Guide to Preserving by Ball YY Making & Using Dried Foods by Phyllis Hobson YY Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning by Terre Vivante, Deborah Madison & Eliot Coleman Food Storage YY 100-Day Pantry by Jan Jackson YY Cookin’ with Home Storage by Peggy Layton and Vicki Tate YY Cooking With Food Storage, Made Easy by Debbie G. Harman YY Emergency Food Storage in a Nutshell by Leslie Probert and Lisa Harkness YY Pantry Cooking by Laura Robins YY Simple Recipes Using Food Storage by Cedar Fort YY A Year’s Supply in Seven Days, by Mary Wilde 48 MinuteMom Magazine

Gardening & Growing Food/Livestock YY The All New Square Foot Gardening, by Mel Bartholomew YY Garden Wisdom & Know-How by Rodale Books/Judy Pray YY Great Garden Companions by S. Cunningham YY Lasagna Gardening: A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens By Patricia Lanza YY Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre by Brett L. Markham Homesteading & Skills YY The Art of Blacksmithing, by A. Bealer YY Backyard Homesteading: A Back-toBasics Guide to Self-Sufficiency by David Toht YY Basic Country Skills, Storey’s: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance by John & Martha Storey YY Basic Plumbing With Illustrations by H. Massey YY Electrical Basics by R. Peters YY Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery YY Farmer’s Almanac by Harris YY Make Your Own Patterns: An Easy Step-by-Step Guide by R. Bergh YY Sewing Essentials by Singer YY Solar Power for Dummies by R. Degunther Medicine, First Aid, Dental YY American Red Cross First Aid & Safety Handbook by K. Handal YY Where There Is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook by J. Maxwell YY Wilderness Medicine Field Guide by P. Auerbach www.AsAMom.org

YYDepartment

Protect your family from hardship with

www.DisasterPantry.com

Title

    

Long Term Food Storage Water Storage & Purification First Aid Kits Emergency Back Packs Survival Equipment

We’ve Got You Covered! www.DisasterPantry.com is a Patriot owned business offering a full line of emergency preparedness items and long term food storage packaged by Shelf Reliance. Check out “The Q” our automatic pay as you go pantry stocker. Visit our website or contact us at info@DisasterPantry.com or 850-207-7419.

Preparedness YY Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook by Peggy Layton YY Survival Mom: How to Prepare Your Family for Everyday Disasters and Worst-Case Scenarios by Lisa Bedford – YY Survival Wisdom & Know-How by Stackpole Books Survival/Bug Out YY The Boy Scout Handbook, by Boy Scouts of America YY Edible Wild Plants: North America by Dykeman YY Fishing Basics: The Complete Illustrated Guide by Gene Kugach YY Fishing: An Illustrated Guide by Fichter & P. Francis YY U.S. Army Improvised Munitions Handbook by the Department of the Army Other YY The Complete Tightwad Gazette, by Amy Dacyczyn As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

YYMom’s Minutes A Few Random Non-food Items to Remember “A Few Random Non-food Items to Remember” by Valentinoswife http://www.asamom.org/forum/topics/a-few-random-non-food-items-to-remember

Intro: We haven’t done a similar post in a while and just began to think about a few non-food items we might forget: Pens won’t be easily found -- feathers/quills were used a mere hundred years ago -- but you will also need a few bottles of ink to store! Pencils will also not be found --

National Database of School Children Launched... National Database of School Children Launched... Posted by Meredith George http://www.asamom.org/forum/topics/national-database-of-school-children-launched

Intro: A database of public school children has already launched - and it includes millions of records. This week’s newsletter highlights a serious threat to parental rights in

Parental Rights—a thing of the past? “The Empire State strikes back ... against parental rights” by Meredith George

http://www.asamom.org/forum/topics/the-empire-state-strikes-back-against-parental-rights

Photo Dreamstime

Intro: Hepler says there are dire consequences to remaining silent. “If the American family is further destroyed, this nation will follow shortly after,” he insists. “Without strong families, it is impossible to have a strong enduring nation.”

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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.

Surprisingly Optimistic by Joshua Durgin

52 MinuteMom Magazine

For a lot of conservatives the 2012 election results were a big disappointment, and for a lot of people the next few months verged on despair. However, instead of withering up and dying, conservatives are beginning to feel hope once again. This feeling of hope and optimism has been growing steadily since January, to the point that even some of the conservative networks and radio stations are talking about it. Even our political enemies seem to realize something is building on our side, and because of this they are pushing harder than ever to accomplish their goals before they run out of time. Many of us have feared America is at her end, that this is the moment when she shall go down, but that is not necessarily the case; unlike other countries America is built upon the bedrock of human rights. These rights are given by God, and therefore are eternal, so they do not just disappear; if we persevere in our belief in them, then surely our nation which is built upon those rights will remain also. Life is like a pendulum, it swings back and forth; right when you think it’s reached the apex of its swing, that it’s at the extreme height and cannot possibly go back, it does. Inevitably, invariably, things always swing back. We’ve seen this politically for centuries, millennia even; it’s just always worked

this way. A recent example is the progressive movement. In the late eighteen hundreds what we call conservatism today was quite strong, but then the progressive movement appeared and it all tilted towards that new movement. By 1919 conservatives were probably thinking the world was going to end, but then it swung back to conservatism, with men like “Silent Cal” Coolidge coming to power and bringing America back into balance. After the roaring twenties occurred, the political spectrum switched again to progressivism; this time it was under the name of liberal, with men like Franklin Delano Roosevelt. For a while everything seemed to be big government again, until the soldiers from World War II came home and it was back to business. Although the government was still large, once again it was the private sector that was booming right into the sixties and seventies, when the children of the World War II generation decided to have a fling with big government ideas once again. Over the next forty years those youth grew up, creating the power structure we see today. But wouldn’t you know it, that power structure seems to be trembling with anticipation of the terror that’s coming, and it is the knowledge of what’s coming that is emboldening the current conservative movement. Socialism is the first step in all redistributive www.AsAMom.org

systems, and it is inherently flawed because it does not respect the rights of mankind. Because of this, socialism and all its subsidiaries are destined to failure. Because socialism is unstable and will fall apart, it is inevitable that the system will either go to total tyranny to keep functioning, or the government must completely collapse, leaving anarchy and chaos in its place. In America, we will not go there; we refuse to go there: we will fight and die rather than live under tyranny, and we refuse to fall into the chaos of anarchy. Because we know this, we are filled with anticipation, and because our political enemies know this, they are filled with dread. The pendulum is either going to break off, or it is about to swing back with a force out of this world. The fight is on, and our political enemies know it. They know the conservative movement is not going to go into the night without a fight; they may have won the election, but we can still win the war. Paraphrasing Winston Churchill, the battle for 2012 may be over, but the battle for the Constitution and the United States is about to begin. Unlike mere political skirmishes, the coming fight is one of morality, the belief in the difference between right and wrong vs. the ideology of Marxism- that government is always right. Unlike previous fights, we can have hope, for it is not whoever has the most money who will win, but which side embodies the truth; and in that regard we know that against all odds, we can turn the tide. Another way of looking at this is to say that even in the darkest moments, when all hope seems lost, there can still be a firm belief that things will turn out right. A poignant example of this was stated by George Washington in 1776 in a letter to his brother: recognizing he was on the verge of losing the war, that “I think the game is pretty near up,” he still remarked, “however under a full persuasion As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

of the justice of our Cause I cannot but think the prospect will brighten, although for a wise purpose it is, at present hid under a cloud….” Even in what appeared to be the end, hope remained for George Washington and the troops under his command. So here we are today, in less worrisome straits, and yet we are surprised that hope still runs deep within us.

under a full persuasion of the justice of our Cause I cannot but think the prospect will brighten, although for a wise purpose it is, at present hid under a cloud… GEorge Washington

Although the outcome may still be hidden from us, it is obvious that we can and should struggle on, for unlike the time of George Washington where freedom was about to be extinguished entirely from the world, we are in a far more positive stance. There is no enemy army at our door, our freedoms are not gone yet, we are still free although a little constricted. Where our ancestors had the courage and hope to trudge on in total darkness, we have the benefit of only needing to stay near the light. (George Washington quote from Sacred Fire, by Peter Lillback and Jerry Newcombe, pg. 575-576) Joshua Durgin is a 22 year-old lobsterman in Maine. He became involved in state politics in 2010 and is currently chairman of the Cornish Republican Committee. His main interests are reading history, particularly about the American Founding Fathers. Spring 2013 53

YYValues 9-12 Values

Helping us to more fully live the AAM Actions

Sincerity: Sincerity is a genuine heartfelt conviction to truth. It is an open and honest heart. It displays the kind of sober understanding of truth that was evident so long ago with our Founding Fathers. It dictates our convictions and our zeal towards our beliefs and standards, as in our Constitution or Declaration of Independence. It has the underpinnings of humility and compassion accompanied with fervent resolve to do right. Reverence is the realization that we are in the presence of something greater and grandeur than ourselves. It is the harmonious quality of both humility and respect exercised in devotion to something sacred and tender. Moderation: Temperance will help us seek balance within reasonable limits. Limits that involve every facet of our lives; family, work responsibiliHard Work: Gratitude: ties, even the worries we have for The definition of, “hard work,” Gratitude involves more than a our nation must be consistently is not the inability of a person to verbal expression, it involves self- paced. While our investment in accomplish something difficult, mediation… of the heart. By con- any one thing is determined by rather it is the practice of exercising trolling our ‘wish-lists,’ or wants we the need at any one time, both our mental, physical and spiritual abili- mediate our thoughts and hearts to effort and our devotion should folties, that through working, become the more important things of life... low the motto: Nothing in excess. capabilities. our many blessings! Temperance! 54 MinuteMom Magazine

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Reverence:

Hope: 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. It is the sure and steadfast attitude to be of good cheer! Humility: Humility changes our hearts closer to God’s will. If we allow him to work within us we can see wonderful miracles take place. Because a teachable moment is often the result of humility, God uses that to show us how blessed we truly are. It is at that moment we can get a glimpse into what he sees for us. It is then that we realize God is a necessity in our lives. It is through him we gain greater wisdom and clarity. We can seek direction from him, even in the most harrowing moments, and he will answer.

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

Charity:

Personal Responsibility:

True charity isn’t really what we give, but the condition of our heart when we give it. Charity could be characterized as an act of altruism, the heart being the only motivating factor. If we are truly charitable we are filled with love and compassion. Those that live lives filled with charity are blessed with an attitude of love and understanding. They notice the little things that often make a world of difference to those in need.

Own it! We cannot truly grow and mature if we do not take responsibility for our actions and likewise, our inactions! This value shows our willingness to take a stand, to do something and stand behind our actions. Becoming reliable and dependable is the essence of this value. The blessings of which will be self-discipline, trustworthiness and the knowledge that because of your efforts, this nation will be a better place for our children.

Thrift:

Courage: The mental and spiritual strength Frugality, prudence and self-conof character that enables a person trol all define, “thrift.” Using wisto confront difficult situations. A dom to discern between the needs brave heart that is exercised through and the wants of life is imperative action to do what is right, often in to exercise prudence in spending. the face of opposition or unpopuCalvin Coolidge said, “Industry, larity. Courage is not the absence thrift and self-control are not of fear, rather, it means that in spite sought because they create wealth, of fear, one acts. Courage shows a but because they create character.” confidence and faith in God with Creating the spirit of self-reliance resolute behavior to do the honorin our homes will help us use our able thing. monies and time wisely as we learn skills to provide for our families. Honesty: Loyalty to truth. There is no gray area here. It is either true or it isn’t. The heart of an honest individual seeks truth, and exercises an unwavering adherence to an exact moral code. It shows constancy of character and is the best pathway to discerning between reality and falsity. Honesty dictates the conscience in all areas of life. Because we are children of God, our characters are grounded in truth, unless we taint them otherwise. Spring 2013 55

YYPoem The Harvest

Mother’s are the gardeners, Of their little family tree, They use the seeds of love, Kindness, and charity. They first prepare the soil, And sow the seeds with care, And hope with all their tender hearts, Love will be reaped there. Sometimes the seeds will dry up, And she has to start again, Sowing extra patience, For the fruit that might have been, But when the seasons over, And all her hard work through, It comes the time for her to reap, All she’s sown for you. ~K.Beyer May 1997

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YYHonors

Memorial Day Remembrance May 27, 2013 When we hear the phrase, “Freedom is never free,” we are reminded that there is always a price paid for what we so often take for granted. The responsibility of our military has never been one of ease or joy. It is a job that only a select few can weather, and none weather it unscathed. These men and women have unseen scars from battles of the heart and mind as well as the war in which they are engaged, some paying the ultimate price for their service. Generation upon generation has suffered incalculable losses in our American military. As we reflect on our sons and daughters of liberty this Memorial Day, may we take the time to remember that this day is set aside for solemn remembrance of those that have made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our Nation. Let us be grateful. Let us show gratitude by teaching our families that this day should not pass without prayers of gratitude and blessings called down from heaven to the families of the soldiers that have died, so that we and others like us, might live free. In a Memorial Day address by President Reagan in 1982 he said, “I have no illusions about what little I can add now to the silent testimony of those who gave their As a Mom... A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots®

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.” Thank you to all service men and women and their families that have given the ultimate sacrifice. We are forever grateful for your service and pray for continued peace in your lives. Godbless! ~AAM

And They Sacrificed And some asked, Who will go? And a select few said, Here I am, send me. And they went. And they served. And they sacrificed. And God asked, Who will come? And a select few said, Here I am, take me. And they went. With Courage. And they served. With Honor. And they sacrificed. Their lives. Upon Eagles wings, They return home, To their God. —Kami Watkins

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YYAs a Family

Patriot Camp... in The Beginning The members of As A Mom... have answered many calls to action since this amazing group began. AAM has also been a place for many of us, who felt very alone in our ideas and mindset, to come together and unite on common values and principles—specifically those of the 9/12 Project. After connecting outside the AAM site during the health care debates, three members, Heather Sellars, Deb Seneca and Michelle Tonkin worked together for the common goal of teaching our

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community’s children about the greatness of America and the truth about its miraculous founding. Disgusted with the indoctrination and revisionist history being peddled in so many schools, we and three other friends took it upon ourselves to teach at least a few children the truth about America. As a response to the Organizing for America summer camps that were being pushed in our nation¹s high schools, we decided to hold our own summer camp, Patriot Camp, in the summer of 2010.

Having many years of collective Vacation Bible School experience under our belts, we decided to model our program after a traditional VBS format. We ran a one week camp, with each day lasting 2 1/2 hours. Each of the five mornings had a theme, including Revolutionary War, Declaration of Independence, Constitution/ Bill of Rights, Our Great Republic and Founders Friday. We broke the children into six age groups, and the campers rotated through six stations daily, including three Learning Stations, Snacks, Crafts and Games. Each station’s lessons and fun activities tied into the theme of the day. Our camp activities are geared toward elementaryaged children, however, the curriculum lessons are pertinent and easily adaptable for children and adults of all ages! When possible, we looked to original sources to teach the basic tenets of our founding documents and our history. It is our feeling that the best way to protect the freedom we enjoy, is to understand the history and documents that provide for that freedom. Patriot Camp uses a camp setting to teach these lessons, so that children will www.AsAMom.org

Host your own:

Patriot Camp

A wise woman once had the dream to change the lives of women for the better. Join me in sharing in the commitment of caring and community. That is Mary Kay Ash’s legacy. Let’s all make a difference - one woman at a time. have fun while they learn about and develop an interest in America’s rich history. Patriot Camp involves everyone—kids, parents, and the community—coming together for the common goal of educating ourselves and our children about our great nation. The first Patriot Camp was held in Paxtang, PA, in the summer of 2010. We thought that we would possibly attract 20-25 children. The interest was tremendous, and we actually had to cap our enrollment at 70 children! We started with a core committee of six moms and had more than 20 additional volunteers and several businesses and community organizations that also believed in our vision and helped to make Patriot Camp a huge success! ~Heather Sellars

The Patriot Camp handbook is designed to give you the tools needed to organize and carry out a Patriot Camp, including a detailed outline of what to expect each day. Also included is a rich history-centered curriculum to present to your eager students. As an added bonus…it’s fun! Handbook

WRITTEN BY: HEATHER SELLARS DEB SENECA MICHELLE TONKIN

VOLUME 1: BA

SICS OF FRE

EDOM

Order your Patriot Camp Kit today!

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

Spring 2013 59

The Adventures of Mailable Molly

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

60 MinuteMom Magazine

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.

www.SaveItReadIt.org ÂŠ2010 As A Mom...A Sisterhood of Mommy PatriotsÂŽ www.asamom.org