Family is a Great Option
I do not follow football (American nor otherwise). The first time I heard the name Harrison Butker was due to his speech before a Catholic student body. He stated in summary that women could be excited about careers, and they were likely to be excited about family life. The internet went crazy calling him all manner of nonsense that I shall refrain from repeating on this forum.
The essence of the controversy is that he offered an option to women of family life. Why is this option thought to be oppressive or troublesome? Kim Chernin wrote that she wished women to have an option other than homemaking, not that she wished women were prevented from homemaking. This is how silly the Left has become: in their stated purpose they profess a commitment to choice, acceptance, and diversity. In reality, the Left wishes for strict adherence to their perceived cultural norms. They don’t want choice: they want women who ONLY work outside the home. They don’t want acceptance: they want to rid the world of religious freedom. They don’t want diversity: they want people to think and behave as they do.
The position of the Left is, of course, indefensible which is why their outrage over these statements is in a full-swing backfire. First and foremost, as stated above, women have a choice to be homemakers, and they Left cannot take that choice away.
Further, we are speaking about a Catholic man, who lives his faith each and every day. That Catholic man went on to find a Catholic woman who lives her faith each and every day. They then, together, went on to have Catholic children who live their faith each and every day. This man then went to a private Catholic University to speak about what it says in the Catholic manual (the Bible). If you do not want to hear Catholic things, maybe you should stop listening to Catholic discussions.
This is a clear attack on the 1st Amendment. The Left is constantly attacking the 1st Amendment. They would love nothing more than to rid the nation of the 1st, 2nd, 9th, and 10th Amendments (the other liberties would surely be taken by force thereafter). This is the play. Free speech is only afforded to those whom the Left finds “deserving”. The only religions allowed are race, climate, gender, and communism.
I am most excited about my family life. My career is a means to an end, my career is not the end. Why is it so horrible to wish this same level of happiness and fulfillment for women? Family is a Great Option.
Criticism is not Racism
One cannot be both Israel First and America First. Yes, Hamas is an evil entity that must be stopped. Yes, Palestine is occupied by Hamas illegally. However, this does not mean everything Israel does is beyond reproach. Asking simple questions about funding Israel at the level at which we are funding them is not a racist act. It is an America-First act.
We had given more than 20 times as much to Israel as we had given to our own Veterans in 2023. This is clearly not America First. Without our military, we would not be in a position to aid any nation including Israel. It is imperative we take care of those here at home before we take care of others, for without those at home, we would lack the capacity to help foreign entities at all.
Criticizing the amount, frequency, and reporting regarding money given to foreign nations (such as Israel and Ukraine) is our right and duty as We, the People, of the United States. This is not racist. This is not anti-Semitic. This is America First.
We are the nation within which those in need seek refuge, and even those who speak against it will not leave. Destroying this safe haven is an act of global terrorism; protecting it is the most humane act one can perform in this era.
Stupid, Poor, Subsurvient
This type of person is what Government reliance produces. Since the Federal Government began growing and meddling in State and local matters, schools have gotten worse at teaching, real incomes have plummeted, and family self-reliance has become a fairy tale. The Government acts to make itself your daddy, and it cannot survive where We, the People, are strong.
The Department of Education was founded in 1979. Its mission is to promote student achievement. It has clearly failed in its mission. About one-fifth of our nation’s students can read AND do math at grade level (30% reading alone, 25% math alone). The Department of Education is not working. Divesting therefrom is the only reasonable course of action.
When the People are uneducated, they lack the capacity to compete in the job market. When the People are uneducated, they are unable to think for themselves and live an independent life. When the People are unable to compete for jobs and are dependent, here comes big daddy Government to save the day.
The Department of Education only gives Texas about $8 Billion - this is about $200 per Texan. Is it worth it? Of course not. This money comes with so many strings attached it is impossible to list them all. Interestingly, the webpage that lists the laws and regulations a State must follow after accepting Dept of Ed money states, “Please note that in the U.S., the federal role in education is limited. Because of the Tenth Amendment, most education policy is decided at the state and local levels.” It then goes on to list dozens of pages of Federal laws and regulations imposed upon the States. Gaslighting at its finest!
With all these regulations, a cost is incurred. The costs outweigh the $8 Billion especially when the cost to our children’s education is taken into account: a cost to which no dollar amount can be applied. With Dept of Ed money, the Federal Government assumes rights including but not limited to:
Impose regulations regarding instruction
Gather information about individual students and families (Surveillance)
Change, across the board, policies relating to “perceived” discrimination (Title IX)
Direct when teachers must (not may) refrain from informing a student’s parents
much more…
These strings that come attached to Federal money are not worth the $200 especially when our students are being instructed into stupidity and impotence. Texas is one of the top 10 economies in the entire world. We do not need the Federal money; let it go, clean up the Austin swamp, and we can direct the care and education of our own children.
Political Involvement
One does not need to become a politician to be involved in the political process. All you need is some idea about what you support and the ability to respectfully convey your message. Our Constitution protects our right to assemble and speak as long as we do it without harm or threat of harm. There are many presentations on some of the methods for getting your ideas out there. This is one of those resources.
I have found, in the short time I have been involved, that a combination of talking points and written literature is best. Some people are listeners, others are readers. There are people who will talk your ear off rather than taking a 1-page document. There are people who will read the document right in front of you, and ask their questions if they have any. The world takes all kinds, be prepared for We, the People, to come with points of view. It’s all good if it’s all Constitutional!!!
It helps to put together a set of literature in case you have to drop something off somewhere because no one is around to receive the word. It also helps to practice your courteous disengagements in case you run into someone who is more argumentative than respectful; it never hurts to agree to disagree, it can hurt to react poorly if pressed into a corner by a menace.
In Texas although you have to be certified by the County to register people to vote, the voter registration form is publicly available and can be distributed without such a certification. It never hurts to carry some of those forms on you, just remember you cannot collect the form once it is filled out unless you are certified. Let people know they have to fill out the document and mail it to their County registrar; be sure to print out the County registrar’s address to hand out alongside the form.
You do not need to be affiliated with a political party to block walk or canvass. It helps to be affiliated for some households; it helps to be unaffiliated for other households. The point is to make sure you understand what you believe in, understand what the candidates you support believe in, and make sure those beliefs are aligned where it counts. you will never have 100% the same beliefs as any other person, politicians included. Just because you disagree on some things does not mean you cannot block walk in support of someone.
For instance, I strongly believe in the 9th and 10th Amendments to the United States Constitution, and I believe these Amendments coupled with the holding in Brown v Board of Education preclude the Federal Government from funding and regulating schools; these schools are State entities whose power and influence are governed by the elected officials and people of the several States. This belief conflicts directly with several provisions within Agenda47. This does not mean I cannot support Donald Trump. I support him greatly.
Every American has a stake in the political game. It should be part of all our lives to utilise the 1st Amendment and express our opinions in supporting whomever we want to support at the polls.
Party Endorsements
Here in Texas we have (at least) two major problems at the polls.
There are “non-partisan” local elections.
Primaries are open.
Party endorsements, while a valuable tool, can also be misused. They offer a clear way to identify the most solid Constitutional Conservative candidate in a race, allowing us to unite our voting power in case of Democrats participating in the “wrong” primary. However, it's important to be aware of the potential for misuse.
The chief issue with Party Endorsements arises when there are only great choices in a race. It is my firm and unapologetic position that the Party abstains from making an endorsement where a race presents just this kind of dilemma. The party, as a whole, is far too disconnected from local politics in any area to make reasonable judgment calls about which conservative would be better for a particular local election; let the local Republicans tend to their own.
The party must refrain from interfering in local politics unless party members, precinct chairs, and delegates raise concerns about an elected official diverging from the Party's practices, policies, and principles. The Party's role is to bolster and amplify the people's voice, not to influence their selection. This selection, I believe strongly and wholeheartedly, that the people are better equipped to make than the Party.
Free Speech
Several Anti-Anti-Semitism bills have been passed in various States throughout the Nation - Texas included. These bills fail under the strict scrutiny of my Constitutional Conservativism.
I am not an Anti-Semite. I do; however, believe in freedom of speech and share President Jefferson’s belief “that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions.” A bill criminalizing an action in support of a victim’s Civil Rights and Liberties is a bill I would welcome. A bill that goes past the action and gives the Government authority to ascertain a person’s thoughts, feelings, and opinions to further punish that perpetrator is unwelcome. That is exactly what these kinds of bills do.
This is not a new position of mine. I have always regarded “hate crime” bills as unlawful. A Court cannot reasonably, according to law, determine the “hate crime” portion of an offense. Murder and assault are crimes; hate is not. Why not just severely punish murder and assault in all cases irrespective of a person’s thought and feeling? Are police now operating under guidance to ascertain “hate”? Are prosecutors now endowed with the ability to read the minds of the accused? Should Judges be able to enhance sentencing on the basis of “hate” be that “hate” perceived or actual? This is not a line of reason we should embark.
We should be criminalizing conduct. In recent days, there were barricades (both human and inanimate) erected across shared thoroughfares; this was a crime irrespective of whether they were disallowing Jewish students passage or any other group. There were also assaults. The assailants’ perceived or actual hatred does not determine whether this is a crime or the severity thereof; surely, assault is criminal no matter what the circumstances. The thoughts and feelings behind the crimes are irrelevant to the arrests, prosecutions, and judgments thereof.
As Constitutional Conservatives, we should be holding the line at our manual - the US Constitution - and pressing the issues no further than that. Greg Abbott along with the Republican members of the Texas legislature must do some serious reflection upon this kind of bill and what it means to sit in those chairs. We put you there to hold the line for us.
We must charge into the battle, behind Lady Liberty, in support for and defense of the Constitution. One cannot be both Israel First and America First. One cannot be Black First and America First. One cannot be Palestine First and America First. It’s America First all day long. Hold the line.