Constitution catechism nugget

from page 18-19 of The Catechism on the Constitution of the United States:

Q:  May ever the President of the United States be thus impeached and punished?

A:  Yes.  In this free and happy country no man is so great as to be above the law.  The laws are supreme; to them all persons, from the President of the United States to the poorest and the meanest beggar, must alike submit.  This is our glory.  Let every youthful American exult that he has no master but the law; let him mark the man who would change this happy state of things as the enemy of his country; and above all let him remember that as soon as he himself breaks the law, he becomes himself that enemy.  Whoever violates the law helps to weaken its force, and, as far as he disobeys, does what in him lies to destroy it: but he who honors and obeys the law strengthens the law, and thereby helps to preserve the freedom and happiness of his country.  In some governments it is held that "the king can do no wrong;" here we know no king but the law, no monarch but the constitution: we hold that every man may do wrong; that the higher he is in office, the more reason there is that he be obliged to answer for his conduct; and that as a great officer, if treacherous, is a great criminal, so he  ought to be made to suffer a great and exemplary punishment."

Remember a few months back when Obama was subpoenaed to a GA court and didn't appear?  If that were you or me, we would have a warrant out for our arrest and the next time the police interacted with us, we would be hauled off to jail.  Since we have no king, then technically no one is above the law.  But the reality seems to be that Obama thinks himself above the law and we must also think so since we have not called him to accountability. Even a subpoena for a baseless case must be obeyed.
In January, we took a family vacation to the northwest.  Jamie received a subpoena that required him, in the middle of our vacation, to appear at a DUI hearing he had to testify in.  We tried everything possible to continue the case so it wouldn't interrupt our vacation...to no avail.  We had to rearrange our plans so that Jamie could fly to San Diego in order to appear in court.  I won't elaborate on the incredible headache it was to accomplish this, but Jamie was threatened that if he did not appear in court, he would have a warrant.  Enough said.  "No man is above the law."  If law enforcement isn't, then should the President be?  No one ought to be.  We do not have a king who is above the law.  We are all subject to it.

"We are a nation of laws and not of men." ~John Adams

"If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself."  (Federalist 51)

"If every man were perfectly virtuous, and knew what would be best for himself and others, they might [govern themselves].  But this is far from being the case; and therefore the people of every country are and must be governed." (Elementary Catechism...)

Constitutional betrayal = treason

"...whoever goes contrary to [the Constitution] betrays his country, injures you, injures me, betrays us all, and is deserving of the heaviest punishment.  Whoever, on the contrary, loves and keeps it sacred, is his country's friend, secures his own safety, and farthers the happiness of all around him.  Let every American learn, from his earliest years, to love, cherish and obey the Constitution.  Without it he can neither be a great or a good citizen; without this his name will never be engraved with honor in the pages of our history, nor transmitted, like that of Washington, with praises and blessings to a late posterity."

~Elementary Catechism on the Constitution of the United States for the use of schools by Arthur J. Stansbury, p.10

This is a great book.  I read about a page and a half to my boys every morning at breakfast for five days in a row.  We discuss it and understand it.  It's an easy way to teach the Constitution and our unique form of government to your children and to learn about it yourself.


When I first read this section, I had to read it again and again.  It sort of knocked me upside the head and brought to mind one person in particular who has very nearly wiped his rear end with our glorious Constitution.  These words are so relevant for our president today and so many politicians who swear an oath that they will uphold and defend the Constitution and yet defy it in every way they can in order to have their own will done.  To know that this offense was not taken lightly in the past and should not be taken lightly now is vital.  Yet, we are so overwhelmed by the multiple attempts and successes to blatantly disregard and defy of the Constitution that we can hardly keep up.  But really one offense is enough to call out the President and any other leader who will betray us and the Constitution.  To not defend it is nothing short of treason --- "whoever goes contrary to [the Constitution] betrays his country, injures you, injures me, betrays us all, and is deserving of the heaviest punishment."  Our checks and balances have become ever so corrupt that they no longer hold one another accountable.  The legislature buddies up with the president who matches their party and agenda and the president appoints agenda activated judges that will do his bidding.  It is becoming difficult to differentiate our government from an oligarchy.  Once the picturesque ideal of a Republic, the image is becoming blurry and faded and our "public servants" are becoming the elite that assert their will upon us.


"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."  (Presidential oath of office)   ....well then do it!  And we the people ought to raise our voices and use our vote to recall any who will not do the job they were hired to do.

Aunt Toby's killer mac n cheese

Enjoy!

From my darling Aunt Toby:

Heat oven to 375.

Nuke 1/2 of a cube of butter

Add 1/4 cup of flour right into the measuring cup with the butter

Add 2 cups of milk.

Nuke and stir until thick. Check often, it will boil over.

Cook 8 oz of macaroni. [I use 12 oz. of whatever pasta I have on hand.]

I use jarlsburg, sharp cheddar and havarti.

Slice.

Layer macaroni, cheese, etc.

Top with white sauce.

Bake until brown on top. (About 35 minutes)

Easy and 1,000 per bite!

depraved electorate

"The danger to America is not Barack Obama, but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails America. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The Republic can survive a Barack Obama, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools, such as those who made him their president."

This quote was translated into English from an article appearing in the Czech Republic as published in the Prager Zeitung of 28 April 2010.

My kids are making me smarter

I was at a restaurant last week and there was a stack of Trivial Pursuit cards on the table.  I told Jamie to read some to me.  I normally stink at Trivial Pursuit.  I ended up answering about 80% of the questions correctly and all except one were things I have learned since home schooling my kids.  As I like to say, "I'm learning so much!"  I looked at Brandon and said, "Dude, you guys are making me smarter!"  He responded, "Thanks, Mom!"  Like he's teaching me...which he is...sorta.  ;)

A dream in a dream (no, not the Princess Bride line)

We were listening to an audio book of Swiss Family Robinson on our hour-long drive to our history co-op the other day when Silas announces that the story was like a dream: "No," he said, "a dream in a dream."  "Do you know why?" he said.  "Because the world isn't like Heaven.  Heaven is real, but the world isn't real.  The world is like a dream."

Cheryl Broderson, daughter of Pastor Chuck Smith and wife of Pastor Brian Broderson, stated one day on "Pastor's Perspective," a radio call-in show, that the spiritual realm is more real than the material realm.

True it is that this world will one day pass away and our focus must now and forever be on eternity.  How beneficial it is to look at the big picture and to not dwell on and be overwhelmed by the seeming largeness of our current circumstances.  Taking a step back to get a grip and to look at the big picture, God's master plan; and to realize that the little things are only a part of a much bigger thing that God is accomplishing in our lives.

Yes, Heaven is more real than earth.  Eternity will dwarf this life.  Our time here is indeed only a mist that appears for a moment and then is gone. (Jas. 4:14)  So, don't get too caught up in your struggles and temptations.  We can be self-controlled for a moment so that we may glory in eternity.  Our present sufferings are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us. (Rom. 8:18)

Occupy this earth until He comes, but keep your eyes up because our redemption draws near. (Lk. 21:28)

don't judge.

I think we often confuse "judging" for identifying what is clearly right or wrong. We have discernment for a reason, so we can know what is right and wrong (not to mention that God clearly tells us most of it straight up). What a confused culture we live in where we can not clearly state what is right before our very eyes. It's like The Emperor's New Clothes. Still, in stating and discerning the obvious, it is not our place to condemn or hate anyone. We are to still be ever so loving. It is a bootcamp I am currently training in...and I am so glad for it. Because I firmly believe there is a way to honor people, not agree, but still love deeply. I am totally thrilled to learn this lesson. It is one I have been anxious to learn for a while now. Bring it!

In all I am currently dealing with, I was initially concerned that I might start fading the black and white lines to a hazy gray. And slip into compromise. But, quite the opposite has occurred. I feel and have total clarity regarding right & wrong, black & white, good & evil, truth & deception. Clarity like never before...and I'm already a pretty black & white gal. Where I first thought I could sort of sympathize and understand, I find that I simply can not understand. Crazy lies. Sad deception. Everything in nature is so obvious.  I can sympathize, though, with the idea that people live with gnawing secrets for too long. I think it so heart breaking that anyone would have to live that way.

I see that things are not as complicated as culture claims them to be. Today, I sat in a writing workshop while a discussion ensued over the issue of abortion. I silently observed. It ended with the dejected statement of surrender, “it's a complicated issue.” 
No, it's not. 
It is not complicated. 
Life is life. If it breathes, has a heartbeat and brainwaves, and is currently growing into a human being, then I think we can assess that it is a human life. And snuffing out that life is murder. Even a child knows this. 
It is our “forward thinking," endless & often unnecessary discussions that become confusing. Confusion seems to result in “it's complicated.” No, you're confused. Put yourself in your right mind and recognize what is before your own eyes. If we would just look at the very thing right before us and stop listening to the lies, then things become very clear. We listen to the lies and let them totally cloud out reason and proof. “The emperor is wearing a glamorous robe.” “Oh, have you ever seen such rich fabric?” “What an immaculate new wardrobe he has!” Everybody's saying it so it must be true, right? Then a child looks at us all like we have lost our minds (because we practically have), and states truly, “The emperor is naked.” And we all ought to glance at each other and start whispering amongst ourselves, “You know, I thought he was naked too.” But no, we see the crystal clear, visible proof literally before our eyes and we still stupidly and stubbornly insist that what we are being told is the truth. 

We have totally allowed ourselved to be completely brainwashed.