Tears of our founding fathers

The enlightened, brave men who built the US were strong, independent, free thinkers who were determined to set a base of freedom and equality unlike any the world had known from which to direct the future of their new country. The writing of the Constitution was an exercise in compromise and idealism that has carried us over 200 years through wars, both foreign and domestic; the Great Depression; many changes in social, economic and ideological battles. It has stood strong and has given us a compass to guide our decisions and keep us pointed in the right direction. It was, and is, the owners manual to the greatest possession we have to pass down to future generations. Now I wonder if they're not shedding tears of shame.

Samuel Adams said, “The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.”

When I look at what's happening today I am sick at heart. We've strayed so far from the original intent of this country that it's hardly recognizable. The Constitution flatly stated what powers and guidelines we were to live by, yet we keep trying to posh those limits with ifs, ands or buts till what was originally written is completely lost. We've become such a nation of entitlement programs that our taxes have made slaves of all of us. We no longer work for ourselves, but for programs and ideals that much of the time we don't understand and wouldn't agree to if asked. Yet we're forced to accept what's supposedly best for us whether we want it or not.

Both the Republican and the Democratic parties have become drunk with power, ignoring the people who voted them into office and focusing more on retaining their power than keeping our nation great.

72 years after the Constitution was signed into law, we saw the first major drift from it when our civil war began. Regardless of what the history books would like us to believe, the civil war was about the north preventing the south from leaving the union. Slavery was only a by-product that made Lincoln look good in the retelling. The South was suffering due to the policies of the federal government. They decided to withdraw from the Union and to institute a new government as guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence clearly states, “That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.” The federal government declared war with them to prevent them from doing so, and in the process declared that the rights of the states were inferior when it came to the will of the federal government.

When you consider the massive impact the civil war has had on our countries history, and how sadly twisted the story of it became, why should it surprise anyone that our government lies to us now? We've been fed the babble for so long that most seem to have quit questioning it and would rather just drift along for the sake of peace for the moment. It seems to take too much effort to think before accepting. It's easier to leave the politics to the politicians and just hope they know what they're doing.

I for one can't do that any longer. I will speak up and I will voice my disdain even if it means being labeled a trouble maker. I do hear the sobs of the founding fathers; yet I know they are nothing compared to the agonizing screams that will fill our nation when all of our liberties are gone. And they are going... one by one as our government grows and we become nothing more than slaves to it's bidding.

"It is sobering to reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the struggle for independence." Charles A. Beard

Seeds of thought

First they came for the Jews, but I did nothing because I'm not a
Jew. Then they came for the socialists, but I did nothing because
I'm not a socialist. Then they came for the Catholics, but I did
nothing because I'm not a Catholic. Finally, they came for me, but
by then there was no one left to help me. – Pastor Father Niemoller
(1946)

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong. – Voltaire

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. – Benjamin Franklin

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and
car keys to teenage boys. – P.J. O'Rourke

There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he
does not want merely because you think it would be good for him. –
Robert Heinlein

When the government's boot is on your throat, whether it is a left
boot or a right boot is of no consequence. – Gary Lloyd

[On ancient Athens]: In the end, more than freedom, they wanted
security. They wanted a comfortable life, and they lost it all –
security, comfort, and freedom. When the Athenians finally wanted
not to give to society but for society to give to them, when the
freedom they wished for most was freedom from responsibility,
then Athens ceased to be free and was never free again. – Edward
Gibbon

A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which
debt he proposes to pay off with your money. – G. Gordon Liddy

It is sobering to reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a
reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating
the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the struggle for
independence. – Charles A. Beard

A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves. – Edward R.
Murrow

The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as
are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to
say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor
breaks my leg. – Thomas Jefferson (1781)

The government was set to protect man from criminals – and the
Constitution was written to protect man from the government. –
Ayn Rand

A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big
enough to take it all away. – Barry Goldwater (1964)

We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is
like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the
handle. – Winston Churchill (1903)

The national budget must be balanced. The public debt must be
reduced; the arrogance of the authorities must be moderated and
controlled. Payments to foreign governments must be reduced. If
the nation doesn't want to go bankrupt, people must again learn to
work, instead of living on public assistance. – Marcus Tullius
Cicero, 55 BC

Liberals want the government to be your Mommy. Conservatives
want government to be your Daddy. Libertarians want it to treat you
like an adult. – Andre Marrou

National Health Insurance means combining the efficiency of the
Postal Service with the compassion of the I.R.S. … and the cost
accounting of the Pentagon. – Louis Sullivan/Connie Horner
quoted by Novak in _Forbes_

When they kept you out it was because you were black; when they
let you in, it is because you are black. That's progress? – Marilyn
French

We are living in a sick society filled with people who would not
directly steal from their neighbor but who are willing to demand
that the government do it for them. – William L. Comer

The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do
nothing. – Edmund Burke

Any story sounds true until someone tells the other side and sets the
record straight. – Proverbs 18:17

When the mass media in some foreign countries serve as
megaphones for the rhetoric of their government, the result is
ludicrous propaganda. When the mass media in our country serve as
megaphones for the rhetoric of the U.S. government, the result is
responsible journalism. – Norman Solomon

The ideal tyranny is that which is ignorantly self-administered by its
victims. The most perfect slaves are, therefore, those which
blissfully and unawaredly enslave themselves. – Dresden James

It's illegal to say to a voter "Here's $100, vote for me." So what do
the politicians do? They offer the $100 in the form of Health Care,
Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, Food Stamps, tobacco
subsidies, grain payments, NEA payments, and jobs programs. –
Don Farrar

Christmas is a time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults
pay for it. Deficits are when adults tell the government what they
want and their kids pay for it. – Richard Lamm, former Gov of
Colorado

Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal. –
Martin Luther King Jr.

An election is coming. Universal peace is declared, and the foxes
have a sincere interest in prolonging the lives of the poultry. –
George Eliot

A caged canary is safe but not free. – Walter Williams

Hayley Westenra I Dreamed a Dream

I Dreamed a Dream

Les Miserables Fantine - I Dreamed a Dream Lyrics

There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
Then it all went wrong

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame

He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came

And still I dream he'll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.

What a relief!

I got the DNA reports back on my final 2 breeding age Labs today. I always hold my breath when I read them, because one bad gene would mean I'd have to spay and remove a dog I really like from my breeding program.

So far I've been very fortunate, and this pair was no exception. They both tested clear of every genetic defect that it's currently possible to test for. What this means is that I can give a lifelong ironclad guarantee to my puppy buyers against all of these defects. I know before I breed these dogs that they're as healthy as I can make them and my pups new families can rest assured that they're not going to face heartache over things that could/should have been prevented.

Hickory shows as carrying yellow and chocolate color genes, where Ava carries only chocolate. Since Chip carries both, I will have beautiful colored pups out of their pairing.

Finally Marching toward spring

With spring just around the corner, there's hope again; but also much more work to plant and protect and raise what we can so that even if the recession becomes a depression we will be prepared. I'm watching eagerly as the snow melts and ground warms. Seeing blades of green grass poking up makes even the cold days seem a bit easier to bear.

This winter has been a long, cold, harsh one. We've had far more subzero weather than normal and windchills down to -45. We've weathered it and managed to keep safe, managed to keep up with the gas bill, still have food in the freezer and pantry. Once more we have survived.

How do I know when to worm my puppy?

As a breeder, I automatically worm all my pups at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks. I purchase a liquid wormer from my vet so I can be sure they’re parasite free. After this, you might want to take a stool sample with you when you take your pup to the vet for his vaccines so it can be examined for worms. A pup with untreated worms can go down hill quite quickly, so it’s always best to catch them early. I worm my adult dogs once a month when I give them their heart worm preventative.