…And so I believe…

Published on: 2nd July, 2010 |

On June 7^th, 1776, Richard Henry Lee, a representative of the people of the Colony of Virginia, rose in the midst of what History has defined as one of the greatest gatherings of statesmen, the First Continental Congress, and stated these very simple but ominous words: words that would change the course of mankind; “be it resolved, that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states”.

 In his time, these words came as a bold and brash challenge to the power of a King: a challenge that in itself put forth the unique notion of self-government by a free people.  

 Weeks later, on July 4^th, through the eloquent and poignant words of young and philosophical Southern Plantation owner, Thomas Jefferson, this eclectic body of men would risk their very lives by attaching their names to the instrument that would forever be enshrined in the hearts of minds of all men, the immortal Declaration of Independence.

 Without hesitation and with purpose and strength in unity, they stated to the World; “we hold these truths to be self evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness…appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the Rectitude of our Intentions, do, in the Name, and the Authority of the good People of the Colonies, solemnly Publish and Declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, Free and Independent States”.

During the long and hard fought war, General Washington would faithfully pray for the welfare of his troops; the purpose of their cause; and for strength and wisdom in exercising his leadership. His faith in prayer was never so evident then during the long, cold Winter at Valley Forge. I grew up in the shadow of the very chapel on those hallowed grounds that memorializes his personal devotion to prayer. 

In the midst of the hardship of War, in December 1777, the Congress passed a formal Resolution asking for “general thanks to God….that our nations people “may express the grateful feelings of their hearts and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor”.

Later, when the War was won and the challenge of drafting a Constitution was caught up in contentious, and sectional debates, Benjamin Franklin, our nation’s most wise advocate, appealed to the Constitutional Convention for prayers to “that God that governs in the affairs of men”. 

 Often, President Lincoln, caught in the midst of the greatest civil strife in the history of our Union, would speak of “the Almighty and His own purposes”. And, when the nation came together to honor those who had fallen at Gettysburg, Lincoln spoke of their sacrifices by saying; “we here highly resolve that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom”.

 In the 20^th Century, when our nation and that of other people’s around the world were faced with tyranny and extinction, the nations of the world came together to destroy that threat of evil. And, in their hour of peril, before they went to meet their enemy, the armies of nations knelt down to pray, lead by another Franklin: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. And this is what he asked; “Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith”.

As Benjamin Franklin believed, so I believe “that God governs in the affairs of men”…and, if history tells us nothing else, it is this: when a nation turns it’s back on its symbols of honor and God, it is not long to endure.

For more than two-hundred and thirty years, men and women have given their lives for our nation: the United States of America. And, with their sacrifice, they have consecrated that nation, its flag and its symbols with honor.

Unlike our politicians and the lobbyists who selfishly maneuver in a vacuum today in the halls of government, these patriots, these leaders, possessed a dedication of purpose to freedom and liberty; a sense of responsibility to posterity and their fellow man; an unfailing respect for the nation they created and served; and, in the end, an unshakable faith in God.

Today, some argue that public disrespect for our nations leaders; our nation’s symbols; and our nations historic reverence in a belief in God is acceptable and excusable because of our most precious freedom: the freedom of speech.

I think not.

 For if we, as a people, can not find common ground in both protecting the symbols of our nation and our citizens who choose to acknowledge, as our Founding Fathers did, the Creator and the Supreme Judge of the World whom has endowed us with “certain unalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”, we as a nation, shall perish!

 Dr. Franklin’s fellow Pennsylvanian’s, and my forefathers, humbly and reverently stated in 1776 in the Preamble of the Constitution of their newly formed State; “let us be forever grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoke his guidance in all we do…”.

And, upon the final vote for our Nation’s Constitution, another document that forever changed the course of mankind, Dr. Franklin warned; “you now have a Republic, if you can keep it”, then immediately lead that august body in prayer. They had drafted a solemn contract between men and their government, based on some very specific freedoms….freedoms that do not preclude the acknowledgement of our faith, nor respect for our nation, our nation’s symbols, and those who died in the cause of its creation and protection.

 So, I believe, as the Patriots believed, as generations of Americans have believed, that our Nation’s greatness was founded upon and forever springs from our faith in Divine guidance: Almighty God that gave us, as a people, the wisdom and strength that warm July day in Philadelphia, to proclaim to the World, that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states”.

This is Curtis Wright and that’s my opinion.

WFNC & WAAV WASHINGTON ROAD TRIP ‘RESTORING HONOR RALLY’

Published on: 30th June, 2010 |

JOIN CURTIS WRIGHT ON BUSES FROM WILMINGTON & FAYETTEVILLE

RSVP today for an affordable trip to participate in Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor Rally on August 28, 2010 in Washington D.C.

Come join Glenn, Sarah Palin, Jo Dee Messina and Marcus Luttrell at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 2…010 for the Restoring Honor Rally. This non-political, non-partisan event will recognize our First Amendment rights and honor the service members who fight to protect those freedoms.

ONLY $90 per person with Coffee & Snacks & Box Lunch included!!!

RSVP NOW TO RESERVE YOUR SEATS

WILMINGTON CALL: (910) 763-9977

FAYETTEVILLE CALL: (910) 864-5222

More information at:

http://www.980waav.com/?pid=9293

Proud To Be A Single Dad

Published on: 10th June, 2010 |

Dr. Ned Holstein, Chairman, Fathers & Families, was on CURTIS WRIGHT on the beat, WFNC and WAAV, talking about the need for fairness, equal treatment and Fathers involvement in their children’s lives.

I am proud to be a ‘single Dad’ for the last 12 years…with my second now graduating from New Hanover High School this weekend…how blessed we were to have won our fight to have a life together, and their Primary Custodial Father not be relegated to just being a part-time visitor and ‘pay check’!

God bless all the ‘single Fathers’ fighting to stay actively involved in their children’s lives…their right under our laws…their children’s right under our laws…

Thank God for Fathers & Families that works for thousands of children and their Fathers each day across America!

Why the fair tax, why now?

Published on: 10th June, 2010 |

by Patrick Alan Pittman

Who wants to hear (read) about taxation ?…Long…boring…tedious come to mind. Someone needs relay that in simplicity and try to make it interesting enough for the average citizen to digest long enough to understand what a great transformation it can have on our society. Good luck with that, EH?

    Why the fair tax?- So many reasons. The Fair Tax(HR 2525) is a national retail sales tax that replaces the gigantic and cumbersome and punitive income tax that started in America as a result of the Federal reserve legislation in 1913. It proposes to be 23% as a tax on RETAIL sales of all goods in America. When you get a paycheck under the present income tax the government demands that you fill out cumbersome and complex forms (in detai)l to describe much of your private life( and ALL of your financial life) and do so accurately under the penalty of fines and  imprisonment that the IRS would gladly facilitate. That paycheck then becomes a reduced amount based on what size it is or what kind of citizen you are based on other checks or cash you may have earned (tax brackets). The fair tax proposes that you keep the entire check when you earn it and fill out no forms telling the government about your private life. You pay as you buy instead.

    What are the advantages of that?

Equal Protection Under The Law- The super wealthy don’t get more votes when they go to the polls because they make more (and have more that needs protecting). Bill Gates doesn’t get five votes verses a millionaire’s three verses your one. That wouldn’t be right. One CIitizen, One Vote. Equal protection under the law. If wealthy citizens are not entitled to more votes because they make more , then why should they be forced to pay more in taxes for the same reason? The first response many give to this question is that they are more ABLE to afford higher rates. That concept was described by Karl Marx in the communist manifesto : “from each according to his ability to each according to his needs”.  Under examination , it is not consistent with the simple distilled American constitutional principle  :”Equal Protection Under the Law”. Regardless of any wealth envy a citizen may have, no one thinks that the wealthy deserve special privileges in our system of government , and neither should they suffer special burdens not levied on all other citizens.

Reducing the strength of powerful lobbyists- How many times have we heard that the lobbyists in Washington have too much power and command the direction of too much legislation? What if there was one law that could alleviate much of that problem? The fair tax is that law. Look at how many lobbyists are in Washington for the sole purpose of gaining tax exemptions for this or that industry or special interest? With no complex set of income tax exemptions to trudge through and hide in new legislation, an entire branch of the lobby industry …..goes away.

Black Market and foreign contribution-When a tourist comes from Germany or Australia and spends Ten thousand dollars in our economy while seeing our country, none of that money goes toward our social security or Medicare system. When a drug dealer pays for a yacht in cash or buys a home, none of that money is taxed through our income tax system . Many illegal Aliens work for cash and do not report their earnings . What if that didn’t matter? The fair tax alleviates that missing revenue and requires none of the actors to fill out forms. When anyone buys an item on the retail level, the tax is applied by the business selling the item. By placing the collection burden on the business owner (who already has that burden in many states) it eliminates the individual as the declaration instrument for the government. And as the owner of a business will stick around for the next round of customers it is incumbent upon him/her to retain public trust in the community and act within the constructs of the system or risk failing. It is already a part of doing business

Punitive, intrusive,  and costly income tax filing- Why should it be the government’s business what property you have( beyond it being the registrar of land purchases and ownership)? Why should you have to risk your fortune and your freedom every time you fill out a (mandatory) form that requires a decade of college courses to understand ? Why then, should  you be forced (out of necessity) to pay others , accountants and bookkeepers to do it for you because you have not studied that subject while you were preparing yourself to do something else in life? The fair tax relieves that burden and eliminates that risk for the individual citizen.

Reducing the power of the federal government to sneak in taxes under a complex code-The federal government can adjust and tweak the current income tax system and slip in all kinds of penalties and exemptions. And those who can navigate its complexity are capable of finding just the right exemption rules to reduce their burden and increase their competitive advantage. The fair tax levels the playing field and keeps the congress from making” hidden” adjustments to favor this or that lobby. With the fair tax set at 23% retail sales tax, the ability for congress to adjust that one number is out in the open and they would face a much higher scrutiny by “we the people” every time they even considered tweaking that ONE NUMBER.

Forcing the Government to adjust the budget in the spending column instead of the revenue column- The above example shows that with more scrutiny and less ability to grow the bloated government coffers every time they want to add a new pork bill, the congress would be forced (under the fair tax) to adjust their budget just like average citizens do at home: cut spending.

 ThePre-bate equalizes the poverty stricken without eliminating taxes on the bottom tier- Under the proposed fair tax system , the pre-bate is a check written to every household (all of them , regardless of income level) to cover the taxes that will be paid on the basic necessities of life up to the poverty level. This removes the very poor from the taxes that are collected when buying their milk, clothing, paying rent, etc. Right now, under the Income tax almost 40% of our citizens have no tax liability at all. This concept also goes back to : Equal Protection Under the Law. 

Tax cheating- While no system eliminates tax cheating altogether (criminals will always find a way), it reduces their chances of succeeding by removing the gigantic and complex tax code now on the books and removes the IRS from the expensive burden of keeping up with the income of each and every citizen in America (and now abroad as the Obama administration puts pressure on foreign banks to disclose information on their customers). There will be some ways to attempt to exempt oneself from the fair tax system , but compared to the cheating in the income tax the difference will be geometrically apparent..

Making America a tax haven- With the manufacturing base moving overseas, America has experienced a loss of industry for a variety of reasons, one of which is the punitive regulations put on manufacturers by our gigantic tax code. Under the fair tax, our country stands to become a tax haven for business around the world . Businesses operating in countries with a VAT (value added tax , that taxes at every level of sale , including wholesale) or an income tax would flock to America to get out from under that burden (just as they have run from America in the past to escape the income tax here).

    A winning Mission Statement for  a conservative political malaise- The fair tax can become a rallying point for conservatives in America to return our great nation to the constitutional republic proposed by the founders (who forbade the income tax (article 1 section 9 of the original constitution). And it can become an attractive draw for moderates and “middle-of- the –roaders” now disaffected by the Marxist attempts of the extreme  Liberal shift in American politics in the past two decades.

    No system of taxation is perfect, but when compared to the broken and punitive system we have now, the fair tax stands far and away above , and promises to alleviate a multitude of ills now festering in the swamp that Washington and the federal reserve have created to increase their power and assist their “friends” .

Patrick Alan Pittman

Guest Blogger

January 10, 2010

Our Distilled National Essence

Published on: 10th June, 2010 |

By Patrick Pittman

The dawn of our nation witnessed the flight of a persecuted people who fled from tyranny only to have it follow them to their new world. They then realized that they must fight that evil and pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to secure their liberation from the injustices that reigned upon them from a belligerent King and his minions. That pledge was paid in blood and treasure and in that fire was forged the constitution of a new nation. A constitution that emerged as the guarantor of liberty and became the protector of the values that would guide the most successful free nation that the world had ever seen.

That constitution spelled out in detail the powers that were given and limited to the trustees of that nation. In the crucible of war, and through the evolution of our national culture, our nation emerged with a complex set of statutes and contracts that spelled out the details of our relative structure.

Our societal bonds became evident in and defined by the simple core philosophies that described our national genesis and those ideas became the impetus for the growth and success of a diverse set of cultures culminating into one:

-Individual Liberty

-Protection of private property rights

-Equal protection under the law

-The right of the individual to protect him/her self

-Limited Government

-Self reliance (self determination)

   Our nation’s legacy has described a people protected from the tyranny of government and those agents of force who would usurp that which we hold most dear and that which we cannot compromise:  The Rule of Law and The Protection of Individual liberty.

Our modern devolution from that standard has been witnessed by an entire generation of citizens who stood by as the trustees of our great mantle have become corrupted by their own human frailties and have then degraded our sanctuary for their own selfish ends.

  The time has come for the spirit of liberty to reaffirm its tenacity and regain the helm of our Constitutional vessel.

    The complications that rise from the divided parties and convoluted values that they have come to represent must now be refined and distilled to the purity of our national birth. Our Charter must be renewed and reaffirmed as one of liberty and returned to the realm of freedom ,wrested from the false promise of security that is offered by the tyrants that would run our Ship into the shoals of bureaucratic subordination.

There is no true freedom without the freedom for individuals to fail from their poor life’s decisions as well as to succeed from their good decisions.

   It is not emancipation when the bureaucracy of tyrants promises the false security of a “safety net “on the blood of our neighbor’s toil. Self reliance is the greatest path toward the promise of self actualization, and the individual citizen has not a nobler goal for his society than to remove himself from their list of burdens.

    We have learned that equality of opportunity is not the same as equality of result and the government cannot be the guarantor of result without enslaving one citizen for the sake of another. We see the nobility of charity and the moral goodness it creates for those in our society who have fallen behind, but the very morality of charitable action relies upon its voluntary inception. The Nature of nature is that a free people can only remain free with a voluntary heart and a purposeful arrangement with those who seek alms. There is only one way to ensure self reliance in our neighbors. And that is to permit them the freedom to fail.

    Without this important freedom we have no true claim of liberty, and without liberty we are no longer the great beacon of hope for a World of our neighbors whose necks now lay stretched under the boots of bureaucrats and warlords as our founders saw firsthand in their own world more than two centuries ago.

   We have in our power now the great fortune of a system not wholly corrupted to the point where only a sword will return our freedom and thus we must vote. We are no longer confounded by the promise of security in the guise of a larger blanket of protective government salvation.

We now have had our collective eyes opened to the true nature of the corruption of our present keepers of the Helm. It is time for them to go. Those who promise anything other than liberty are promising the coin taken by force from your neighbor’s purse. They are promising, in essence, to enslave one citizen for the sake of another. They are promising evil. It is time for them to go. And it is time for us to recognize that the masses have discovered that they can vote for themselves the largesse of the treasury. To save our republic we must regain our sacred trust in the form of preserving the Ideals that were distilled from that constitution and list them as we ask our new trustees where they stand in relation to that Mandate.

Patrick Pittman

Guest Blogger

January 9, 2010

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