I made it to Montana and I have to say that people here are PROUD to be in America! It is extremely refreshing to see that concept displayed in raised American flags flapping in the breeze; whether at home, at a local cemetery or at a State Park showcasing the last battle of the Nez Perce Indians. I was forwarded this letter via email from my aunt who lives in St. Francis, KS and I am proud to post it here on my blog. A 4th Grade teacher from Hillsboro, MO is facing threats of losing her job over it, but I could not have put it into better words! Read through the whole thing and then you decide - one of the greatest things about America is that you can, and have the RIGHT, to agree or disagree with her views. As for me...hear, hear sister! She hit the nail on the head! Enjoy!
"April 17, 2009
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500
Mr. Obama:
I have had it with you and your administration, sir. Your conduct on your recent trip overseas has convinced me that you are not an adequate representative of the United States of America collectively or of me personally.
You are so obsessed with appeasing the Europeans and the Muslim world that you have abdicated the responsibilities of the President of the United States of America . You are responsible to the citizens of the United States . You are not responsible to the peoples of any other country on earth.
I personally resent that you go around the world apologizing for the United States telling Europeans that we are arrogant and do not care about their status in the world. Sir, what do you think the First World War and the Second World War were all about if not the consideration of the peoples of Europe ? Are you brain dead? What do you think the Marshall Plan was all about? Do you not understand or know the history of the 20th century?
Where do you get off telling a Muslim country that the United States does not consider itself a Christian country? Have you not read the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution of the United States ? This country was founded on Judeo-Christian ethics and the principles governing this country, at least until you came along, come directly from this heritage. Do you not understand this?
Your bowing to the king of Saudi Arabia is an affront to all Americans. Our President does not bow down to anyone, let alone the king of Saudi Arabia .... You didn't show Great Britain , our best and one of our oldest allies, the respect they deserve yet you bow down to the king of Saudi Arabia .. How dare you, sir! How dare you!
You can't find the time to visit the graves of our greatest generation because you don't want to offend the Germans but make time to visit a mosque in Turkey ...... You offended our dead and every veteran when you give the Germans more respect than the people who saved the German people from themselves. What's the matter with you? I am convinced that you and the members of your administration have the historical and intellectual depth of a mud puddle and should be ashamed of yourselves, all of you.
You are so self-righteously offended by the big bankers and the American automobile manufacturers yet do nothing about the real thieves in this situation, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Frank, Franklin Raines, Jamie Gorelic, the Fannie Mae bonuses, and the Freddie Mac bonuses. What do you intend to do about them? Anything? I seriously doubt it.
What about the U.S. House members passing out $9.1 million in bonuses to their staff members on top of the $2.5 million in automatic pay raises that lawmakers gave themselves? I understand the average House aide got a 17% bonus. I took a 5% cut in my pay to save jobs with my employer. You haven't said anything about that. Who authorized that? I surely didn't!
Executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be receiving $210 million in bonuses over an eighteen-month period, that's $45 million more than the AIG bonuses. In fact, Fannie and Freddie executives have already been awarded $51 million not a bad take. Who authorized that and why haven't you expressed your outrage at this group who are largely responsible for the economic mess we have right now?
I resent that you take me and my fellow citizens as brain-dead and not caring about what you idiots do. We are watching what you are doing and we are getting increasingly fed up with all of you.
I also want you to know that I personally find just about everything you do and say to be offensive to every one of my sensibilities. I promise you that I will work tirelessly to see that you do not get a chance to spend two terms destroying my beautiful country.
Sincerely,
Every Real American
Ms. Kathleen Lyday
Fourth Grade Teacher
Grandview Elementary School
Hillsboro , MO"
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The Government as Seen Through Ears of Corn
"When, in some obscure country town, the farmers come together to a special town-meeting, to express their opinion on some subject which is vexing the land, that, I think, is the true Congress, and the most respectable one that is ever assembled in the United States" -Thoreau
Ever notice how people who come from an agriculture background look at things a bit differently than those from the city? This is why I thought with all the public, and private, dissatisfaction in today's culture we might take a closer look at what we should really be focusing on - agriculture. I know this seems a bit out of sorts but if you really think about it, we truly should be concentrating on this because it affects every aspect of our daily, and political, lives.
One of the biggest media buzzes right now is the immigration reform Arizona has recently passed. If you look at this from an agricultural point of view, you can see former President Bush's guest worker program. The manual labor force required to put those cherry pie, T-bone steak, potatoes and milk on your dinner table is astounding! The state's $38 billion food and agriculture industry employs 160,000 people and contributes 12 percent to the state's economy. Nearly $14.8 billion in food and agricultural products were exported through Washington ports in 2008, the third largest total in the U.S. (WSDA) We have to face reality here and that reality is today's Americans do not want to work in the fields doing hard, physical labor. We need those who want to do the work and the guest worker program is an excellent solution to this predicament. Workers are recruited and brought into the U.S. to complete the job at hand and then sent home. This is the best solution I have seen, and the Washington State Farm Bureau supports this initiative. I strongly encourage you to do your research and contact your local and state representatives to share your views with them.
Another area we should be looking at from an agricultural viewpoint is homeland security. We need to preserve farmland to ensure we can feed ourselves in case of a national emergency. There are several ways to go about this but I feel the best way to do this is to make sure everyone knows where their food comes from. Milk does not come from the grocery store! People need to know how to grow a garden, as well. Basic steps to be able to feed themselves. It is my opinion Whitman County in Washington state is doing an excellent job of preserving farmland. Land owners are only allowed to divide their land into parcels no smaller than 20 acres. No one acre parcels for super, energy and resource sucking homes. Please also remember there is a difference between preservation and conservation. Preservation = continued, sustainable working of the land, and conservation = no use of the land what-so-ever. These are issues neither conservatives or liberals should fight over - if we cannot feed ourselves we are doomed to failure!
A third political issue we should be focusing on from an agricultural stance is environmental stewardship. Farmers and ranchers are the original environmentalists. They know they have to care for the land, replenish it and not overwork it, because they will be out of a lifestyle if the land isn't cared for. Spreading manure on your field isn't a new-fangled, organic way of thinking. Using fewer and less harsh pesticides and herbicides is not a new concept. Giving pigs and chickens run of the pasture to fertilize and aerate do not belong to a new way of thinking. These concepts all belong to the generations before us who farmed, ranched and cared for the land. People need to stop and think about how their actions will affect the soil, farming and ranching in the long run. And I'm not just talking about chemicals and farming practices, leave a place better than you found it. Put the neighbors horse manure on your garden instead of nitrates, use soap water instead of pesticides and take care of your natural resources. Follow the golden rule and leave a place better than you found it.
These are just three areas of today's political atmosphere when looked at from an agricultural viewpoint might work out to our advantage instead of causing civil unrest. Just some thoughts.
Ever notice how people who come from an agriculture background look at things a bit differently than those from the city? This is why I thought with all the public, and private, dissatisfaction in today's culture we might take a closer look at what we should really be focusing on - agriculture. I know this seems a bit out of sorts but if you really think about it, we truly should be concentrating on this because it affects every aspect of our daily, and political, lives.
One of the biggest media buzzes right now is the immigration reform Arizona has recently passed. If you look at this from an agricultural point of view, you can see former President Bush's guest worker program. The manual labor force required to put those cherry pie, T-bone steak, potatoes and milk on your dinner table is astounding! The state's $38 billion food and agriculture industry employs 160,000 people and contributes 12 percent to the state's economy. Nearly $14.8 billion in food and agricultural products were exported through Washington ports in 2008, the third largest total in the U.S. (WSDA) We have to face reality here and that reality is today's Americans do not want to work in the fields doing hard, physical labor. We need those who want to do the work and the guest worker program is an excellent solution to this predicament. Workers are recruited and brought into the U.S. to complete the job at hand and then sent home. This is the best solution I have seen, and the Washington State Farm Bureau supports this initiative. I strongly encourage you to do your research and contact your local and state representatives to share your views with them.
Another area we should be looking at from an agricultural viewpoint is homeland security. We need to preserve farmland to ensure we can feed ourselves in case of a national emergency. There are several ways to go about this but I feel the best way to do this is to make sure everyone knows where their food comes from. Milk does not come from the grocery store! People need to know how to grow a garden, as well. Basic steps to be able to feed themselves. It is my opinion Whitman County in Washington state is doing an excellent job of preserving farmland. Land owners are only allowed to divide their land into parcels no smaller than 20 acres. No one acre parcels for super, energy and resource sucking homes. Please also remember there is a difference between preservation and conservation. Preservation = continued, sustainable working of the land, and conservation = no use of the land what-so-ever. These are issues neither conservatives or liberals should fight over - if we cannot feed ourselves we are doomed to failure!
A third political issue we should be focusing on from an agricultural stance is environmental stewardship. Farmers and ranchers are the original environmentalists. They know they have to care for the land, replenish it and not overwork it, because they will be out of a lifestyle if the land isn't cared for. Spreading manure on your field isn't a new-fangled, organic way of thinking. Using fewer and less harsh pesticides and herbicides is not a new concept. Giving pigs and chickens run of the pasture to fertilize and aerate do not belong to a new way of thinking. These concepts all belong to the generations before us who farmed, ranched and cared for the land. People need to stop and think about how their actions will affect the soil, farming and ranching in the long run. And I'm not just talking about chemicals and farming practices, leave a place better than you found it. Put the neighbors horse manure on your garden instead of nitrates, use soap water instead of pesticides and take care of your natural resources. Follow the golden rule and leave a place better than you found it.
These are just three areas of today's political atmosphere when looked at from an agricultural viewpoint might work out to our advantage instead of causing civil unrest. Just some thoughts.
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