Trig-Truth(er) and Consequence

"And as Jesus passed by , he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying , Master, who did sin , this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?  Jesus answered , Neither hath this man sinned , nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." -  John 9:1-3 KJV

A site called Wonkette recently posted an article by Jack Stuef about Trig Palin, a boy with Down syndrome celebrating his third birthday. It was a post so sick, with insinuations of rape and incest, written in the name of politics, that I did not have the heart to get past the first few paragraphs. To an ordinary decent human being, the article was enough to churn a stomach upside down. To parents of children with special needs, every sentence was a stake, laced with acid and vinegar, lunged repeatedly to the heart. I should know. I myself have two kids with special needs.

Every family dealing with Down syndrome, autism, or any other disorder or special needs, will tell you that living with disabilities are a constant challenge. But it should not be a burden. People who are fortunate enough to have lives not touched with these challenges should not have to encumber these families with their irresponsible rants and misplaced attempts at humor. It is not a laughing matter when your child is seven years old and still hasn't spoken a word. It is not a laughing matter when your child's peers were running off to the playground and yours is left staring at his toy car's spinning wheels. It is not a laughing matter when your child goes through childhood without having been invited to a slumber party because other kids just find him/her a bit odd. It's not a laughing matter when other kids are running around in Chuck E Cheese's yet your baby would not even go in because the noise and the lights are just too much to handle.

It is incomprehensible how a man could be filled with so much vile and hatred, a grown-up man taking it all out on a three-year old kid, one who has Down syndrome to say the least!. Since I do not personally know Mr. Stuef, I cannot know for sure if he truly is among the avid band of Trig-Truthers, or if he genuinely looks down on kids like Trig or if his hatred is simply directed towards his (Trig's) mother - Sarah Palin, for using the toddler as a political prop. Yes, Sarah Palin, who is the embodiment of everything that's against what Stuef and his leftist cohorts stand for. She, who is pro-life, for limited government and strong military, a lifelong hunter, who is itching to drill for oil in ANWR, a perennial threat to the presidency of Barack Obama and his agenda.

There is a thrift store in my neighborhood that I like to visit where the store greeter is a handicapped young man in a wheelchair with a communication device attached to his chair. "Danny" is not verbal at all, cannot speak one clear word  but whenever I stop to say hi and talk to him, his eyes would light up and his mouth would break into a big smile. Here's a young man with limited skills yet still trying to make a decent living and be part of the community. When I think of Danny, Trig and my own children, I do not think anymore of how unfair this world is. I'm past the stage of asking "why does this have to happen, for a disability to take away their childhood and deprive them of a normal life?" I am at peace at the realization that God works in mysterious ways. People with disabilities, young and old, are God's reminder of what is GOOD in us. They are His reminder to us that the world does not revolve around us, that there are others whose struggles are greater than ours,that we should always lend a hand to lift up  those who need help in whatever way we can. God so designed it that helping others make us us feel good about ourselves. That in turn compels us to not stop and be content with giving ourselves a pat in the back but to continue to reach out to others and do good -  for ourselves, our neighbors and our communities. The presence of people with special needs touch and teach us and ensures that the cycle of doing good and helping others does not end.

Without uttering a word, Trig raised up the voices of many, decrying the foulness of Mr. Stuef's logic. It woke up the nurturing instinct of decent human beings who will fight for those who cannot defend themselves. It spurred strangers into action to protest the malicious post. Business owners put principles ahead of profits and cancelled their advertisements on Wonkette. People of different political opinions spoke as one to denounce the site and its author. The social media, the same one that Stuef used to spread his mean-spirited rants, became the same medium that brought attention to the cruelty of his writings and eventually forced Wonkette to pull out the offensive article. Good always trumps evil. God makes sure that, in the end, it always works out that way.

As for Mr.Jack Stuef, I do have some parting words:

In a small town where I grew up, elementary school children were required to take a class called GMRC (Good Manners and Right Conduct). The students were taught to stand up when a teacher or any figure of authority would enter the room. Kids must address adults as "sir" or "ma'am". But generally, the responsibility of raising a disciplined and well-mannered child falls on the parents. It seems to me that Stuef needs to go back home and ask for a refresher on how to be a good boy. His mouth needs some serious washing and his tongue, an overnight soaking. A combo of Clorox, Purell and Listerine will do the trick. Then he needs to sit down in his timeout chair and write on a piece of paper the Golden Rule a hundred times ... then write an essay on "How Not To Embarrass Your Mom".

Of Sarah Palin and White Butterflies

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" - Matthew 7:7

If you see a white butterfly fluttering around Sarah Palin, know that it can only mean one thing: Sarah Louise Heath Palin will be the first female President of the United States of America.

At the height of the Democratic Party primary season in 2008, Hillary Clinton's campaign was taking a beating from the Obama team. I had believed that she would make a better president than the Illinois senator but caucus after caucus, state after state, he was winning. I wanted so much for her to win so I prayed to God to send me a sign - a white butterfly - that in the end she would prevail. She came back for a little bit winning Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia. Still, no white butterfly, not even fake ones. Then on June 6, 2008, she conceded and Barack Obama officially clinched the Democratic Party nomination.

The election will soon be upon us and with the country going in the wrong direction, our citizens more divided than ever, I clearly understand now why the white butterflies did not come. I WAS PRAYING FOR THE WRONG WOMAN! The right woman for the job is an Alaskan who has proven herself to be champion of the unborn, an excellent steward of the rich resources God has bestowed on earth, and whose ethical standard in governance is incorruptible - it's Sarah Palin.

But first, why pray for a sign? My husband once told me that if we truly wanted something, ask God for a sign because only He knows if what our hearts' desires are right for us - and that it is the right time to have them. Time and again, this proved to be true. I had once worried whether I'd be hired permanently for a temp job that I held and asked God to send me a sign: a small child to give me flower for no special reason at all. A toddler gave me dandelion - a lowly weed - but a flower nonetheless! I stayed with that company for 5 years. I had once worried whether I'd be able to come to the U.S. and asked God to send me a sign: I wanted to see blue flowers (where I was born and raised in the Philippines, blue flowers of any variety was something that I had never seen grow at all). A sign He certainly sent my way: a group of school children bearing homemade flowers with petals shaped from wire and covered with stretched out stockings painted bright blue!  Sure enough, my visa was approved and I've since been living here in the States for 20+ years. Ask and it shall be given unto you - at a proper time.

Why white butterfly?  I have asked God for a sign, if Sarah Palin would be elected President, to send me (as well as the governor) a white butterfly because I have never seen a real one in all my life. I have learned only recently, though, that a white butterfly could symbolize many things like purity (white color), freedom (wings), a rebirth and a new beginning. In some cultures, it could also mean death (I'd take that, too, if it means an end to the Left's demagoguery and an end to the mainstream media's abject abandonment of their duties). Or, if you live in Australia, it means you're not going to have cabbage for dinner because white butterflies feed and lay their eggs on cabbages. But symbolism or not, white butterflies would deliver a pure and clear message from heaven.

Why Sarah Palin?  One word: Integrity . That is when actions match a person's words. That's what her life, in public office and in private, has been about. That's what sets her apart from the current field of politicians in our country. Sarah Palin often speaks of protecting the unborn as a tenet of her Christian faith. Her son, born with Down syndrome, is testament that those are not empty words. She talks about taking care of the elderly and the disabled. That she did when she signed the  Senior Benefits Program that provides assistance to Alaskan seniors and by increasing funding for special needs students by 175%.  When she calls union members "brothers and sisters", believe it that she cares about their welfare as she added $216 million to the teachers-retirement system. When she promised ethics reform, she did not have any qualms on taking on even those from her own party. Many politicians talk about fiscal responsibility, balancing the budget, limited government, creating jobs, protecting the environment and making tough choices. As city council member, mayor and governor, she walked the walk and left a trail of record to prove it. She can keep her head up high with sincere pride. It is now time to take it on national stage. 

Let us elect a leader with a servant's heart who will lead this nation back to our founding principles and values. We may never know if God is on our side but we must always strive to be on His. Open the book of Gov. Palin's public service record. I believe He will approve. We may come from different backgrounds and different cultures but we are all Americans; One nation under God. Let us not squander the grace our Creator has shed on our country.

So would you join me in prayer, in Jesus' name, today until the election, for a white butterfly to be sent Sarah Palin's way?

Updated May 7, 2012: Who is the Real Sarah Palin? The record of the real Sarah Palin.

Parables and Presidential Election

   “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.  He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money...."    - Matthew 25:14-18

And so goes the Parable of the Talents, as spoken by Jesus. When the servants' master came back, the first two servants who doubled their talents were praised and rewarded for their faithfulness and hard work. The third servant who buried his master's talent did not receive any reward, was called wicked and lazy and cast away.

Back here in a little corner of the world called the United States of America, a different master known as the Voters go off on a 50-state journey every four years. The Voters pick a President, hand him the key to a nifty house in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to make sure the country is kept safe  and the economy stays healthy.

In 1992, the Voters picked Bill Clinton of Arkansas. The economy was booming with a budget surplus to boot, the country was at peace and people in welfare rolls got help to go back to work, earning back their independence and self-worth.The Voters were satisfied and let him stay in the White House for another four years. The Voters knew he was not perfect (he was a lousy husband) but figured his wandering eyes were his wife's problem and after eight years in office, he was in general still held in high regard.

Somewhere in the last frontier called Alaska in 2006 , the Voters picked a young mother named Sarah Palin and made her the first woman governor of the state. It's not quite the White House but Alaska is very important because it is a vital source of energy supply to the lower 48's. Her tenure  brought about the largest private sector infrastructure (gas pipeline) in North America, the strictest ethics reform the state has seen, forward-funded education, and a $5billion rainy day savings account, to cite a few. She championed transparency and accountability in the government.The Voters were happy and rewarded her with approval ratings of 90% +.

In 2008, prodded by the mainstream media, the Voters took a chance on an inexperienced senator from Illinois named Barack Obama. Hailed by the intellectuals as the first  post-partisan, post-racial president, he charmed the Voters with promise of hope and change. Two years into his term, he has signed a landmark healthcare reform and the $800 trillion stimulus bill to save the economy from bankruptcy and repealed "don't ask, don't tell".

The book is closed on Bill Clinton but the stories of Sarah Palin and Barack Obama are still unfolding.

For Sarah Palin, she resigned halfway through her term. Hordes of the media and their friends descended in Alaska, twisted and misrepresented  her record, cooked up untrue stories about her and passed them to the Voters as news, and saddled her administration with senseless and the pettiest lawsuits. She wanted to continue the fight but must move the goal post so that Alaska could continue to prosper. She has since written two books, been the leading voice of the Tea Party and most Americans dissatisfied with the Obama administration, helped elect new and conservative governors and members of Congress. She has driven, even as a private citizen, national debates and conversations on relevant issues like the "death panels', Obamacare, energy policy, budgets, QE2, military missions to name a few.

President Obama, meanwhile, has started raising $1billion for his reelection campaign, hoping to convince the Voters to give him four more years. But the hope and change mood has switched to pure frustration. The Voters now mistrust the meme coming from the media. The stimulus did nothing to bring down unemployment, gas price at the pump is almost $4/gallon, the national debt now stands at $14 trillion and the country is engaged in yet another war where "victory" is difficult to define, much less achieve . The Voters question why the leading proponents of Obamacare were being given waivers while its very constitutionality is still being argued in courts. The post-partisan President also has a penchant for denigrading anyone who opposes him, reducing the other party's proposals as "talking points". The Voters are tired of the government recklessly spending taxpayers money, with food prices skyrocketing and real estate market still in the tank.

The Voters will be back in 2012. Who will be rewarded and who will be cast away?

The MSM, the Lady and Trump

              "Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys"
                                                                                         - Proverbs 18:9

Sarah Palin will probably enjoy a little break for a while, or at least not have to take as much darts and arrows as in the past two years.

Donald Trump has let the whole world know that he has a team of investigators in Hawaii digging up every possible piece of President Obama's birth certificate story. Although the birther issue is a distraction from the bigger problems the country is facing, this issue is one big irritant not only to the White House but also to the mainstream media.  Mr. Trump dared touched The One's robe and would  not hesitate to expose all the dirt and mud hidden underneath the garment. Deep-pocketed with a take-no-prisoner attitude, his search for a birth certificate could potentially open up a Pandora's box of past associations with questionable characters, college records, previous speeches given to private donors, the very things that the mainstream media tried very hard to hide from the American public.

Sarah Palin has been on Barack Obama's case (with the exception of the birther issue) since they both came onto national stage but it will not be a big surprise if in the next few weeks or few months that the media would shift the target from the Alaska governor to the NY  billionaire. Mr. Trump's sleuthing pursuits put the spotlight on the journalists who performed their jobs sloppily, who have injected themselves to be pickers of winners-and-losers in an election, by fudging the facts to make their chosen candidate look spotless.  It is indeed a sad state in a democracy when the agents of truth became mouthpieces of a political party's agenda, when our newsmen and newswomen would purposely distort and destroy an opponent's public service record and reputation to shield their own candidate's thin and flimsy resume.

There's a sort of a synergy - uncoordinated by all means - going on right now. While Gov. Palin consistently exposes the dangers and pitfalls of the President's policies and agenda, Mr. Trump seeks to strip the emperor's clothes draped by the media over the inexperienced Illinois Senator to prop up his candidacy. Although I personally believe that Trump does not possess the right experience to be President of the USA, it's courageous of him for trying to bring Barack Obama back down to earth.

Finally, the vetting of a presidential candidate has begun - two and a half years, trillions in national debt too late.

Sarah Palin and the Poor

                    "However, there need be no poor people among you, for in
                      the land of the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your
                      inheritance, he will richly bless you,"  -  Deuteronomy 15:4

Bill O'Reilly's March 24th interview with Sarah Palin was made (in)famous when she told the Factor host to stop interrupting her so she could give him her full response to his questions. Reactions to the show revolved mostly around this "treatment" rarely accorded to Mr. O'Reilly. What was less talked about in their exchange about entitlement reforms,though, was how Gov. Palin articulated to him and the audience what is clearly her policy on poverty  (see video here, around 4:10 mark).

Here's the transcript:

BILL O'REILLY: What about the poor people who absolutely need the entitlements they get? You know in your state, there're a lot of people on the dole - a lot! So are you gonna cut these subsidies going to    people earning, say, less than $15,000 a year? Is that gonna happen?

                                                                                                                                                                  

SARAH PALIN:    There is a need for a safety net for those who are disadvantaged, and in some of the rural communities in Alaska where there's 80% unemployment, there is a disadvantage and there needs to be a safety net. But ... you know why there's a disadvantage here in Alaska? Because the federal government has locked up our lands and not allowed us to tap into energy sources so that we can create more jobs, less that 1% of Alaskan land is in the private sector hands. Now we've asked the federal gov't, and I've sued the federal gov't for allowance to be able to develop more so that people aren't of this entitlement mentality where they believe that the only way they can get out of a disadvantage stage is to have the gov't provide for them. If we have a robust economy here and all across the country then we wouldn't have to be looking at these insolvent entitlement programs that, yeah, when we start pulling the plug on some of them, there is gonna be a shared burden across the country.
-------------

That in a nutshell is Sarah Palin's philosophy on poverty. There will be disadvantaged in any community, the disabled and the elderly, and there has to be a safety net for them. For those hit with hard times, there would be help, too, but it is inconceivable in a Palin administration that the maximum 26-week limit on unemployment insurance benefits for most states would be extended to 72, even 99 weeks (as in the case of CA), and if the Democrat Party would have its way, it would go on without an end in sight. Sarah Palin's laser-focus would on job creation. This is the only way that we lift the poor out of poverty. Allow the free market to create jobs and businesses that will provide people means to support themselves, not through cradle-to-grave services that stifle people's creativity and motivation to bring out the best in them.

God provided us with rich resources and dominion on everything on earth but we have to act to utilize them. We  are endowed with land to till, water to fish, hands with which to build things, human brains with which to innovate and conscience to keep in check that we are acting responsibly. For the fish would not jump out of the seas to land on our plates, wheat will not turn themselves into bread and oil will not gush out of the ground straight to our cars and manufacturing industries. From a Jamestown colony that became the first successful settlement because of their leader John Smith's firm order that "He who will not work shall not eat", to the many generations that brought about the Pony Express to telegrams, then the cell phones and now the iPhones. We are a people of actions and innovations. If we find ourselves in dire situations, we have in ourselves the ability to get back up and stand again, and along the way help those who truly are needing of assistance (like the disabled, the sick and the elderly). That's how we build up our neighborhoods, our communities, our country. LET US REFUSE TO BE POOR.

President Obama Announces Reelection Bid

           A Letter to The One from the Book of We The People

                           "Thou shall not punk us again".

                                                       - The American People 11:6:2012

You will surely not find that in any version of the Bible but it is in the hearts of many American voters, especially now that President Obama has officially began his reelection campaign.

I prayed for Barack Obama on November 4, 2008, the day he won the presidential election. I prayed that he would be successful even though I did not vote for him. Hillary Clinton was my horse in the race but she lost the primary. I wasn't at all fond of John McCain  but I voted for the Republican ticket only because of Sarah Palin. I have never heard of the Alaska governor until after she was picked by McCain as his running mate but she had an actual record that spoke volumes. Her principles and positions on issues were quite clear and one could actually gauge how she would think and act on many given situations. That was more than enough for me. But they lost, too. This is America where we respect the sanctity of votes. We move on and we wish the new president all the best.

Fast forward to 2011, 47.6% of Americans disapprove of his job performance, only 25% of likely voters think the country is heading in the right direction.The President has not turned out to be the saviour that the media portayed him to be. Does this mean God does not listen to human prayers anymore? On the contrary. I believe God knows exactly what He's doing. THE OBAMA PRESIDENCY HAD TO HAPPEN.

Americans have to wake up, in their own time and own terms, to the changes in our country's character and  long-held values, not all of them for the better. When a student can get suspended for taking Tylenol at school but the same school administrators can arrange for an abortion for a pregnant student without informing her parents, that is not right. When the life of a tree or a 2-in fish is more important than a human life, that is not right.  When a president who opposes "dumb wars" orders the troops to Libya with no clear mission, no clear goal and no clear strategy, that is not right.When the union bosses have more say that the teachers and the students in schools, that is not right. When the strongest supporters and backers (unions, businesses, insurance companies) of Obamacare, whose constitutionality will very well be decided by the Supreme Court sooner than later, were issued waivers that exempt them from compliance, that is not right. When our Secretary of Treasury and the former Chairman of the country's tax-writing committee (Ways and Means) are unremorseful tax-evaders, that is not right. When a government props up a struggling, private automaker with taxpayer money to manufacture a $40,000-electric car (Volt)  that Consumer Reports says "does not make a lot of sense", that is not right.Our national debt is $14 trillion, 2010 deficit is nearly $1.3 trillion. We can't spend money we do not have.

President Obama's policies have provided the jolt to the public's senses that things just aren't going right. Americans are woken up!

President Obama's team aims to spend around $1 billion for this campaign. A fresh wave of hope and change and excitement sweeps the nation. It's not coming from The One this time around but from someone else who will soon step forward to take up the mantle of true leadership and restore America's exceptionalism.Someone who has the common sense instinct, who lives by old-fashioned, time-tested conservative values and will abide by and defend the US Constitution. She is ready, willing and most able. It'll be Morning in America again.

      

The New Face(s) of a New Japan

                                             "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed,
                                    for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; 
                                    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand".  
                                                                                             - Isaiah 41:10 NIV

Our collective hearts go out to the Japanese people as they continue to deal with triple blows of disasters: a 9.0 earthquake, tsunami and a nuclear crisis. The world has never seen a more disciplined and calmer population in the midst of chaos; no looting of the stores, people patiently waiting in lines for food, water and radiation scanning, friends and strangers helping each other find lost loved ones. The heroism of those nuclear plant workers are especially appreciated, working 24/7, sacrifing their own health and safety to save the country and quite possibly other parts of the world, from contamination and potential nuclear explosion.

Japan may not be a Christian nation but devastations do not distinguish from borders, faiths or cultures . We offer them our heartfelt prayers of support and encouragement. From ashes and debris, the Land of the Rising Sun will no doubt rebuild. A new Japan will emerge, better and stronger. Many changes will take place. I do hope, though, that on national affairs, immigration will be among their priorities. They will need to have a more open and more lenient immigration policy. Right now, Japan probably has one of the world's strictest immigration policies. It is not uncommon for police officers to stop foreigners on the street and demand for their passports and legal documents. The US is vibrant because of its diversity. So long as the migration is done legally, the policy enforced fairly and the immigrants are not subjected as pawns to political posturings, foreigners are positive contributors to their host nation. Japan has an ageing population and they need new and fresh workers to rebuild their economy. Immigrants can provide the energy and manpower they need right now. Indeed, the new face of a new Japan will need to  have many colors.

The Libyan War: A Reluctant Commander-in-chief

          " Purposes by counsel thou dost establish, And with plans make
           thou war". - Proverbs 20:18

Last Monday night, America awaited President Obama's speech on the Libyan war. For a nation called upon by an oppressed population (Libyans), we are once again putting the lives of out troops in yet another conflict, and opening up our (empty) treasury.

Proverbs 20:18 says it all: to secure success in a military engagement the mission must be clear and the strategies set in place. The President has, at his disposal, the best minds on international affairs, on war strategies and diplomatic outreach. But the final decision rests on that man behind the podium, our Commander-in-chief.

Speech delivered, message received: America has officially taken a back seat as the leader of the free world. The messages were mixed, the mission unclear, leaving more questions than answers. A week ago, the President  said "Gadhafi must go". Monday night, he said that "it is not the coalition's goal to remove him from power", but if Gadhafi happened to be taken out by accident that would be fine, too. (If you're Gadhafi, you must be thanking NATO and UN for the permission to stay in power. If you're an allied pilot, do you pull the trigger or not if Gadhafi happened to be in the target area? If Gadhafi is accidentally killed, would that upset the Arab League members that the bombings exceeded the intended limited scope of protecting civilians?). The President seems uncomfortable with his role as Commander-in-chief and could never seem to utter the word "war". A Commander-in-chief who couldn't quite decide whether it's a good thing to be the most dominant military superpower.

As noble as it is that we are in Libya to protect the civilians from a merciless and murderous tyrant, the fact is we are in it because of OIL. If this operation is purely of humanitarian purpose, then we should be in Sudan or Rwanda as well where a generation of armless or legless citizens go about their lives as refugees, their limbs cut off by kid-soldiers forcibly recruited by rivaling corrupt African leaders. Or we should be in Burma where even monks get no respect and get shot at by the government soldiers. Or in North Korea where its people are dying of famine. The Middle East is vital to us because of its oil. We do not know how this "Arab Spring", as it spreads in the region, will turn out, whether it will result to freer Arab countries or more dictatorial regimes hostile to the US. Arab Spring is an ear-splitting wake-up call to Washington to develop SMARTER energy policy, and develop it now. For the President to go to Brazil, give them our taxpayer-money to develop their oil reserves so we can be their best customer in the future, while holding up drilling in our own backyard, was a mind-boggling move that simply left Americans scratching their heads. For this administration to issue a moratorium on oil drilling after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is especially short-sighted and economically-irresponsible. If a 500-, or 5,000-car pile-up accident happened on I-90, would this administration shut down all of the interstate highways? Not at all likely. That would result to probably the biggest disruption to our economy. It just would not make sense the same way this moratorium does not make sense. God provided us with the richest resources and the best technology to develop them safely and responsibly. We should have acted years ago. It is just common sense to act now. The country is ready, willing and able. The man behind the podium just needs to give the order: DRILL, BABY, DRILL.