Nadya Suleman and Her Octuplets

Wow! Fourteen children. I don't know this woman or very much about her, but she must have a heart the size of Texas. Have you listened to any of her interviews on TV? She is very articulate, intelligent, educated. She is actually going for her Masters Degree in counseling! She is no "idiot" as many have called her, she deserves NO death threats, as apparently many have made toward her. Do we wonder why she would make such a decision? Yes. But do we ~ any of us ~ have a right to attack her for her decision, threaten to take her kids away and adopt them out, or belittle her for her way of life? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!

How can ANY one of us complain that she has used disability payments (which she rightly received, not by manipulating any "system") to help pay for raising her children?! How can we say the budget deficit is already too large and therefore she deserves no public assistance (which she hates receiving and has a plan to stop as soon as possible)? How can we be FOR the so-called "stimulus package" of President Obama and yet complain AT ALL about any budget deficit, or about burdens on the taxpayers? You have GOT to be kidding.

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is struggling to close a $42 billion budget gap by cutting services, declined through a spokesman to comment on the taxpayer costs associated with the octuplets' delivery and care. State Sen. Sam Aanestad, R-Grass Valley, an oral surgeon who sits on the Health Committee, said that once a state Medical Board investigation is complete, lawmakers could review issues from government oversight to standards in fertility treatment." Just how many freedoms are we Americans willing to give away anyway?!!! My outrage is NOT toward Nadya, but toward those citizens who are so heartless, and those government officials who would use this as an excuse to take away more of our rapidly eroding personal freedoms.

"It's my opinion that a woman's right to reproduce should be limited to a number which the parents can pay for," Charles Murray wrote in a letter to the Los Angeles Daily News. "Why should my wife and I, as taxpayers, pay child support for 14 Suleman kids?"

"Why should my wife and I, as taxpayers, pay child support for 14 Suleman kids?" ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! Those of us who consider abortion to be murder are yet required AS TAXPAYERS to fund abortions for any and every reason ~ worldwide!!! There are so many things our tax dollars are paying for that we SHOULD be outraged about, and yet we are, for the most part, strangely silent.

And all those who have sent DEATH THREATS to this family actually believe there is less wrong with THAT than there is with having a large family!!!

Would I have made the same decisions Nadya has made? No! But should she have the freedom to choose the size of her family? YES! How many single mothers continue having children out of simply irresponsible choices (too inconvenient to use a condom but oh well, I'm on welfare anyway and always will be, so no big deal)? This is not what Nadya has done. She CHOSE to have a large family. She has a PLAN to improve her life circumstances and NOT BE DEPENDENT on welfare long-term.

She was also berated on talk radio, where listeners accused her of manipulating the system and being an irresponsible mother. "From the outside you can tell that this woman was playing the system," host Bryan Suits said on the "Kennedy and Suits" show on KFI-AM. "You're damn right the state should step in and seize the kids and adopt them out." Berated on talk radio? What kind of people have we become? And "you can tell that this woman was playing the system." How can you tell that? Because I can't tell that. "The state should step in and seize the kids"? Let me ask you, should the state step in and seize kids every time the parents make choices the state doesn't like ~ or you don't like? Because that would certainly make me feel safer in my home. If I insist my kids attend church, should the state step in and "seize them"? If I insist my kids speak respectfully to me and other adults, should the state step in and "seize them"? If I insist my kids do chores around the house and don't pay them minimum wage, should the state step in and "seize them"? If I choose to home school my children, and as a result they score better on every academic test known to man than public school children their age, should the state step in and "seize them"?

Do we think anything through to its logical conclusion anymore here in America? This so-called "stimulus package", or "national healthcare", are 2 things that can ONLY BANKRUPT this country, if you think things through to their logical conclusion. But that doesn't seem to be very popular these days. I want what I want TODAY ~ to hell with tomorrow, to hell with logic, to hell with freedom. Give me, give me, give me. America has become the spoiled brat in the Willie Wonka movie ~ I want it! Give it to me NOW! I don't care! I want it!

Wake up America. Open your eyes and see where your selfishness and greed are taking you and your grandchildren and your great-grandchildren. Work hard and pull YOURSELF up. Stimulate YOUR OWN family economy with delayed gratification, putting even very small amounts into savings, being creative entrepreneurs, helping each other, getting out of debt and staying out of debt... Stop asking and expecting the government to take care of you. That isn't America. There is not ONE SINGLE country in the entire world where socialism has worked, or where national healthcare has worked. Not one. Do your homework. America has always been unique and it has always worked, and because it worked so well, we were able to help other countries and peoples. Now we are becoming more like the other failed countries, and there is no one to help anyone.

It isn't too late... yet... But it is getting close to it. Start by changing your own attitudes, and by voting for people who can help AMERICA for tomorrow, not just you and not just for today.

I hope you will tell me your opinions. And I hope they are not laced with "death threats" because we may disagree. I have been articulate and rational, though passionate. Please do me the same favor.

Paula

I have been reading about the Paula Goodspeed suicide. You know, the one who auditioned on American Idol and was turned away. Goodspeed had been diagnosed with mental illness before she auditioned on the show. Apparently she had already been stalking Paula Abdul, had legally changed her first name from Sandra to Paula, had a personalized license place that referenced Paula Abdul, had Abdul's picture hanging from her rearview mirror, and tried to dress like her and imitate her style. I read that she had been sending disturbing letters and notes to Paula Abdul for almost 18 years before she ever auditioned on Idol. I also read that Paula Abdul, who begged the show's producers not to allow the audition, was shaking and terrified during the audition. And now Goodspeed's family wants to blame her suicide on Simon Cowell's rudeness during the show. Amazing. I am sorry for the tragic death of Paula Goodspeed. But it seems to me she was a ticking time-bomb that could have been triggered by anything. I didn't even think Simon's remarks were all that rude ~ he simply questioned how any performer could sing with "so much metal in her mouth." (Goodspeed wore braces.) If you listen to her interview before the audition, she could barely speak clearly, leaving you wondering how her singing would be. And it wasn't at all good. And as far as criticizing Simon Cowell for his "rudeness": a) the show is extremely popular not only to viewers but to aspiring singers, with Simon being the way Simon is; b) those who have seen the show and know themselves to be "sensitive" to criticism should avoid auditioning in the first place (I know I'm too sensitive to ever give it a try, and so I don't); c) I didn't think Simon's comments were that harsh ~ he could have been saying that without the braces she might have a chance so try again at a later date; and d)as I said before, she was already so troubled that if she hadn't been set off by the show it would have been something else. I pray for her family, I pray for Paula Abdul who I believe is also suffering in all of this, but I do not believe Simon or anyone else is to blame. Please, please, please let's stop always trying to blame someone when something happens. Life happens, life owes us NOTHING, life can be hard, and it can be tragic (believe me, I know), but life is what it is, and no one "deserves" better, or "deserves" a break, or "deserves" to have it easier ~ life just is what it is on this earth. If we want more inner peace as we experience life as it is, there is only one source for that kind of peace, and it isn't having more money, or suing someone for more money, or gaining fame through whatever means so you can get more money ~ seriously, it is ONLY possible with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as your savior. The peace He gives comes from Himself, who loves you and never changes, and His peace is dependent ONLY on Him and not on your outward circumstances. And what He gives He gives because of His great love, NOT because any of us "deserve" it. My heart breaks for those who experience tragedy, such as the family of Paula Goodspeed, and I will continue to pray for them as they have to face each day without the one they love. But I do hope they will stop trying to find someone to blame. It won't help them deal with their loss.

An Un-Christian America

Hello readers. Sorry I have been away so LONG. Wow... Between family stuff, getting ready for the holidays, and the flu ~ well, I haven't even been checking my e-mail regularly, let alone doing blog-stuff. And it might continue to be sparse till after the new year.

There have been a number of things on my mind of late that I would have loved to expound on here if I had been able to sit down and take the time... But most of those thoughts have passed on to be replaced by new ones, so who knows whether I will ever put those others in type. But today I read an article that has my mind a-goin' in yet another direction.

Being a Christian myself, there is much that I have taken for granted about America, believing that America will always be America, even though I could sadly see the decline of Christian foundations and principles and the increase of anti-Christian sentiment. I knew that America was originally founded on Christian principles and that our "triune" government was set up to emulate the triune God, but I never really thought through how inseparably intertwined "America" is with those biblical principles. No. America will NOT always be America if we continue in the current direction.

When Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal," and that this was "self-evident," what did he really mean? Slavery and social hierarchy were extremely obvious and prevalent at the time. What he meant was the equal VALUE of each human life. Not equal rights, equal finances, equal opportunities, equal intelligence... Equal individual value. This is rooted in Christianity. God Himself sees all of us individually as equally worthy of salvation, equally worthy of the shedding of His son's blood. Today, uniquely in the world and in history, Americans have representative democracy, with full citizenship extended to each individual.

In world history we see that some cultures left weak children to die, infanticide was common (still today in many parts of the world), those who wanted sons had no hesitation about killing newborn daughters, humans were even murdered or mauled by animals for entertainment. Christianity contributed to their demise.

Women have traditionally held very low status throughout the history of the world, including Jewish and Muslim societies, and still today in many cultures. Jesus broke the traditional taboos of His time allowing women to travel with Him and be part of His circle of friends and confidantes. Christianity helped to elevate the status of women in society. Christianity introduced the idea that adultery is equally serious for both the man AND the woman, and treated both men and women equally in the rules of divorce

Politically active Christians were at the forefront of the anti-slavery movement. (Watch the movie Amazing Grace about William Wilberforce.) In America, the Quakers were among the first to embrace abolitionism, soon followed by other Christians who believed the biblical notion that human beings are equal in the eyes of God ~ promoting the view that no man has the right to rule another man without his consent. This idea is the moral root of both abolitionism and of democracy.

The greatest events in American history were preceded by massive Christian revivals. The "First Great Awakening" swept the country in the mid-eighteenth century, laying the moral foundation of the American Revolution. Historian Paul Johnson describes the War for Independence as "inconceivable...without this religious background." The revival provided essential support for the ideas that fueled the Revolution. John Adams wrote: "What do we mean by the American Revolution? The war? That was no part of the Revolution; it was only an effect and consequence of it. The Revolution was in the minds of the people...a change in their religious sentiments."

The "Second Great Awakening," which began in the early nineteenth century, fostered the temperance movement, women's suffrage, and the abolitionist movement.

In the twentieth century, Rev. Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech referred back to the Declaration of 1776, a proclamation issued 200 years earlier by a Southern slave owner. Both M.L.K and T. Jefferson reflected the influence of Christianity in American politics.

The modern idea of freedom that we hold so dear is rooted in a respect for the individual. The right to express our opinion, choose a career, buy and sell property, travel where we want, live our own life. We are responsible only to respect the rights of others.

Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher and one of Western civilization's greatest atheists, warns that the ideas that define Western civilization and its freedoms are based on Christianity. He says that because some of these ideas seem to have taken on a life of their own, we might have the illusion that we can abandon Christianity and still retain them. This illusion, he warns, is just an illusion. Remove Christianity and the ideas fall too. Look at the examples of any other culture where this has taken place. Look at Europe where secularization has been occurring for well over a century. Increasingly today there is evidence of the decline of the nuclear family; overall birthrates have plummeted while rates of divorce and out-of-wedlock births are up.

Nietzsche also warned that, with the decline of Christianity new and opposing ideas would rise. Do we see this today in the demands for the radical redefinition of the family and arguments for infanticide? The decline of Christianity would also mean the gradual extinction of the principles of human dignity.

If we cherish what is distinctive about Western civilization, whatever our religious convictions, we should respect rather than denigrate its Christian roots. We should respect rather than denigrate Christianity.

I love America. With the good and the bad, her ups and downs, I love America. I fear for her, though. Without a change of her current direction, I fear that the America we have always known is about to become something else. A victim of selfish disrespect for: the rights of others, the value and dignity of human life, the freedoms of religion and speech, the right of the individual to work hard and attain financial success, the right of the individual to choose NOT to work hard and that same person's right to suffer the realistic consequences of their decisions, the right of free enterprise, the right of personal responsibility and growth, the right of differing opinions... I pray that America will stand, by God's grace, and be America. Apparently what we need is another great, massive revival. Glory to God.

These are my thoughts and opinions. I welcome your input. For now, we still have the right to agree or disagree. Let me know what you think.

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