Free Republic

I do not think he will. I think there are forces at play that politics as usual types cannot understand. I think the current corruptions associated with our two party past are at an end. President Johnson will be a big surprise to Robamney.

I was horrified on Tuesday. I have been an (R) voter for years and I am now energized and thrilled. So the party I thought was my party exposed itself. They have denigrated independent thinkers for years and I have ignored it. Now they have grown so bold in their determination to lead as elitist that I can no longer lie to myself that they are the conservative party, or that they are the party that cares the most about the constitution. They had a golden opportunity this time around. But instead they have exposed their true nature for me to finally see just how deep the corruption runs.

They are not about voting and counting the votes, that is for sure. lol

As an insider of sorts from within the republican party let me give you a picture of what I have seen. Over the course of many years, I have gravitated towards those who are genuinely interested in the principles of American Conservatism within the party and have tried to mostly ignored those with the lashing out or bullying mentality towards those who disagree. I’ve never been a joiner per se. I’ve long since decided not to donate to the party, only to individual candidates, but to keep with the party in voting time and time again.

I have at various times described myself as a Republican, an Independent, an independent thinker, a constitutional conservative, and American conservative and as having a bit of a libertarian streak, or even quite a libertarian streak.

... all the while voting republican and never campaigning for Dr. Paul or for any candidate from any other party. but watching and understanding much.

What happened on Tuesday, was not really about Ron Paul. It was about all of us. I don’t think the GOP knows what it has done, and I am just as glad if they don’t. But they never knew who there voters were and now they have exposed themselves.

What happened on Tuesday was about who they really are, how dirty they are willing to play, and how many of us there are who saw it and were changed by it. I took a turn that day for sure. And from what I am seeing there are many like many who did as well. Goodbye GOP

Perhaps they are glad, as the author asserts. Even if so, what they don't know is that they have moved against and insulted every grassroots activist, every non-joiner", every independent thinker that has typically voted for them but has been growing weary over time. I don't think they have any idea what they have done. And now that they have finally pushed me over the edge, I hope they don't wake up and smell the coffee until it is too late.

There is more at the original source.

The GOP has had a golden opportunity to lead America back to conservatism and has squandered it. They preferred instead to try to entrench the wrong people in party power. We cannot let this stand. "The party may not care about we the people, but we the people still need to stand against big government and against corruption everywhere we see it. The sleeping giant is now awake and will wipe out this corruption of all the those who prefer power over what is right.

my "comment" yesterday to the GOP on their official website through their "contact us"" feature:

I registered to vote the day I turned 18 in 1988. I have not failed to vote in a single federal or state level election from that time to this, including voting for George H.W. Bush by absentee ballot from college in the fall of 1988 and holding my nose and voting for the terrible candidate you put up against Obama in 2008, which I knew to be a mistake as I left the voting booth. I vowed to myself on that day in 2008 that I would never again cast a vote for a terrible candidate and make myself a part of the problem.

Now I am anxiously watching what you are doing at your convention after a terrible primary season where you seem to once again be determined to turn your back on every principle of American Conservatism.

As of watching the things happening today, I believe I am done with the GOP. I believe that there is nothing left there to save for people who actually get informed and make conscientious decisions. Good-bye GOP

Now I am joining the independent liberty movement. I left the GOP because the GOP first left me.

Please watch this video of Brandon Raub speaking out.

http://libertycrier.com/u-s-constitution/marine-brandon-raub-speaks-out-following-detention/

We did it! Now if we can just get the judiciary to start doing its job correctly. apparently many of them are not able to get on board with the concept of checks and balances.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Ohio-health-care-question-apf-2905833599.html?x=0&.v=7

I’m so happy to see this one the ballot. Many prayers needed between now and November that wisdom will rule the day. Then maybe we will keep SB 5 and be rid of Obamacare!

Its astonishing to me how boldly they proclaim themselves to be enemies of freedom, of our economy and of God.

Oh and here is a listing of the resolutions that I already had access to:

Some NEA Resolutions Passed at the 2010 Convention in New Orleans

A-14. Financial Support of Public Education. The Association believes that:

* Funds must be provided for programs to alleviate race, gender,
and sexual orientation discrimination and to eliminate portrayal of
race, gender, sexual orientation and gender identification stereotypes
in the public schools.
* Full-day, every day kindergarten programs should be fully funded.
* Federal, state, and, as appropriate, local governments should
provide funds sufficient to make pre-kindergarten available for all
three- and four-year-old children.

A-25. Voucher Plans and Tuition Tax Credits. The Association opposes
voucher plans, tuition tax credits, or other such funding arrangements
that pay for students to attend sectarian schools. The Association also
believes that any private school or agency that receives public funding
through voucher plans, tax credits, or other funding/financial
arrangements must be subject to all accountability measures and
regulations required of public schools.

A-34. Federally or State-Mandated Choice/Parental Option Plans. The
Association believes that federally or state-mandated parental option or
choice plans compromise free, equitable, universal, and quality public
education for every student. Therefore, the Association opposes such
federally or state-mandated choice or parental option plans.

B-1. Early Childhood Education. The National Education Association
supports early childhood education programs in the public schools for
children from birth through age eight. The Association also supports a
high-quality program of transition from home and/or preschool to the
public kindergarten or first grade. The Association also believes that
early childhood education programs should include a full continuum of
services for parents/guardians and children, including child-care, child
development, developmentally appropriate and diversity-based curricula,
special education, and appropriate bias-free screening devices. The
Association believes that federal legislation should be enacted to
assist in organizing the implementation of fully funded early childhood
education programs offered through the public schools. These programs
must be available to all children on an equal basis and should include
mandatory kindergarten with compulsory attendance.

B-12. Diversity. The National Education Association believes that
similarities and differences among race, ethnicity, color, national
origin, language, geographic location, religion, gender, sexual
orientation, gender identification, age, physical ability, size,
occupation, and marital, parental, or economic status form the fabric of
a society. The Association also believes that education should foster
the values of appreciation and acceptance of the various qualities that
pertain to people as individuals and as members of diverse populations.

B-13. Racial Diversity Within Student Populations. The Association
believes that to achieve or maintain racial diversity, it may be
necessary for elementary/secondary schools, colleges, and universities
to take race into account in making decisions as to student admissions,
assignments, and/or transfers.

B-14. Racism, Sexism, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identification
Discrimination. Discrimination and stereotyping based on such factors as
race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, disability,
ethnicity, immigration status, occupation, and religion must be
eliminated. The Association also believes that these factors should not
affect the legal rights and obligations of the partners in a legally
recognized domestic partnership, civil union, or marriage in regard to
matters involving the other partner, such as medical decisions, taxes,
inheritance, adoption, and immigration.

B-24. Education of Refugee and Undocumented Children and Children of
Undocumented Immigrants. The Association supports access for
undocumented students to financial aid and in-state tuition to state
colleges and universities. The Association further believes that
students who have resided in the United States for at least five years
at the time of high school graduation should be granted legal residency
status, and allowed to apply for U.S. citizenship.

B-30. Educational Programs for English Language Learners. The
Association believes that ELL students should be placed in bilingual
education programs to receive instruction in their native language from
qualified teachers until such time as English proficiency is achieved.

B-39. Multicultural Education. The National Education Association
believes that multiculturalism is the process of valuing differences and
incorporating the values identified into behavior for the goal of
achieving the common good. Multicultural education should promote the
recognition of individual and group differences and similarities in
order to reduce racism, homophobia, ethnic and all other forms of
prejudice, and discrimination and to develop self-esteem as well as
respect for others.

B-40. Global Education. The National Education Association believes that
global education imparts an appreciation of our interdependency in
sharing the world’s resources to meet mutual human needs.

B-48. Family Life Education. The Association believes that programs
should be established for both students and parents/guardians and
supported at all educational levels to promote -

* The development of self-esteem
* An understanding of societal issues and problems related to
children, spouses, parents/guardians, domestic partners, older
generation family members, and other family members.

The Association also believes that education in these areas must be
presented as part of an antibiased, culturally sensitive program.

B-49. Environmental Education. The Association supports educational
programs that promote -

* An awareness of the effects of past, present, and future
population growth patterns on world civilization, human survival, and
the environment
* Solutions to environmental problems such as nonrenewable resource
depletion, pollution, global warming, ozone depletion, and acid
precipitation and deposition
* The recognition of and participation in such activities as Earth Day.

B-51. Sex Education. The Association recognizes that the public school
must assume an increasingly important role in providing the instruction.
Teachers and health professionals must be qualified to teach in this
area and must be legally protected from censorship and lawsuits. The
Association also believes that to facilitate the realization of human
potential, it is the right of every individual to live in an environment
of freely available information and knowledge about sexuality and
encourages affiliates and members to support appropriately established
sex education programs. Such programs should include information on
sexual abstinence, birth control, family planning, diversity of culture
and diversity of sexual orientation and gender identification, sexually
transmitted diseases, incest, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and
homophobia.

B-60. Education on Peace and International Understanding. The National
Education Association believes that educational strategies for teaching
peace and justice issues should include the role of individuals, social
movements, international and nongovernmental organizations. The
Association also believes that educational materials should include
activities dealing with the effects of nuclear weaponry and other
weapons of mass destruction, strategies for disarmament, and methods to
achieve peace. Such curricular materials should also cover major
contributing factors to conflict, such as economic disparity,
demographic variables, unequal political power and resource
distribution, and the indebtedness of the developing world.

B-82. Home Schooling. The National Education Association believes that
home schooling programs based on parental choice cannot provide the
student with a comprehensive education experience. When home schooling
occurs, students enrolled must meet all state curricular requirements,
including the taking and passing of assessments to ensure adequate
academic progress. Home schooling should be limited to the children of
the immediate family, with all expenses being borne by the
parents/guardians. Instruction should be by persons who are licensed by
the appropriate state education licensure agency, and a curriculum
approved by the state department of education should be used.
The Association also believes that home-schooled students should not
participate in any extracurricular activities in the public schools.

C-15. Extremist Groups. The National Education Association condemns the
philosophy and practices of extremist groups and urges active opposition
to all such movements that are inimical to the ideals of the Association.

C-24. Comprehensive School Health, Social, and Psychological Programs
and Services. The National Education Association believes that every
child should have direct and confidential access to comprehensive
health, social, and psychological programs and services. The Association
believes that schools should provide —

* A planned, sequential health education curriculum for pre-K
through adult education that integrates various health topics (such as
drug abuse, the dangers of performance-enhancing dietary herbal
supplements, violence, safety issues, universal precautions, and HIV
education)
* Counseling programs that provide developmental guidance and
broad-based interventions and referrals
* Comprehensive school-based, community-funded student health care
clinics that provide basic physical and mental health, and health care
services (which may include diagnosis and treatment)
* If deemed appropriate by local choice, family-planning counseling
and access to birth control methods with instruction in their use.

C-25. School Guidance and Counseling Programs. The National Education
Association believes that guidance and counseling programs should be
integrated into the entire education system, pre-K through higher education.

C-30. Student Sexual Orientation and Gender Identification. The National
Education Association believes that all persons, regardless of sexual
orientation or gender identification, should be afforded equal
opportunity and guaranteed a safe and inclusive environment within the
public education system. The Association also believes that, for
students who are struggling with their sexual orientation or gender
identification, every school district and educational institution should
provide counseling services and programs that deal with high suicide and
dropout rates and the high incidence of teen prostitution.

C-31. Suicide Prevention Programs. The National Education Association
believes that suicide prevention programs including prevention,
intervention, and postvention must be developed and implemented. The
Association urges its affiliates to ensure that these programs are an
integral part of the school program.

E-3. Selection and Challenges of Materials and Teaching Techniques. The
Association deplores prepublishing censorship, book-burning crusades,
and attempts to ban books from school library media centers and school
curricula.

F-2. Pay Equity/Comparable Worth. The “market value” means of
establishing pay cannot be the final determinant of pay scales since it
too frequently reflects the race and sex bias in our society.

H-1. The Education Employee as a Citizen. The Association urges its
members to become politically involved and to support the political
action committees of the Association and its affiliates.

H-7. National Health Care Policy. The National Education Association
believes that affordable, comprehensive health care, including
prescription drug coverage, is the right of every resident. The
Association supports the adoption of a single-payer health care plan for
all residents of the United States, its territories, and the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

H-11. Statehood for the District of Columbia. The Association supports
efforts to achieve statehood for the District of Columbia.

I-1. Peace and International Relations. The Association urges all
nations to develop treaties and disarmament agreements that reduce the
possibility of war. The Association also believes that such treaties and
agreements should prevent the placement of weapons in outer space. The
Association believes that the United Nations furthers world peace and
promotes the rights of all people by preventing war, racism, and genocide.

I-2. International Court of Justice. The Association urges participation
by the United States in deliberations before the court.

I-3. International Criminal Court. The Association believes that the
United States should ratify the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court and recognize and support its authority and jurisdiction.

I-9. Global Climate Change. The Association believes that humans must
take steps to change activities that contribute to global climate change.

I-12. Human Rights. The National Education Association believes that the
governments of all nations must respect and protect equal access to
education as embodied in the United Nations Universal Declaration of
Human Rights.

I-17. Family Planning. The National Education Association supports
family planning, including the right to reproductive freedom. The
Association also urges the implementation of community-operated,
school-based family planning clinics that will provide intensive
counseling by trained personnel.

I-22. Immigration. The Association opposes any immigration policy that
denies educational opportunities to immigrants and their children
regardless of their immigration status.

I-33. Freedom of Religion. The Association opposes any federal
legislation or mandate that would require school districts to schedule a
moment of silence.

I-34. Gun-free Schools and the Regulation of Deadly Weapons. The
Association believes that strict prescriptive regulations are necessary
for the manufacture, importation, distribution, sale and resale of
handguns and ammunition magazines. A mandatory background check and a
mandatory waiting period should occur prior to the sale of all firearms.

I-47. Elimination of Discrimination. The National Education Association
is committed to the elimination of discrimination based on race, gender,
ethnicity, economic status, religion, disability, sexual orientation,
gender identification, age, and all other forms of discrimination. The
Association encourages its members and all other members of the
educational community to engage in courageous conversations in order to
examine assumptions, prejudices, discriminatory practices, and their
effects.

I-58. Linguistic Diversity. The Association believes that efforts to
legislate English as the official language disregard cultural pluralism;
deprive those in need of education, social services, and employment; and
must be challenged.

I-61. Equal Opportunity for Women. The Association supports an amendment
to the U.S. Constitution (such as the Equal Rights Amendment). The
Association urges its affiliates to support ratification of such an
amendment. The Association also supports the enactment and full funding
of the Women’s Educational Equity Act. The Association endorses the use
of nonsexist language.

The above text is excerpted from NEA resolutions adopted at the 2010 NEA
Convention. Much language has been omitted, but no words have been
changed, added, or put out of order.

This is from a few months ago, but it is one of the interesting things I found when I went searching for internet articles that listed the resolutions passed at the 2010 NEA convention.

I've gotten a chance to read through many of the resolutions that the NEA passed at their convention in New Orleans and need to find something with all of them.

It is amazing how boldly they declare themselves to be the enemies of freedom, of the economy, and of God. Even as a person who had seen so much corruption and evil within the public schools as a student and later as a parent of a young child with learning challenges, I never knew that the problems were emanating from such a well organized power source that was so fully devoted to spreading and furthering all manner of evil. Now I feel far more extreme in my opposition to public schooling. All parents should flatly refuse to allow their children to ever be taught by any member of this corrupt union. And I am thankful to have had this opportunity to see and recognize it for what it is.

My favorite is C-15, where they encourage their members to work against extremist groups and they define extremist groups as any group(s) that oppose them or any of their resolutions.

One might easily decide that the NEA is the most dangerous extremist group in the country.

I’m in Central Ohio in zone 6. Zone 6b according to the maps.

Although no matter how much of a close up of my area I find it is nearly impossible to tell if I’m in zone 5 or zone 6, I always figure it is 6 based on the temperature info. If you drive north from our house you seem to drive over a magical line that I call the snow line. The folks up there always get a lot more snow than we do and their kids miss a lot of school for snow days.

“...Turning the pages until they are tattered and dog-eared, drooling and deciding, plotting and planning, never losing hope that this year’s garden will be a bumper crop. Wondering if this or that new variety can possibly be as great as the seed catalog makes it sound, trying a little of the new seeds and mixing them with the tried and true favorites.”

Exactly what I am in the mood for right now! Thanks to both of you for a great new thing on FR!

“I’ll start the list...”

Haha, caught ya. I want in! :p

I thought I did not like raw tomatoes as a kid, and in fact, well into my twenties. When I finally had a good tomato from a garden I couldn’t believe how good it was. Same with peaches. Grocery store peaches are just not worth eating.

I’ve got nothing against big business, but it just can’t do everything well. Now I know better than to trust to a grocery store for my food needs.

I’ve grown a few different heirloom tomatoes and really enjoy that. They are so good and last year I had such an abundance of harvest that I’ve still got awesome tomatoes in my deep-freeze that I can cook with for the next couple of months.

(I am nearly out of the salsa I canned and completely out of the “garden special” I canned...rats!)

Not sure what I’m going to do next summer. I guess it will be tomatoes from the local farmers market. I have a nice big garden patch in my backyard, but I decided to plant it up with garlic after I took the tomatoes out last fall.

I’ll have to try out tomatofest, I already know how good the others on your list are. Another good one for seeds in general although I don’t know that I’ve bought tomato seeds from them is Pinetree Garden Seeds @ www.superseeds.com

peanuts in coke is actually tasty, imho. I don’t know why people started doing it, but I would assume it is like a lot of things. It probably happened by accident and then led to someone saying, “hey thats actually tasty”. I’d be happy to try peanuts in Dr. Pepper because I love Dr. Pepper and I’d assume you’d have that same classic salty/sweet combo going on.

There are always lots of things that sound iffy at first and turn out to be tasty to lots of people. You just never know until you try it.

For all my insistence that people ought to try stuff rather than just having “a thing” about it sounds weird or it sounds gross, even I have a couple of things. I never have brought myself to try boiled peanuts. But then again I might be missing out. They might be great. What I need is someone to invite me over to their house and serve ‘em and then good etiquette would kick in and I’d try them. lol

hiya. I wanted to second the suggestion that you might have an allergy. In recent years they have come to the point that they can test for food allergies. They can’t treat them, but I found it felt good to know that it was not in my head. (My dad had always thought that, since he somehow missed out on ever being present when I’d had a reaction.

My allergies are far less severe now than they were when they first developed at around age 7, but yeah, back then I could smell that I was gonna have a reaction to a food.

It has to be said again.

Mahi-Mahi is not dolphin, even if it is sometimes called dolphinfish.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahi-mahi

And as far as super-taster....well their may be some validity to some people being super-tasters and there are also people who have allergies or sensitivities to foods or medical problems that cause them to not eat certain foods. For all of these I have sympathy and even empathy for that matter.

But it is also true that picky eaters can be made and some people need to learn (or get therapy to learn) to get over their food weirdness. It is a pain in the tush for people who can’t just eat and take food for granted due to allergies or medical conditions. But it is also a pain in the tush for other people who would like to have them over for dinner or take them out to a restaurant. It is hard for them to understand and sometimes spoils the fun if they find they can’t work around it.

I can’t help but say people who just have “a thing” about food are more than I can bear when I’m struggling to feed my family around medical issues and allergies. I wish I could sit down and be gracious about tasting a plate of mahi-mahi if that were served to me at a dinner party. But the anaphylactic shock would probably spoil the party anyway.

“I will try almost any food. A taste doesn’t mean you have to eat the whole thing! I think people miss out on a lot of pleasure and enjoyment by obsessing about food!”

Bravo!

Fred Thompson is by far my favorite over and above any other choice out there.

Before he started weighing the odds of running, I’d begun to despair of hope that we’d ever again have a truly solid conservative as a viable candidate. And I had begun to despair of believing there was any hope for the republican party to come back from the edge of the abyss, constantly moving farther and farther left. It may still be too late, I don’t know. But I am wholeheartedly supporting Thompson and praying for the process.

And trying not to think so much of the negative thoughts about how many republican congress critters, etc there are out there just merrily supporting an agenda that is in opposition to true conservative principles.

“and his post-caucus rant on Fox left me even more convinced.”

hmm...missed that....

I’ll have to see if I can catch it replayed or on the internet. On the otherhand I don’t expect Rush to be above showing his frustration and I was surely frustrated with the Iowa caucus as well. I probably ought to be able to identify more with Huckabee than most voters, but I don’t make political decisions in that way. If he truly believes in following Christ, that is great and I have no reason to doubt that he is anything other than a believer.

I hope our next President is a believer. But that does not cause me to support Huckabee above all others. I still look at who each candidate really is. When I look at his record and his words I know that he is not solidly conservative.

I don’t believe he would do the best job of those who are running. In the primary season, where my heart is most invested, I’m hoping and praying that the Republican party will nominate a man who I can vote for and really believe I’m voting for the best possible candidate. Huckabee comes in 3rd or 4rth on my list when I order the candidates from who I most want to vote for down to those who might cause me to break with the party ticket. I may or may not vote for Huckabee if it comes down to it in the final election. Here in Ohio I’ve had my fill of quasi-conservatives who turn out to mess up nearly as bad as (or in some cases even worse than) the democrat candidate would have done.

It’s been all I could do for the last 8 years to keep reminding myself of all the things I do like about Bush while he furthers our societies entitlement mentality as well as several other going-the-way-of-the-marxist problems.

“I like that he has put out policy ideas with substance. I like that he wants to address those things that I believe pose the most hazard to America’s future...The good part is that he is one of the least pandering of the bunch.”

QFT