Without leadership we are going in wrong direction

The much talked about government shutdown is upon us. In the talking points being used by the so-called main stream media there is little doubt the group that will get the most severe whipping for the shutdown is the Republican Party. Little is said about the fact of going for years (6 with no budget) without a budget a time comes when a decision must be made. There is always a time when the bills must be paid. There comes a time to pay up. The bigger government crowd wants to continue to increase the size and scope of government knowing that one day someone somewhere will have to pay the bills. The easy route is to go as deeply in debt as possible and blame the circumstances or some other group for not paying the bills. At least, that seems to be the easy route because it is the route most often taken by the big media and the bigger government crowd. There is no way this could ever be seen as being believable or having credibility, yet, the current climate being what it is in our country, it has become an easy concept to use when looking for someone else to blame rather that sitting back and realizing the blame rests with those who refuse to listen to the citizens when they let it be known they see a major economic mess ahead and that something must be done before the train runs entirely off the track. There is no question that the insiders of big government do believe the best route is to continue to grow government bigger and increase the entitlements and boast the revenues in the federal treasury by increasing taxes to pay some of the bills for the larger government. At certain points in this process, this could have been slowed or even stopped but for whatever reason, members of the congress chose to look the other way and put off making the decision until it is now too late to make the right decision. With an election year coming up many citizens are calling for people to step forward who will promise to make things right and stand up for the people instead of being aligned with the bigger government crowd. It remains to be seen if there can be enough candidates with enough votes to replace some who are in office and send people to Washington with the courage to speak up and stand up for the American taxpayers. Emotions run very high for change, but it is unclear what the change will mean for our government. We have been promised change before and found out it meant higher taxes and more government dole to the entitlement crowd. We need only look at the countries in Europe that have found they cannot continue to make promises of more government funding for personal projects without one day having to pay up and continue to cause the taxes to go higher than any person could have ever imagined. Seeing that happening in our country and watching the other nations that have already gone down this same road cannot help but bring fear to any person who is awake enough to realize what is taking place all around us. To affix blame regarding this issue, we must look to the American people who allowed this malaise to continue without bringing it to a halt. We must bring a stop to this nonsense. We must know what the person we vote for really believes and where they really plan to take this country. We cannot just vote from emotions, but from an informed position that will demand accountability from those for whom we cast our ballot at every level of government. It is not enough to throw one set of elected office holders out of office and replace them with new people. We must know what we are doing and must have in mind the exact issues that will propel us forward or cause us to rise up or protest because we do not like the direction we see we are going. Long ago I became aware that without leadership we are going in wrong direction. The direction our nation is going is not best for us and we must be willing to stand up, speak up and never back up or shut up until we get the attention of more people who will stand up and speak up to change the direction of our country once again. Ray Newman Column first published in Barrow County News Wednesday October 2, 2013 Winder, GA.

Weak Leadership leads to confusion

Among the conversations I had recently in Washington, the most prominent was the discussion related to the foreign policy failures of the Obama Administration. Talking with my friends who work on Capitol Hill in Washington, they all used the same words: “convoluted,” “crazy,” “incompetent,” “delusional,” “feckless” were among a few of the words I can share. Before jumping too quickly to the wrong conclusion, please understand that all these people with whom I spoke are not registered Republicans. The general thinking among many on Capitol Hill is that “confused” is the best word to use when talking about the foreign policy being demonstrated to this point from the Obama Administration. As I sat in my hotel room watching the President’s speech last Tuesday night, “confused” is the word that came to my mind. There seemed to be a moment in the speech when the President wanted the world to know he had determined he was going to make the decision to release the military for an attack on Syria because of his moral concerns in the use of nerve gas on the innocent children of Syria. Almost in the same breath, however, he seemed to back off the idea that dropping bombs on Syria would be the moral response to what he saw as an immoral decision. I admit to being more confused than ever after listening to the speech. The events continuing to unfold since last Tuesday night’s speech have further muddied the issue. One of my friends had opined earlier on Tuesday afternoon that if Russia and her leaders could embarrass the US they would and if they could develop concepts that would make them look like winners and the US losers they would come forward with something that would confuse the issue even more. The prediction came to light quickly when the New York Times ran the Op-ed column written by Russian leader, Putin. In the New York Times column, Putin lectured our country and called out our President for his lack of leadership and confusion in his foreign policy. Putin, by offering the idea of working out a solution that would force the Syrian government to turn over the nerve gas to the international community with oversight by the United Nations was immediately seen as a winning solution to the issue. There has been much written in the various media sources since Putin’s letter appeared in the New York Times. Some have suggested that by offering the solution that will be agreed to by all governments in the region, including the US, that Putin has further established his regime as the power player on these international issues. Time will tell if that conclusion is true. Historians always track the events of a second term in office for a President of the United States as the time to set the legacy of the administration in power. That being true, we are seeing developed before our eyes the legacy of the Obama administration to be one of failure in foreign and international policy. This failed legacy did not just suddenly appear. It began in the first moments of the first term President Obama was in office. Quickly after taking office in the first term, President Obama took off on a world tour to apologize to all the other countries of the world for the success we have in our nation. That tour set the tone for and set in motion the failed policies of this administration regarding how other nations view us and how we no longer have a position of power in the world. We must come to understand that the conflict in the Middle East goes back for centuries. Finding a lasting solution to those deep seated issues has proven to be almost impossible. There are many who believe only the end of time will signal an end to those lasting conflicts. We must also understand that there are nations that will never like America. We can apologize for former leaders and decisions that have been made, but doing so will not make those who hate us like us. Instead of changing their minds to move them to like us (in those nations that hate us) they only see us as weak and unable to deal with the issues when we always go around saying we are “sorry.” The way this issue in Syria is being dealt with supports the idea that our leadership is weak. Ray Newman This column first published in The Barrow County News, Winder, GA.

All Respect is gone

It would seem the best way to have your name mentioned in all the entertainment media sources these days is to have a major malfunction of clothing to occur while entertaining on a stage in front of viewers or to simulate a sex act. Few people are left who have not heard about the scandalous behavior of Miley Cyrus while performing for the video music awards sponsored by MTV. The lack of decency in young Cyrus’ behavior was topped by a routine including twerking. This newly discovered act of twisting a body while performing as if one is simulating the actions of sexual intercourse has become a popular way to have the performer’s name remembered. The video of the event has been shown to millions of people who supposedly fain disgust once the video is viewed. I admit, I did not see the original performance and only saw parts of the video when it was played on a news show the next morning. Though several people have insisted I need to watch the entire video, I have not and have no plans to watch it. Just the small part of what I saw of the performance was enough for me to assure that I would not be watching all of it. Several people have come forward to try and determine how this behavior has become such a sensation. Some people are looking to find fault or blame for the behavior and determine what could have gone wrong in a culture lusting after public display of the human body. We could blame parents. We could blame the culture. We could blame youth and inexperience making wrong choices and decisions. We could blame the entertainment culture currently sweeping the nation. We could write long and boring statements regarding how such actions could cause as much discussion as this one has brought out. The simple matter is that we are living in a culture that has lost respect. There is total loss of respect for oneself when a person will display their body in such a way as Miley Cyrus. There is evidence of the fullness of the cultural shift that has occurred when we see women and their body parts held up as objects to be lusted after rather than seeing a person that is due respect and is to be treated correctly. There is something about the rebellious nature of a generation drawn to belittling the female body that is put on display or is placed on exhibition such as took place in the performance by young Miss Cyrus. The excuse of only trying to reach an audience with shocking behavior does not fully explain why any person would feel they should perform in such a way as was seen on the stage of the video music awards. The question that arises is: “What can be done to reclaim respect in a culture that seems to have lost respect?” There is no easy answer to that question. There is no simple way to turn the tide of cultural misbehavior without taking on the entire issue of what is considered to be correct behavior. When a nation has turned, as this nation has, away from generally agreed to rules of personal conduct, one must come to understand this change did not happen overnight, and the correction to the path we are on will not happen quickly. To restore respect for right behavior and to elevate, once again, personal respect and value will take another cultural shift. The way of thinking that has found us in this condition did not happen quickly. To turn the culture back to restoring personal respect and seeing people for their real value and worth will take more than a generation. The change back to having respect for other people must begin with personal respect. When a person is respected they learn to respect others and to reward correct behavior rather than to indulge and reward misbehavior. When misbehavior is held up as the action to indulge and to allow, then the result will always be the type of scandalous behavior that was seen being carried out by Miley Cyrus. When misbehavior is the goal and the action that is rewarded, then we can expect that the misbehavior becomes the norm. We might have reached a point of no return to where we find that the new normal in behavior is to demonstrate total lack of personal and corporate respect. Ray Newman This column appeared first in The Barrow County News, Winder GA September 4, 2013

Shame on US for jumping to wrong conclusion

Shame on us for jumping to the wrong conclusion and thinking we have scandals to worry about. We are duly warned by President Obama there are no scandals about which to be concerned. President Obama wants us to know that what has distracted our nation from moving forward economically and to restore the confidence in the free market to begin seeing jobs created rather than continuing to see the unemployment numbers go up is something known as ”phony scandals.” According to President Obama these phony scandals have been placed in the media and in the minds of the American people with the intended consequence of derailing the plans to complete the planned agenda of his administration in Washington. Well, all that can be said about this is “Shame on us!” We should know the difference in a media made up story and real life events that have unfolded before our eyes. We should know that the failed plan to get guns in the hands of international thugs, drug lords, and criminals is not a scandal. Anyone with an aware eye could see the plan was to track down where the guns were sent once they left our country. It is not a scandal that the guns once given to thugs, drug lords, and alleged international criminals then fell into the wrong hands and at least one of them was used to kill an American citizen who was guarding our border. When we believe President Obama, we will know that the killing of four American citizens assigned to work for the State Department in Libya was not a scandal but the work of a band of roving thugs who were bent on making the current Administration in Washington look as if they have no clue how to protect American citizens from international thugs. The President wants us to know, however,” there is no scandal to see in Benghazi.” Shame on us for thinking that the over zealous work of a few IRS agents in a small office somewhere in the Midwest held up the applications of conservative groups waiting to receive their requested tax exempt status is a scandal. Shame on us for thinking that the Department of Justice did not have the full right to spy on American reporters while they were doing their job in reporting the news and for our conclusion that what happened is a scandal of great concern. Shame on us for thinking that it is not right for the government to spy on citizens, collecting as much data as is possible from cell phone use, emails, and other means that are used to transmit communication from one citizen to another without letting the citizens know they are being spied on by the government. There is no scandal (if we believe the current talking points from this administration) to see here, move along, and wake up to understand these are just events planned to distract from the real work of government. Several years ago, a promise was made to drain the swamp of corruption and make everything ethical and legal coming from Washington. Nancy Pelosi promised that with her party in power in Washington, the American people would begin to see dignity and integrity restored. Taking what we have been promised from the current party in power we can conclude then that it is no scandal when former ten term congressman, now mayor of San Diego, Bob Filner, refuses to resign from his position as Mayor of the sixth largest city in America over a little thing like being accused of groping women, forcing them to kiss him, and to insist they wear no underwear while at work. There is nothing to see here, move along. There is no scandal, if we believe the current talking points from this administration. There are many reports of the corruption and dysfunction in the thinking and actions of disgraced congressman Anthony Weiner (candidate for mayor of New York City) as his actions of sending lewd pictures of himself to women via social media are not to be labeled a scandal. With the redefinition of terrorism, scandals, marriage, taxes (called revenue stream), honor, integrity, and dignity we must conclude with this administration there is nothing to see here. No leadership is seen. No acceptance of responsibility is seen in all of these events. With one scandal after the other, the American people should be ashamed for letting this culture of corruption continue. Ray Newman This column first appeared in the Barrow County News Wednesday July 31, 2013

Know Before You Vote

I am sitting in a room in East Alabama as I write this column. Speaking engagements have me in two states where I have the chance to converse with people from all walks of life. I have spoken with teachers, business owners, farmers, and many voters during this trip. The interesting part of what I am allowed to do when I go out to speak is the time to hear from citizens as they ask questions about their various concerns in regard to what is taking place in our culture. In Alabama and Georgia, the people are very aware of what is taking place in the political world and verbally express great concern about recent decisions that the Supreme Court announced. Their questions inform me as to their understanding of what they see happening in our culture. The concerns and deep worry fit into several categories. One of the concerns is the “overreach” of government regulations. Another issue that always comes up during these question and answer sessions is education and how it has changed. The real fear is that more government regulations and mandates being forced on school systems will continue to harm the advancement of quality education in our country. In the Georgia counties where I have spoken, the issue of Common Core is always raised by an active teacher or a retired teacher. I have yet to hear from any teachers, retired or active, who think the Common Core concept is good for education. A teacher who will be returning to her beloved profession this fall told of leaving the classroom several years ago because of all the government regulations that were being forced on the classroom teachers. She also said as she returns to the classroom this fall to teach once again, she has talked with many of her friends who have continued to teach and each of them expressed their fear that with Common Core there is going to be a stripping away of local control of the education of the students and it will be replaced with indoctrination instead of teaching the students how to think, thus giving away a chance for a good education for the students. Her direct quote to me was: “Teachers are fearful they will no longer be allowed to teach students how to think but will be required to tell them what to think and how to respond only as if they are trained animals rather than people with a brain to think for themselves.” The sobering expression of the worry of this teacher quoted above brings even more fear to me as I think of government control using brain washing techniques to produce only the desired results sought by the government. We can all agree that a mind is a terrible thing to waste and with control being taken away from parents and classroom teachers, we can only expect the next step is behavior controlled by government edicts and mandates. In the various conversations I had with the people asking the questions, the issue of marriage and the definition of marriage being defined completely by government and judicial edict were always discussed. The family and the establishment of marriage predate government. The first institution and the first founding stone of society is the family as clearly defined in the Bible. Before we had government, business, or the church there was family. We have come to this point in the 21st century where the Supreme Court has made a political decision in ruling, as they did, against the Defense of Marriage Act and declaring the vote of the citizens of California to have an amendment to their state constitution as being not valid to define marriage as they so desired. Following that ruling, several people have expressed to me their grave worry that the vote of the citizens on any given subject can be declared not valid by five people sitting as the majority opinion on the Supreme Court. That should be a worry and matter of concern for each citizen and every person living in our nation. From the many questions, worries, and concerns presented to me over the last several weeks, I have discovered a glaring issue that must be addressed. The issue of people voting without knowledge of the positions of the candidates for which they cast a vote has surfaced during these discussions. I urge each voter to know before you vote. Ray Newman

When we lose Religious Liberty we lose all our Freedoms

As the merry-go-round of scandals continues in Washington, the events of the world outside of our country indicate unrest and trouble in many countries.  There is much unrest in England, Turkey, and Iran. Finding a clear understanding of what is taking place is hard. Should we take the space to list the places where there is growing distrust of governing powers and rebellion against authority all we would have space for is to include a list of the nations. The growing distrust in our country is almost to the point of alarm. Surveys of the mood of citizens in our country let us know there is much concern about our freedoms and with every new revelation of what we have come to know as the government spying on the citizens, there is increased concern growing as to how trust can be restored and what it will take to bring our nation to a point of unity. There are people who want to define every point of concern as if it is rooted in racial feelings. Other people like to paint every question from one side or the other as if it is only political and is rooted in ideological differences. It is true that we can see a great divide taking place in our world and especially in our nation as we seek to move forward as a country. Surveys continue to reveal there is little trust in the national media to be able to produce a newscast that will reveal facts without commentary one way or the other to make the story being presented in a good or bad light. 

Being a freedom of speech and freedom of the press advocate, I watch with interest those who seek to control both in our time. Stories in the media continue to report the way some in positions of power in the government abuse that power by overreaching and then cover up their actions only to pretend they know nothing when they are questioned by members of Congress in a congressional hearing. This type behavior is enough to continue the impression that power abusers are out of control and they are picking off our freedoms one at the time. To be able to govern from a position of trust, the government leaders must have the trust of those being governed.

As I speak across our state in various events, the question and answer time has increasingly become tense. People are expressing their frustration and wanting to know someone is listening to them and their concerns about loss of freedom. The frustration of elected officials is being seen as a number of them are choosing not to seek reelection because of what they see as the gridlock in being able to have questions answered correctly and to reach solutions to the issues. There is a group of citizens who are sure that the answer is to throw out of office any and all who are serving now. Others want to target certain legislators to have them voted out of office and replaced with those who promise they will address the issues and reach solutions to the malaise that is keeping anything from being done in Washington. There seems to be no real answer or real long term solution to the mess we have today.

One of the recurring questions I am asked in these various venues is: “What do you see as the greatest threat in our nation?” With a follow up question stated thusly: “What do you see as the freedom that is most likely to be abolished in our nation?” My answer to both questions is the same. I believe the greatest threat, and freedom we are most likely to see abolished in our nation is religious liberty. As we study history and see the way other nations have been taken over from inside or out, one of the first freedoms lost is the freedom to choose ones religion and to be able to assemble with others of that faith to worship as personal convictions so dictate. Once the freedom of religion is lost, the other freedoms fall quickly.  There is no government that should be allowed to control the personal decision making of the citizens to force them to worship as the government leaders determine. Religious Liberty must be cherished and kept alive.

Ray Newman

Is Credibility Lost?

This will send shock waves through the minds of my readers. I want President Obama to be a success. Wait; don’t rush the stage! During the campaign and since being sworn into office, candidate Obama, now President Obama promised the American people he would have the most transparent administration ever. He also promised the American people he would insist that the rule of law be obeyed to the letter and spirit of the law. I am waiting for the time when we can celebrate as a nation of freedom loving people that President Obama is successful in obtaining those two promised goals.

We have to wonder how many more scandals will be “breaking news” as we awaken to face a new day. The “in-your-face” attitudes coming from the members of President Obama’s administration demonstrates the exact opposite of openness and transparency. When members of this administration are called to testify before congressional committees and show up to admit they know nothing or they react with an attitude of disdain for the process to the point they give answers that can be called ridiculous at best and contemptible at worst. The rule of law requires congressional oversight of policy and actions of areas of our Federal government. To have complete transparency from the government, it is required that correct answers be given to members of the committees when they ask questions. In our country, the law is broken when someone willingly lies under oath. The current administration is not the first to try these types of responses in order to skirt the law or regulations requiring total disclosure. This administration, however, promised the American people while running for office and since being in office, this type of atmosphere would not be allowed or tolerated. Thus, my statement that I am in full agreement with President Obama and support his promise to have the most transparent and open administration ever is made to point to the fact that fulfillment of his promise has not occurred up to this point in his administration.

Some people reading this column might think I am not serious and that I really do not want to see President Obama be a success. Nothing could be further from the truth or my intent in writing this column. I want to believe President Obama. I want to see the fulfilling of his promise to have an open and transparent administration that respects and keeps the law by letter and spirit.

With each new revelation of overreach and abuse of power coming from this administration, we are further from what has been promised and moving on a path directly opposite from the promises made. The bigger-government-control-crowd is certainly in place and flexing their muscle and using their power to the point of shopping around to find judges who will sign the court orders that on their appearance are subject to question and congressional review. We have reached the point in our nation where trust has been pushed out the door and believability of administration officials have fallen to the bottom of the scale.  Last week, the New York Times admitted this administration had lost credibility. When partisans on both sides of the aisle begin to call for a halt to certain actions and send out warnings of abuse of power and overreach by an administration, it is time for the advisors to the president and members of the departments of government to fess up and to come clean with truthful answers to the questions the American people are asking.

The lack of transparency on the provision of guns across the border into Mexico, known as the operation of “Fast and Furious,” the lack of full disclosure regarding what happened in Libya, the revelation of snooping on reporters, spying on the American people, and the overreach and abuse of power by the IRS against what can only be called an “enemies list” all add up to government secrecy, not openness or transparency. 

 When the Obama administration begins to live up to the promise of complete government transparency and follows the rule of law to the letter and spirit, we will all benefit as a nation. Trust can be restored; honesty can become the legacy of this administration when the decision is made to truly live up to the promises made. Until then, I agree with the New York Times, “All credibility is lost,”

Ray Newman

No Free Market Economy With Total Government Control

A foundational cornerstone of conservative thought in relation to government and the economic system is support for the free market. A free market stands or falls on its own. Government best serves the people when it allows for risk taking to be shouldered fully by the entrepreneur. We have been away from the basic understanding of a free market economy so long it sounds almost revolutionary to bring up the reality that in a free market the risk is taken by the one who takes the initiative to start the business.

Government funding and support for risk takers is the norm in business practice and now, government functions fully as the supporter of and the risk behind almost all financial ventures. This leads to total government control with the “big brother” or “nanny state” controlling all areas of business and personal life. The mantra is, there are businesses “too big to be allowed to fail” and in order to assure their success, the government must unload tons of money into the business to assure that if it fails, only the government stands to lose money and not the individuals involved. The biggest problem is that the ones who lose are the taxpaying citizens required to fund the government with their taxes. We know with every penny given by the government to a project, there are strings that weave into cords of control choking any success unless the government decides success is in the government’s best interest.

Control by government of all areas of life is showing itself more with regulations of the insurance coverage required and the lifestyle choices individuals make. The big brother crowd in government really believes they know better how to develop a menu of meals for the masses than the individual citizens. As part of the control mechanism imbedded in “Obama care,” are requirements as to government allowed body weight and body fat content of individuals. One could argue the government is trying to look after the citizens and to assure they live longer by requiring a lifestyle and eating regimen that will fit within the government allowable guidelines. That argument falls apart when we realize the government has no right to force its way onto the personal life choices of the citizens of this free nation. It does not matter that the requirements of limiting the size of a soda may be well intended; the citizens are required to be more accountable to government functionaries to obtain what they normally would buy otherwise to quench their thirst.

 In case all of this talk of government control, big brother and nanny state have you confused, the simple statement can be made for the government to get out of our life. However, we have come to be so completely dependant on the government, it is hard to make a change at this time. That being true, we are trapped in the ever slippery slope going downward into more government control of all we do. Less government, not more and bigger government is needed. We know, however, that to have less government control at this point in our republic, we must pass more legislation to reverse decisions already passed. In doing the reverse of what has already been placed into law, will in itself, require more government laws, thus we are on a failing cycle of giving up control to more government and not less government with hope to change the pattern of more government control. This is not double talk; this is the gridlock in the thinking that occurs when every new freshman class of government elected leaders are sworn into office. The newly elected officials go into office with the great hope of bringing about change and turning the wheels back to a free market economy only to be hit with the reality that to accomplish their goals they must pass new laws that will bring about more government and not less. We are at a point in our history when we must make crucial decisions about our future and our freedoms. Do we want to give up some of the support we insist the government provide to us? Do we want to continue to have our freedoms taken from us in order to allow the government to promise they will take care of us no matter what happens?  We must find a way to stop this slide into total government control of all we do and are.

Ray Newman

Amnesty is the wrong path

Amnesty, that will declare all illegal aliens in our country as suddenly legal, is a terrible public policy. Unless America becomes serious about making our borders secure we will always have people entering our country illegally. We cannot say we are going to declare the borders to be secure when by all reports they are not. When student visas are granted to foreign students allowing them to enter our country with the express purpose of attending college but they never enroll or they stay longer than the visa allows, then our laws are being broken. When a person enters this nation with a stated purpose and is allowed legal entry but once inside they decide they are not going to abide by their already pledged purpose for being inside our nation, they have then moved into the area of being illegal. When laws, already on the books but are not being enforced for whatever reason, the person who is no longer adhering to their stated reason for being in our country has then moved into the realm of lawbreaker. Some people argue that because they are unknowingly breaking a law, we must then give the illegal aliens the benefit of the doubt and allow them to stay in our country illegally. That flies in the face of every level of law enforcement this nation is founded on. I understand clearly why many people want to come to America to live and make a living. We are free and upward mobility is allowed to bring about betterment of a person’s condition in life. The reality of bad public policy is when blanket or retroactive amnesty is granted or planned once certain other standards are met and then that allows for a run on our borders (that are not secure), meaning that once illegal aliens are inside our nation they can enjoy all the rights and freedoms those of us who are in the country legally have.

Some people may ask, “Where is the compassion?” There are people who argue that we offer more jobs, freedom, and the ability to have a better way of life than any other nation on the planet. That being true does not make it right for people to overrun our borders, entering this nation through false means, and then putting down roots to stay without benefit of being legal.

We are discovering the disaster the so-called Affordable Health Care Act is with regulations that threaten to destroy jobs and bring down our nation setting us up to become a third world country. The same is true when we have talk of opening the borders and allowing all people currently in our country illegally to suddenly be declared legal. In former years, plans for amnesty proved to be a disaster, likewise, the current concept of securing borders, and then creating a so-called “path to citizenship” will not work in the long term to make us a safer nation filled with law abiding citizens. I care deeply for America. I love the opportunities we make available to people who want to obey our laws. I know there are criminals and others who learn quickly how to take advantage of the generous loving spirit that is demonstrated in our nation. We will not long be able to afford the assistance necessary to attend to every need of all the people who are already in our nation illegally. When members of Congress propose adding to those numbers other people who have shown an unwillingness to obey our laws they are setting up for failure of a major size.

 When we become serious about having secure borders, and allowing into our nation only those people who are willing to obey our laws in order to one day become citizens, then we could be on our way to finding a comprehensive solution to the immigration issue. Until then, we are facing major tough decisions as to how we are going to insist that the current laws be enforced. Those decisions could prove to be the most difficult we have ever faced in our country. The harshness of some solutions always causes people on both sides of the issue to point out how impossible it will be to put into practice.  Something must be done to find a solution, but amnesty is not the right path.

Will we remain a free nation?

Terms such as “The Chicago Way,” and “Being thuggish,” are making their way around social media outlets following the revelations  of the Department of Justice obtaining phone records of reporters who work for the Associated Press and Fox News and  with the I.R.S. profiling conservative groups in order to delay or deny their application for tax exempt status there is much concern growing. These outrageous assaults on our freedoms are added to the already frustrating attempts by Congress to have questions answered about the attack on our consulate in Libya. With Congress holding hearings on these subjects, little is known why these events are continuing and the uneasiness of the American people is beginning to surface. Government’s role is to protect the citizens from all enemies, both foreign and domestic. Government is not to be feared but to assure the safety of all citizens. Fairness and balance in government is a goal toward which all people being governed would like to see happen. There is an impression by many citizens that only the elites receive special treatment of influence and power. The average hard working, tax paying citizen has long felt they are taken advantage of by their government officials. As these events become more known across the country, they continue to fuel the discontent and the fear that government no longer protects the citizens but impose their big government ideas upon a helpless population.

A government leader who cannot call terrorist or terrorism what it is but believes that because a taxpaying citizen, who cares enough to stand up and speak up for freedom, is someone to be profiled and kept in check is certainly proving what many people have speculated would happen.

 I always speak in a positive way about our military and the law enforcement agencies across our nation who are hired and trained to protect us. As I talk with people across our state, I am hearing more people share their deep concern that those whom we expect to protect us will be ordered to harm us if we dare speak our convictions and stand up for freedom.

I am certain it takes a great amount of courage for someone to enter a political race. With the large amount of money required to conduct a successful campaign for office at any level of government, many people will never be able to enter a race. While there are numerous people today expressing great desire to see new people run for office and to be able to investigate every person running, there is a fear that one does not really know the deep agendas of any candidate until after they are in office and then, it is too late to remove them, it seems. There are certain words that always attract my attention in a political speech. One of those words is: “reform.” Reform means change. The question that must be answered before anyone is elected to office is: “What type of change are you talking about?”

Our nation is built upon the blood, sweat and tears of former generations of people willing to give their life if necessary to assure our freedoms would remain intact. A sad moment in our American history is to watch as the total direction of our country is being changed and the fabric upon which this nation was built is being torn apart. For many years, I have insisted that when we listen to a politician long enough we will hear them tell the truth. At the point in time we must insist on hearing the truth and understand the truth as it is being given to us. I am not an advocate for turning the clock back; that is not possible. We will never again be the nation we once were. I am, however, an advocate for advancing the freedoms of our nation that were purchased with the blood of former generations who have gone before us in death. This generation of those seeking to change this nation into a “progressive” big government and socialist nation must not succeed. In the long run, a powerful centralized government will not assure the safety of the hard working taxpaying citizens. A government that continues to grow bigger becomes a threat to the freedoms of all citizens. With all the changes taking place one wonders if we will remain a free nation.

Not Much Hope Left

Within the ranks of the elitist crowd, there is a determined plan to wipe out the input of the average taxpayer from any decisions. There are focus groups and study groups being brought into the ranks of government at the highest level to counsel with the decision makers and to write policy that will touch the lives of average Americans. Recently, the pentagon found they were in hot water when word leaked they were going to write policy that would exclude the personal witness of, or the opportunity for members in the military to have freedom of religious expression. The high ranking decision makers within the walls of the pentagon sought the advice of an atheist to help write the new policy. Once they were caught in the act (the atheist could not keep quiet about his plan to silence people of religious conviction), the leaders in the pentagon found it necessary to make statements denying their plan would rob any person of their guaranteed religious liberties. For several days, it was necessary to issue statements defining words and purposes of the rewriting of the policies. This is just one example of how the elitists are setting plans in place to take from us our freedoms.

Were it not for certain members of Congress, the current administration in Washington would have been able to sweep under the rug the assault on our consulate, staffed with American citizens on 9.11.12 in Benghazi, Libya. The willing lap dog main stream media successfully continues to hide from public view the events that are happening as the orchestrated plans continue to be moved forward to strip from us our freedoms.

 Last Friday, an IRS official admitted what many have felt was taking place as the IRS official admitted to the fact they are requiring more information from conservative groups for them to be approved for a tax exempt status. We know the IRS is the main enforcer of the so-called Affordable Health Care Act, better known as Obamacare. This elitist plan to take over the lives of the majority of Americans and destroy small businesses in our country is now being called by some in the highest levels of government, “A train wreck.” What seems like a train wreck to some is turning into a nightmare for the majority of small business owners and for those who provide jobs for many entrance level young employees. Obamacare is proving to be exactly what many of us thought; a job killer and a freedom destroyer.

 The main stream media has refused to report the news and spend the majority of their time finding ways to cover for the decisions of the Obama administration while pretending to report the news. There is always someone else to find who must be blamed for the decisions being used to take from us our personal and corporate freedoms. There are so many examples of covering up what should be front page headlines that some in the media have come forward to admit their disgust with their industry. One example of under reporting is the heinous charges and conviction against the abortion clinic doctor in Philadelphia. Some in Congress are now putting together legislation that will require more supervision of and inspection of these abortion mills as a result of testimony in the Kermit Gosnell trial.

Added to the above listed issues, we have the overtime speed with which regulations are being pushed forward that covers all aspects of our lives by this administration. One cannot help but wonder what the next three years will bring if this trend continues at the current speed. For example, the newly released allowance of providing the “morning after pill” to early adolescent girls sends the wrong signal and will encourage sexual misconduct at an earlier age than now.

It is thought the last four years of a two term presidential career is to build the legacy of the President.  We wonder what the legacy of President Obama will be. He did say he would totally change the direction of our nation. He promised hope and change. The changes we are seeing at lightning speed. It remains to be seen if we will have any hope left after all the changes are made.

Ray Newman

We need to pray

These last weeks have been filled with many events to occupy our time. The bombings in Boston, the shoot-out involving one of the bombers and the capture of the other one took up several hours of news space. The haunting questions related to when the FBI knew about the two bombers and their family and why nothing was done to stop what became another terror attack, still lingers. Another month where we are to be made more aware of child abuse has come and gone. The awareness of Autism, a developmental issue, is finally reaching into the public view. We are filled with many causes and issues that keep on rolling across the scroll at the bottom of the screen on the news networks. From an official point of view, we still don’t know what happened regarding the attack upon our citizens in Benghazi. The sequester cuts and how they are to be handled is proving to be a public relations nightmare for President Obama. It would seem that in order to exact as much pain as possible on a certain segment of the American people and to finally make the general public aware that the mean old Republicans are to receive the blame has backfired and with non partisan (across the aisle) agreement, the air traffic controllers have been rushed back to work. In not seeing the bigger picture, the person responsible to develop this strategy seemed to forget that members of the House and Senate rush home each week on airplanes, and they were also being delayed in their flights home. One more great idea about being able to point a finger at the other side came back to embarrass the White House. Reading this list, I am beginning to be depressed. Our world is in a mess. At this time in our nation, who is giving any leadership? Leadership seems to be an absent characteristic at this point in our history. Frustration, even anger, is being expressed. We need not get too worked up, however, as the President still has time to “Yuk It Up” with news correspondents for their annual “get-together” at a swanky hotel in Washington. While government waste continues; the entitlement generation wants more; demands continue for higher taxes; and charges of murder against an abortionist in Philadelphia goes under reported because (we are told) few people want to know about what is called “after birth abortion;” and the President finds time to invoke God’s blessings on Planned Parenthood; all is right in the world of the liberal elites in our country.

You will excuse me today if I am a bit sarcastic. I am still mourning the surprise loss last week of George Jones, the greatest country singer ever. Before you get all in an uproar, it is only natural that I would love country music after growing up in the Deep South listening every Saturday night to the Grand Ole Opry and remembering that as a child, the first time I saw my mother cry was the day Hank Williams’ death was announced. Country Music is more than just a genre of music; it is a way-of-life. Country Music singers/songwriters touch the deep heart strings of their listeners with the lyrics of the songs they write and sing. The unfortunate stories behind so many of the hits of country music mirror the train wrecked lives of the singer/songwriters. Few people have been as blessed with God given talent as some of the greats in country music. George Jones was one of those. His personal and family life was a mess. Alcohol, other drugs, women, and wild parties made up much of the life of George Jones. Knowing all he went through in his life of 81 years, one would be hard pressed not to admit that once he stepped up to the microphone to sing, his talent was anything short of God granted. The Lindsey Lohans, Kardashians and other celebrities of today’s party scene have nothing on the generation of country music stars I remember as a child and young adult. Following the surprise announcement of George Jones’ death last week, people from around the music industry proclaimed Jones’ most famous hit; “He stopped loving her today” as the greatest country hit of all times. Knowing all that is going on in the world and with the death of country legend George Jones, National Day of Prayer (tomorrow) could not have been planned for a better time. We need to pray!

Ray Newman

We must stand together against terror plots

We are not liked by many people. I know that statement comes as a surprise to those of you reading this column.  There is no other country that has given more money away, responded in times of disaster, fought wars for freedom on foreign soil, and rebuilt the war-torn nation and with bucket loads of money, supported the United Nations (the most useless organization anywhere) responding every time a nation has asked for assistance, yet we are not liked. “Not liked” could be a little weak, we are hated by many people in other nations, and some inside our country. Trying to find out why other people dislike (even hate us) is a big waste of time, in my opinion. Our nation set out on a course to experiment with freedom for individuals. We sought to allow individual and corporate freedom in order to elevate the lifestyle of every person in our nation. There are liberals who have never liked the idea of free market economy. There are liberals who think that the only good government is a centralized government with only a few elites at the top with complete control of the government and the personal lives of all the citizens. There are liberals who have greatly benefited from the ideology that caused this nation to be as great as it became. The majority of the liberals who have reached the top of success in their profession did so because they live in America. What they desire to force on this nation has never made anyone safe, secure, or successful. We are not a perfect nation. There is no such example to be found anywhere. In our long and blessed history, we have opened our doors to people from every part of the globe. We have shown great patience in seeking to assist the hurting, and even criminals seeking refugee status. Yet in all we have done, we are still hated! Why? Who knows and at this point in time, rather than wasting time on finding out why we are so hated, let us band together to show the world we are people who can succeed. Let us show the liberals and the extremists in economics, the centralized government crowd, the other groups wanting to impose their brand of religious tyranny on us (and any other haters), we are Americans and we are free to make choices, allowing individuals to take risks that will lead to success or failure based on the individual’s desire to better themselves. Our nation, like the truth or not, was founded with a strong belief in God and the Judeo-Christian work ethic. We were respectful of other people’s rights, opinions, and choices in the founding of our nation. We were fed up with government control and tyranny, which included taxation without representation, thus we declared our country to be a free and independent nation.

There are people inside our nation who think nothing of destroying lives or families and are seeking to bring to ruin our resolve as a freedom loving people. We know there are people who plot, plan, and carry out the plan hurting innocent people because of their hatred for what they see as a nation that needs to be destroyed. We have people outside our nation who would like nothing more than to wipe our country off the map. Their hate filled minds cannot think past their next planned terror attack. They think only of themselves and will stop at nothing to deliver their personal message of hate.

Before we jump into hiding, let us stand strong with fellow citizens as we fight off the haters among us. Many men, women, and children have given their lives as targets of the haters of the world. We need to find more ways to protect our country. We need to bring swift judgment to bear upon any person inside or outside our nation with a desire to bring a reign of terror upon us. Let us look carefully at any who try to hide behind the freedoms we enjoy in order to continue making their plots to destroy us. We must let it be known to the world we intend to continue as a free country. We must send the message that we will not bow to terror attacks or to any with plans to force on us other forms of government than the one that made our country great.

Ray Newman

The New Order of Values

A society or social order which determines it will be devoid of values, traditions, or absolutes is one that has chosen to live by no rule or value system. In effect, they have created another value system that is devoid of any value. On the surface, the idea of having no values or making up values as a society develops might sound inviting. The ultimate outcome of such thinking, however, leads to anarchy or to terrorism as the value system by which the society is ordered.

While many in our world think they have come up with a new way to live, they really have just fallen into an old trap of academia and supposed progressive thinking by adopting a concept birthed in Russia in the 19^th century known as Nihilism. This “know-nothing” philosophy as a way to look at life and to establish order in culture, always leads to a dead end of nothingness. The main issue to the nihilistic thinker is to overthrow all old ideas and ways of looking at life, and embrace new thought. New thought that has no basis in making decisions is an empty pit out of which mankind cannot climb. While in the pit of nothingness the value system that develops, while pretending to be fair and to promise equal justice, really does away with fairness and any former of social order justice. The ultimate outcome of throwing away all values and traditions leads to the development of new values and traditions based on emotion, passion, and spur-of-the-moment concepts that do not stand the test of time to assure either fairness or social equality.

We can take the concept of personal choice as it is reflected in the pro abort mindset. The issue for this thinking is personal choice but on the face of the value system that is developed, there is no fairness or equal justice because the life taken has no way of defending or speaking up for self. The only self recognized in the debate is the personal choice of the one who will take the life of another person. This debate leads to a death. There must be at least two voices that speak on this issue, but with the post modern mindset there is only one voice that can ever be heard and that is the pro abort voice. There is no fairness or equal justice there.

This continues with those who are certain they have come up with a way to assure fairness in the area of marriage by insisting society must now acknowledge that the only real fair way to look at marriage is to allow for so-called same-sex-marriage. The post modern mindset embracing the concept of nihilism throws away tradition and rules of order that have served every civilized society from the beginning of time. Marriage as a union between one man and one woman is the founding block of society and human order. Once a society determines that they have the personal choice to take the life of the unborn person and then not just refine marriage but reconstruct society, we have reached a point to where we make up our values as we go, rather than depending upon the founding value system of our culture.

Once all old values, traditions, and rules of order have been successfully thrown away, the only rule (which is the new rule or value system) is that terrorism reigns supreme. The strong survive, but not for very long, because along will come someone stronger to do away with them and we see the ultimate end of civilized society.  A society no longer able to procreate because of the chosen lifestyle of same-sex-marriage will see the end of all humankind on the horizon. We also see that the progressive thinkers who embrace nihilism and the post modern mindset see no problem with the ultimate outcome because for them, they embrace the idea that there will never be an end about which to be concerned once we reach (for them) the ultimate goal of fairness and equal justice for all.  They have created in their minds a world that cannot be or will never be, and certainly it will not yield the utopian ideal society they envision.  We can conclude then that nihilism is fatal and leads to the end of all things, not to fairness or any hope for social justice.

This is no time to give up

The sound was mournful; “I am giving up.” The young man I overheard talking on an elevator caught my attention because he was talking loudly, wanting all within hearing distance to know of his decision to quit. I could not help but engage him in conversation about his decision to quit by throwing in the towel and giving up. As I spoke with him, I heard what has become familiar speech from other people with whom I have spoken. This young person was talking about the never ending cycle of disappointment regarding the political issues we are facing in our country now. “They are all lazy, stubborn, and wrong,” this young man went on expressing his opinion to me about what he observed on the national level in the political world. As I talked more with this young man, I asked him about his level of involvement. To which he answered, “I never vote.” “I don’t understand politics,” he said. To which I then asked, “Let me get this right, you are throwing in what towel?” I am amazed at the number of people with whom I speak who have bucket loads of opinions about the political process and what needs to be done (usually they are sharing what they have heard on their favorite talk radio show or other media source), yet with little or no knowledge of what is really taking place in the political world. There are people with one agenda; it could be immigration, the economy, entitlements, rich people needing to pay more tax, or a list of other issues that seem to ignite feelings of emotion of passion with little real evidence to support their stated position.

 I understand the frustration being expressed as we continue to hear about the cuts occurring as a result of sequestration. There is a sense of hopelessness that has invaded the lives of many people today. Unemployment or under employment has caused a funk to set in and is leading many people into a deep depression about our country and the future.

This is not the time, however, to give up. If anything, we need more people engaged and involved now than ever. We must not let the current trends continue and give up to those who continue to harp about the dismal future of our country. Our country is strong and our people are hard working folks equal to and greater than the task before us. Giving up is not an option.  If we give up now, we are certain to fail. Staying in the game, keeping up the fight, continuing to be truly informed about what is happening in the political world should not discourage us, but should ignite us to try harder and do even more to keep the freedoms that have been fought for and won in the our history. To give up the fight for liberty now would be to insult the past generations of Americans who were willing to risk everything they had to stay the course and come out with victory. Just because certain elections have not gone the way many would like is no reason to give up. Just because there seems to be a level of ineptness and incompetence stinking up the political landscape is not reason to quit. The opposite is true. As we begin to move close to the next election cycle, now is the time to begin to become informed about the positions of elected officials and determine we are going to get in the game trying to find others who will run for office that will carry the banner of freedom and liberty.

My plan is to double down on what I already know and be more involved than ever standing for freedom and a higher level of moral ethic in the political world. Do I believe we will win every race? No, but I will be in there working to find the people who hold to my positions on the issues and to see them go into office. The thought of giving up is foreign to anything I can imagine as we go forward. It is simply because I see the challenge before us that I refuse to quit. I will not give up. I will speed up and go forward, trumpeting the call for all to join us in the fight for change in the direction of our country.

Ray Newman

Cockroaches have more respect than some leaders

When convictions clash with culture, the changes taking place in the way people think becomes clear. I cannot remember a time when there has been more evidence of the change in the direction of our nation or the major change in the way people think as they go through their life. Often, I have bemoaned the reality of the loss of respect we have seen over the years. It is hard to pinpoint the exact date in time when our nation started down the road in losing respect for those who were in authority.

 Recent surveys indicate that cockroaches are more likeable and can be tolerated better than elected members of Congress. It is a sad day when people in positions of leadership have so disappointed the people they are supposed to be leading that their approval rating goes down and shows no signs of going back up. With the age of tolerance and diversity ruling the day, it is becoming evermore obvious when a person is driven by convictions or traditional views of what is right and what is wrong they will be held up as examples of bigotry. There have been times when I have compared the harsh nature of the rhetoric taking place between people with differing opinions as if it is a “wrestle mania” match. In sports, we have come to expect that the enemy is the other side and we must mash their faces in the dirt and leave them bloody on the field of battle. People are not satisfied just to win a sporting event; they want to see the other side crippled for life. That same attitude is showing up in every area of our culture. In the business world we hear the phrase, “Dog eat dog.” We have heard that when a person goes into the world to try and make a living for their families they find it is like jungle warfare out there. There is a worldview that quickly responds with invectives and insults toward any person who happens to express a different viewpoint. We have moved into a time when we are seeing the truth in the statement; “Only the strong survive.” Any sign of weakness is exploited to the point of rendering the other side useless and of no human value. We soon discover the people who cry the loudest for diversity and tolerance show no indication they are willing to exhibit either tolerance or diversity when they come up against someone who disagrees with their worldview.

What a person believes can be kept personal for a short time but when the belief systems begin to clash, the complete disagreement of how to manage conflict or differing views soon boils to the surface. There are various worldviews driving people today. We have those who believe in no rules or laws, except those they want to impose on others. There are people who advocate for relaxing of the moral code that has been in place in our country for generations. There are people who will take from others without fear of being caught. Once they are caught, however, they quickly seek to blame someone or something else for their behavior. There was a day in our history when rules of behavior were generally accepted but that day is gone. There was a time when mature adults could disagree without being disagreeable but that day is also gone. Human life has been devalued to the place where there is no value left.

Jokingly, my daddy would tell me many times, “Son, remember there are two sides to every issue, your side and then a bunch of ignorant prejudiced idiots.” I am afraid that what my father said in jest has now become the new normal in public exchange of ideas and morals in our culture. There are people who argue that there are no absolutes in moral issues and they are absolutely sure there are no absolutes. We seem to be at a place where everybody does what they believe is right in their own eyes rather than following a moral code generally believed to be the way we should all live our lives. One cannot help but wonder how much further down this slippery slope of clashing worldviews we will fall before we hit bottom.  There must be a return to personal and individual respect in the public square.

Life is precious; all should have a chance at life

Life begins at conception and is to continue until the Giver of Life determines its natural end. This never moving conviction is part of my list of beliefs I always express about the origin of life. 40 years ago this month, the United States Supreme Court ruled they had found what had not been seen in the United States Constitution previously. They found a guaranteed right of choice to take a life in the womb. Though the Declaration of Independence assures life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as part of the founding pillar of our nation, these justices determined they knew best and refused to allow for the pursuit of happiness for the most innocent of human life, a child in the womb. Since they ruled in favor of abortion, more than fifty-four and a half million people have been aborted at the choice of someone else. It seems very strange to me that we have been told by those advocating for the death choice that life does not begin at conception. In fact, depending on which advocate for death one reads, life is an ever moving goal post. Some advocates for death want us to think it could be as late as one month after a child is born. Other advocates for choice want us to think it could be that the child (a vital and vibrant human being) does not really possess life until they can know and be aware of their surroundings outside the womb.

I find it interesting that with the announcement of a celebrity being pregnant there is not a picture of a “Fetus bump,” but the picture always has a tag line to say a “baby bump.” I have yet to see someone go around showing pictures of their ultra sound calling the baby in the womb a blob of tissues. Yet, when the choice advocates refer to an aborted human being as a fetus or just a blob of tissue we are supposed to concede the point to them. The future King of England and his wife are expecting a baby, nowhere have I read they are having a fetus or blob of tissue. Each reference I have read about the heir to the throne of England’s child, says a “baby.”

Over these forty years since Roe v Wade, those who advocate for choice always set a predetermined point that they have the right to choose if the life in them lives or dies. Those of us who advocate for life are painted as extremists and even a danger to society because we argue on the side of life. In the way this issue has been presented to the public, we are told that the life issue is political. Not so, the issue of life is a moral one. Over many years, I have been asked to help counsel women following abortions when the reality sets in on what they chose to do. I have not sought them out; they have come to me seeking guidance as to how they can deal with the trauma following their decision and resulting death of their baby.

I am pleased to be able to stand with Georgia Right to Life as they advocate for life. We are still in the process of finding it necessary to explain to this current generation of child bearing women that carrying a child to full term and giving birth is the correct choice to make when dealing with the issue of being pregnant.

My heart goes out to the women who learn they cannot conceive or bring children into the world. With the number of children who for many reasons are in this life without parents, adoption is a wonderful path to take in becoming parents. I remember being on a fact finding mission in the former Soviet Union and visiting many orphanages where children were longing and looking for affection and care. In recent years, many have rejoiced in being able to adopt a child from Russia. That option has now, at least temporarily, been closed. There are many more children across our nation and in other countries that are available to adopt. As a person finds they are faced with the choice of abortion or carrying the baby to full term know, there are agencies that will assist in being sure the baby has a chance at life. I look forward to the day when Roe v Wade will be overturned.