Strike At The Root!

If you have ever had a garden and tried to keep it free of weeds you know that if you simply pull the leaves off the weed it comes back. Often times it comes back much larger and multiplies. Same concept if you have an unwanted bush or tree. You can hack at the leaves but unless you eliminate the root it continues to grow back.

Society is collapsing all around us and when a citizen of the community commits a serious crime such as a sex offender or a person building a meth lab, we require them to register on some state or federal database so that we can be aware of the fact they might repeat the offense. Does this sound like a good idea?

I fear the problem is deeper than we think. We have created a society that is disconnected with the principles that create a moral society. Public virtue and constitutional government are among those principles. Let me ask a few questions. What is your child learning in school? What is your child learning from the television shows that they are exposed to? What is your child learning from their peers? These are all questions we, as parents, should know the answers to. As a homeschool father, I know what my children are learning. I want them to understand the importance of sound principles such as public virtue and constitutional government.

I recently read an article by Stephen Palmer that inspired this post and it has been a topic that has been on my mind for a while. I had been pondering the real purpose of homeschooling my children. Why a leadership education? The answer is to teach them the importance of family, to instill in them a desire to be honest with their fellow men, the need to live their lives with integrity, and to embrace virtue and constitutional government. Here is a quote from Stephen Palmer's article:

"The best, most durable, and most responsible method for dealing with the dangers posed by sex and meth offenders is for parents to supervise their children."

I agree with Mr. Palmer that, as parents, we need to strike at the root of society's problems. That means taking time to build family relationships and being actively involved in my child's education and leisure activities.

Simply teach them right from wrong so that when they reach a point in life to make their own decisions they will have the tools to make the right choice.

here is a link to Stephen Palmers article: http://www.thesocialleader.com/2010/02/sex-meth-offender-registries-unconstitutional-misguided/

1962 - Pivital Year For U.S.

On June 25, 1962 the Supreme Court decision to take this prayer out of a New York school changed the United States in ways many could not imagine:

"Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our country. Amen."

Considering the chain of events that this decision set into motion, I think most Americans would have to agree that this verdict changed society for the worse. I would certainly welcome this prayer and would hope others would too.

Here is a Wikipedia link regarding the 1962 Supreme Court decision:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engel_v._Vitale

A series of court cases followed that ultimately resulted in prayer not being allowed in public schools. SAT scores dropped and have been steadily dropping ever since. Some will say that there has been an increase but that is only because College Board members which administer these tests have manipulated the scale. Here is a link to a blog that came up when I googled "SAT scores drop since 1963":

http://d-edreckoning.blogspot.com/2007/08/sat-scores-continue-to-drop.html

I encourage you to do the research yourself. Just google any topic you can think of and add "rise of/decline of in 1963". Here are some examples of topics you can google: birth rates, pregnancies to unwed girls, sexually transmitted diseases, pre-marital sexual activity, teens who are sexually active, divorce rates, single-parent homes, unmarried couples living together, adultery, alcohol consumption per capita, the list goes on and on.

I choose to homeschool my children and God is welcome at all times. We talk with Him on a daily basis. Devotional is at the center of the day's lessons. The gospel of Jesus Christ is taught in our school. I hope that the next generation of leaders and judges will see that all GOOD things come from God.

Opportunity-minded Leaders

The leaders of America seem to focus on the problems, not the opportunities. The news covers Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and North Korea. Americans turn their attention to issues like terrorism, homeland security, health care, and economic panics. Meanwhile, China, Brazil, South Africa, Kenya, India, and Russia are on the rise economically and politically. These rising powers are focusing on free economics, less regulation, and lower taxes. This is an environment for prosperity. U.S. entrepreneurs are increasingly regulated and taxed in the United States. The environment for prosperity in our country is disappearing. So we can increase taxes to protect jobs and so-called benefits, or we can free up the economy like these countries on the rise have done. Whatever happened to promoting free enterprise? America is known as the protector of the world against the evils of jihadism and dictatorship. Let's stop trying to solve the world's problems and look for opportunities to revive free enterprise and free markets. Stop the regulation that is choking the life out of our freedom and prosperity. Socialism has a mentality of scarcity. There is not enough so we have to regulate and redistribute. Free enterprise creates abundance for those who will go out and get it. Opportunity!

Heroes and Statesman Will Awake and Arise

When I look at the leadership of our country today I have a very hard time aligning myself with the Republicans or Democrats or any other party for that matter. It seems we live in a time when leadership principles can be defined by whatever lifestyle one chooses to live. Whether it be righteous or unrighteous, right or wrong can be determined by the individual. For the right price any principle can be altered. Justice is for sale.

For example, if a big corporation tries to intimidate a small business in order to control the market share, they might claim that the small business violated a trademark name or slogan. The small business may have even submitted an application for a trademark on a federal level. The small business may even win the court case but would probably go bankrupt in the process because the billion dollar corporation would drag out the process for so long that the small business wouldn't be able to fight any more.

Politicians are more than willing to participate in sustaining an artificial economy by inducing easy credit in exchange for votes. The attitude within our current leadership is reckless and very few are willing to stand up for true principles.

The good news is there was a time in history when we faced similar problems in leadership. Here is a quote by Abigail Adams that I think describes it well.

"These are the times in which a genius would wish to live. It is not in the still calm of life, or the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues. When a mind is raised, and animated by scenes that engage the heart, then those qualities which would otherwise lay dormant, wake into life and form the character of the hero and the statesman."

We are truly approaching a time when hero's and statesman will awake and arise. My prayer is that with God's help I can teach my children true leadership skills.

I have dedicated myself to following the path to a true leadership education so I can pass it on to my children who are part of the rising generation. A generation of hero's and statesman.

When plunder becomes a way of life...

"When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it" -- Frederic Bastiat, author of "The Law,"

We need to educate the masses. For generations our public school system has been teaching that we need government to take care of us. Plunder has become a way of life. Our society is entrenched in socialism. The goal of socialism is first, to eliminate Christianity (Christians insist on following God's natural law); second, to exhalt Satan (redefine morals to fit desired lifestyles); and third, to control economically the buying and selling through marking everyone as it's slave. On the surface the socialist claims that this system is for the good of all, that it eliminates poverty, and makes everything fair. In reality, this is not the case.

Redistribution of Wealth

Redistribution of wealth, or socialism, is not conducive to a free society and is in no way American. Here is what the great minds have said:

“To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it.” — Thomas Jefferson, letter to Joseph Milligan, April 6, 1816

“A wise and frugal government… shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.”— Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801

“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” — Thomas Jefferson

“Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated.” — Thomas Jefferson

“When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.” — Benjamin Franklin

“I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it.” — Benjamin Franklin

“Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” — Benjamin Franklin

“The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.” — Benjamin Franklin

"As Frederic Bastiat pointed out over a hundred years ago, once government steps over this clear line between the protective or negative role into the aggressive role of redistributing the wealth and providing so-called benefits for some of its citizens, it then becomes a means for what he accurately described as legalized plunder. It becomes a lever of unlimited power, which is the sought-after prize of unscrupulous individuals and pressure groups, each seeking to control the machine to fatten his own pockets or to benefit its favorite charities—all with the other fellow's money, of course.

"Listen to Bastiat's explanation of this "legal plunder":

'When a portion of wealth is transferred from the person who owns it—without his consent and without compensation, and whether by force or by fraud—to anyone who does not own it, then I say that property is violated; that an act of plunder is committed. . . .

'How is this legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime. . . .' (The Law, p. 21, 26.)

"As Bastiat observed, and as history has proven, each class or special interest group competes with the others to throw the lever of governmental power in their favor, or at least to immunize itself against the effects of a previous thrust. Labor gets a minimum wage, so agriculture seeks a price support. Consumers demand price controls, and industry gets protective tariffs. In the end, no one is much further ahead, and everyone suffers the burdens of a gigantic bureaucracy and a loss of personal freedom. With each group out to get its share of the spoils, such governments historically have mushroomed into total welfare states. Once the process begins, once the principle of the protective function of government gives way to the aggressive or redistributive function, then forces are set in motion that drive the nation toward totalitarianism. 'It is impossible,' Bastiat correctly observed, '. . . to introduce into society . . . a greater evil than this: the conversion of the law into an instrument of plunder.' (The Law, p. 12.) -Ezra Taft Benson, The Proper Role of Government

"Now, legal plunder can be committed in an infinite number of ways. Thus we have an infinite number of plans for organizing it: tariffs, protection, benefits, subsidies, encouragements, progressive taxation, public schools, guaranteed jobs, guaranteed profits, minimum wages, a right to relief, a right to the tools of labor, free credit, and so on, and so on. All these plans as a whole — with their common aim of legal plunder — constitute socialism.

"Now, since under this definition socialism is a body of doctrine, what attack can be made against it other than a war of doctrine? If you find this socialistic doctrine to be false, absurd, and evil, then refute it. And the more false, the more absurd, and the more evil it is, the easier it will be to refute. Above all, if you wish to be strong, begin by rooting out every particle of socialism that may have crept into your legislation. This will be no light task." -Frederic Bastiat, The Law

"Here I encounter the most popular fallacy of our times. It is not considered sufficient that the law should be just; it must be philanthropic. Nor is it sufficient that the law should guarantee to every citizen the free and inoffensive use of his faculties for physical, intellectual, and moral self-improvement. Instead, it is demanded that the law should directly extend welfare, education, and morality throughout the nation.

"This is the seductive lure of socialism. And I repeat again: These two uses of the law are in direct contradiction to each other. We must choose between them. A citizen cannot at the same time be free and not free." ~ Frederic Bastiat, The Law

"You say: 'There are persons who have no money,' and you turn to the law. But the law is not a breast that fills itself with milk. Nor are the lacteal veins of the law supplied with milk from a source outside the society. Nothing can enter the public treasury for the benefit of one citizen or one class unless other citizens and other classes have been forced to send it in. If every person draws from the treasury the amount that he has put in it, it is true that the law then plunders nobody. But this procedure does nothing for the persons who have no money. It does not promote equality of income. The law can be an instrument of equalization only as it takes from some persons and gives to other persons. When the law does this, it is an instrument of plunder.

"With this in mind, examine the protective tariffs, subsidies, guaranteed profits, guaranteed jobs, relief and welfare schemes, public education, progressive taxation, free credit, and public works. You will find that they are always based on legal plunder, organized injustice." - Frederic Bastiat, The Law

"You say: 'There are persons who lack education,' and you turn to the law. But the law is not, in itself, a torch of learning which shines its light abroad. The law extends over a society where some persons have knowledge and others do not; where some citizens need to learn, and others can teach. In this matter of education, the law has only two alternatives: It can permit this transaction of teaching-and-learning to operate freely and without the use of force, or it can force human wills in this matter by taking from some of them enough to pay the teachers who are appointed by government to instruct others, without charge. But in this second case, the law commits legal plunder by violating liberty and property." -Frederic Bastiat, The Law

"God has given to men all that is necessary for them to accomplish their destinies. He has provided a social form as well as a human form. And these social organs of persons are so constituted that they will develop themselves harmoniously in the clean air of liberty. Away, then, with quacks and organizers! A way with their rings, chains, hooks, and pincers! Away with their artificial systems! Away with the whims of governmental administrators, their socialized projects, their centralization, their tariffs, their government schools, their state religions, their free credit, their bank monopolies, their regulations, their restrictions, their equalization by taxation, and their pious moralizations!

"And now that the legislators and do-gooders have so futilely inflicted so many systems upon society, may they finally end where they should have begun: May they reject all systems, and try liberty; for liberty is an acknowledgment of faith in God and His works." -Frederic Bastiat, The Law

"We must realize that the growth of industry does not just happen. It takes the same vision, the same personal initiative and pioneering spirit that in an earlier day opened the continent. Any new business, particularly in a new field, is a pioneering effort. It requires imagination and courage, the risk of capital and the willingness to work hard. These are the things America is made of - and new industry is tangible proof that they are not dead among us." -Ezra Taft Benson, The Red Carpet, p. 226

"We have a responsibility to preserve our free economy, bequeathed to us as a great heritage by our forefathers who pioneered in this great land. We must also be pioneers in standing firm against proponents of unsound panaceas for all facets of our American economy that may be harmful not only to ourselves, but especially to our children and grandchildren. This modern-day challenge is every bit as demanding and forbidding as the frontier wilderness which spurred our forefathers to their successful efforts." -Ezra Taft Benson, The Red Carpet, pp. 227-28

"Profit is the reward for honest labor. It is the incentive that causes a man to risk his capital to build a business. If he cannot keep or invest that which he has earned, neither may he own, nor will he risk. Profit creates wealth; wealth creates more work opportunity; and more work opportunity creates greater wealth. None of this is possible without incentive.

"There is another benefit to profit. It provides man with moral choices. With profit, man can choose to be greedy and selfish; he can invest and expand, thereby providing others with jobs; and he can be charitable. Charity is not charity unless it is voluntary. It cannot be voluntary if there is nothing to give.

"Only saved profit, not government, creates more jobs. The only way government can create jobs is to take money from productive citizens in the form of taxes and transfer it to government programs. Without someone's generating profit that can be taxed, government revenue is not possible." -Ezra Taft Benson, This Nation Shall Endure, p. 86

"Some say the free-enterprise system is heartless and insensitive to the needs of those less fortunate individuals who are found in any society, no matter how affluent. What about the lame, the sick, and the destitute? Most other countries in the world have attempted to use the power of government to meet this need. Yet, in every case forced charity through government bureaucracies has resulted in the long run in creating more misery, more poverty, and certainly less freedom than when government first stepped in. ~ Ezra Taft Benson, This Nation Shall Endure, p. 79

"If reference is made continually to weaknesses of the private-enterprise system without any effort to point out its virtues and the comparative fruits of this and other systems, the tendency in this country will be to demand that the government take over more and more of the economic and social responsibilities and make more of the decisions for the people." -Ezra Taft Benson, This Nation Shall Endure, p. 54

"If the government were genuinely concerned about full employment and real prosperity, it could do much in bringing it about. It could support the proven and successful free-market system, the law of supply and demand, where the buying public, not the government, is the deciding factor in what shall be produced and marketed, including energy products. The bureaucrats ignore the lessons of American history that freedom works and that the ability of individuals to come to mutually beneficial agreements is the very essence of a free society." -Ezra Taft Benson, This Nation Shall Endure, p. 78

"We cannot afford to minimize the threat of socialism in America. We must be on guard against unsound theories and programs which strike at the very root of all we hold dear. We have lived too long under a government of controls. Government by control has extended into almost all of our economy and even invaded many of our personal freedoms. We must be made aware of this and be awakened to its dangers.

"This major effort is to keep left-wing, bureaucratic planners away from control of our national government. They are leading us today toward more and more socialization of our entire economy, a weakening of the free-enterprise system, and an increase in the regulation and domination of the people of America." -Ezra Taft Benson, The Red Carpet, p. 311

"Today's Socialists-who call themselves egalitarians-are using the federal government to redistribute wealth in our society - not as a matter of voluntary charity, but as a so-called matter of right. One Housing, Education, and Welfare official said, 'In this country, welfare is no longer charity; it is a right. More and more Americans feel that their government owes them something.' (U.S. News and World Report, 21 April 1975, p. 49) President Grover Cleveland said - and we believe as a people - that though the people support the government, the government should not support the people." -Ezra Taft Benson

The more self-reliant we are, as a people, the more free we will be as a nation.

Write It Down

I read something in a book today that really made me think. This is what it said:

"The saddest thing about life is you don't remember half of it. You don't even remember half of half of it." ~ From the book, "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" by Donald Miller.

I went on to read about how the author's friend, Bob, writes down everything he can remember happening to him. He said if he remembers dropping an ice cream cone on his lap when he was seven years old he writes it down. The author then went on to say that he began to try to remember events that happened in his childhood but could only remember getting a merit badge in Boy Scouts when he was seven years old.

Later on, he mentions having a vision of talking to God at the end of his life and not being able to remember much to talk to God about. He then visions Bob talking to God for hours. I don't know whether or not this is how it happens at the end of life but I think it would be an amazing experience to write down as many things as you could remember, go back and read them, and recall things you never would have had you not written them down. Not to mention the benefit others would gain by reading about your life. It could be a great, great, great, great grandson who wanted to know about you and where he came from.

I have not read the book. I just opened the link at Amazon.com and looked at the first page. I am sure it is full of many more amazing insights on how to live your life with purpose and meaning. I plan to buy a copy and read it.

Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785213066?ie=UTF8&tag=thecauoflib-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0785213066

The Fall of Rome

Ancient Rome was one of the greatest civilizations in the history of the world. Yet, it fell. Might there be similarities between then and now that we should take note of, for it is generally agreed that history often repeats itself? Here is a list of major causes for this great civilization's collapse, in the words of Ezra Taft Benson:

"The first group of causes is termed biological, and no doubt most fundamental. They had to do with the limitation of families, the discouraging of marriage, the refusal of men and women to shoulder the great responsibilities, God-ordained, of honorable parenthood. Sexual excesses were indulged in commonly, both in and outside the marriage covenant. The operation of contraception and abortion was common. This, together with other things, resulted in reduced fertility. Sex ran riot and moral decay resulted.

"Another cause of Rome's decay was the waste of natural resources in mining, deforestation, erosion; the neglect of irrigation canals, but most important of all, the negligence of harassed and discouraged men, the failure to teach high moral principles so necessary for the building of real character.

"And this one calls for great emphasis, the rising costs of government due to armies, public works, expanding bureaucracy, a parasitic court, depreciation of currency, absorption of investment capital by confiscatory taxation."

Future generations need to be educated on these great civilizations. As I said at the beginning of this post, history often repeats itself. If we teach our children what happens when society drifts away from true principles, they will be able to choose leaders or be leaders who will use wisdom and judgement.

I hope that the rising generation can stand for freedom and be a light unto the world that represents a nation for freedom and prosperity. If we do not change our course we will go down in history as another once great but fallen nation who followed the same path to failure as previous civilizations.

...renewing of your mind

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Romans 12:2

"Be not conformed to this world". To me this statement means that I should not go along with just anything because it's what everybody is doing. I should be one who stands for moral principles without compromise. For example, "How bad can I be and still be OK?" That is a question I should never ask myself. I should ask myself, "How can I be better?"

An example of "How bad can I be and still be OK?" would be to try to justify watching a rated R movie that only has brief nudity and just a little profanity. The truth is, these things have negative energy and are damaging to my soul. My subconscious mind records everything and I believe whatever I put in it, I eventually become. So I choose to surround myself with things that are positive. The more time I spend going down this road, I find that I have no use for most things that come out of Hollywood or for television in general. It all comes down to me being honest with myself. Are the activities I am currently engaging in making me a better person? Or am I conforming to the world?

With all of the books that are out there to gain knowledge from I feel that I have no time to waste on foolish things of this world. I'm not saying I shouldn't have fun. I am saying that I should spend the time I have been given wisely. I should ask myself, "How can I be better?" By reading things that are uplifting I can increase my knowlege and become closer to God.

I have developed a desire to read the scriptures and the classics. By doing this I feel I have been transformed by the renewing of my mind. Each time I read a book or understand a scripture I gain new knowledge and that leads me to even more knowledge. All of this seems to be leading me little by little to the part of the scripture that states "that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith

1 John 5:4

The Reason

The purpose of my decision to start a blog is that I feel I need to learn to write and what better way? I also needed a place to share my thoughts on many topics. So, the journey begins. The blog design I chose with the praying hands is to remind me that I need to pray often as I take on a responsibility as big and important as educating my children. I know I will need His guidance to educate the next generation to save a world that, to me seems to be headed for destruction.

Proverbs 22:6

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."


Public schools have removed God from all curriculum. My children need an education that is centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ. I want them to have strong family values because the family is the core unit in a free society and in God's plan for His children. I want them to have a firm foundation so that when they go out on their own they have the tools they need to weigh and measure their decisions based on correct principles.

When you raise a plant from seed you keep it inside where it is safe and you don't transplant it outside until it is strong enough to withstand the wind and the rain. It's no different with our children. They should not be sent out into the world while they are still tender and young.



I have enjoyed seeing our children grow and learn in a homeschool setting. They seem to develop a love for learning that I did not experience in public school. It's like the difference between force and choice. If I am forced to do something, the path of least resistance is to do it. Where is the inspiration in that? There is none. Or, oftentimes when a person is forced to do something they do not want to do, they dig in their heels and refuse, developing a hatred for learning. If I am free to follow my own individual desires, I develop a love of learning that never ends and I gain a true education.

The quote below my blog title was chosen because of what happened to me when I started to educate myself so that I would be capable of educating my children. The quote reads:

"The measure of a man's education is that he takes pleasure in the exercise of his mind." ~ Jacques Barzun

I have developed a love for learning that I want to pass on to my children. The strong desire that I have to acquire knowledge will never fade. Together, my wife, my children and I are on a quest for knowledge that is exciting, beautiful and eternal!