Your Morning Tea.. Comments welcomed

[FCTP]

"Introducing Morning Tea"

"When you look at the world today,
What is your point of view?"

(Visit www.fctpcommunity.org for more details)

From My Point of View

Never in the history of this great nation have our freedoms been attacked on so many sides. Founded as a Christian nation, with high morals, our America has always been the nation that many other civilized countries desired to be like.
Our citizens cared for each other; loved their country; worked hard to improve themselves, their families and their country; and sacrificed much to protect it. The efforts of the many men and women who have gone to foreign lands and sacrificed much should not be for naught. We, as a nation of free individuals, must do our part.
As citizens of the USA, where have we gone wrong?
We elect men and women who are not qualified for their elected positions. We elect men and women who are working to get elected strictly for greed. We elect men and women who are only interested in the fame and fortune. And occasionally we elect men and women who are so charmed with themselves that they do only what is best for them and not what is best for our country.
We go wrong when, after electing these men and women, we go back to our regular lives and do not hold them accountable for their actions. We do not contact them to let them know they are in those positions because of our vote. We have to remind them often that our vote is what counts and we will work just as hard to vote them out as we did to vote them in.
These can’t be idle threats either. We must follow through by ensuring their removal from office is caused by their loss at the ballot box. But, we also have to ensure that the new person voted in completely and totally understands that we expect them to do the tasks they were elected to do for the good of the majority, not the good of a small minority.
Good men and women in leadership have made mistakes, sometimes very bad mistakes. They make rash decisions without considering the full consequences. They make decisions that are not good for our country – sometimes they know the decision would not be good, but occasionally they don’t. Many of them make decisions based on greed, fear and ignorance.
When we vote for these men and women, do we really know who they are and where their hearts are? Are they intelligent enough, experienced enough, and conservative enough to make the best decisions for our country?
When we get bombarded with all those TV ads during election time – it’s not much of what the candidate wants to make right, but what the other candidate did wrong. Then you hear that the candidate is only sending out “negative ads”. Are they trying to expose the bad things the current elected official has done, trying to make themselves look good, or trying to inform the voters? How do we know for sure? When you vote for a candidate, you most likely will not know the candidate personally. He/she is someone you are learning about through the ads on TV, the big postcards you receive in the mail, or a handshake and a smile you get when you’re introduced to them. Candidates running these days are putting on a show – they’re “movie stars”. They have to be charismatic, energetic, know all the right answers, and have a lot of supporters (both monetarily and volunteers).
Is the candidate who receives the most votes to take office the most qualified or the most popular? It seems like it’s a popularity contest. No way to run a country.
So, we are back to the “where have we gone wrong” question. And then there’s the “how are we going to fix it” question. It can’t be fixed overnight because it wasn’t an overnight decline.
Before we vote for a candidate we will have to study, Google, attend Hob Nobs and straw poll events, read personal Facebook pages, talk to people who know them, learn where they went to school, where they work, where they go to church – learn as much as you can about the candidate. Do they stand for the same issues you stand for? Do they support groups, organizations, bills, laws, etc. that you are against? Are their speeches just senseless rhetoric or are they from the heart? After they are elected, we ALL have to work in whatever way we can to ensure our newly elected officials are trustworthy, ethical, and Constitutional Conservatives. If we practice this when electing them, stay informed, don’t let them sway from the course and try to keep a personal relationship with them, we might – just might - be able to pull this country back from the edge of the cliff. I pray we can accomplish this goal.

Your thoughts?

[Carole McManus]

One of the area's tea party chapters used to meet for Sat. morning coffee.  Anyone up for that?

[robert c tipton]

When I reflect on our current society and our government--at every level--of every stripe--I find it unacceptable to continue on the path that we--yes we-- all of us --have let them take.. When approaching a problem thinking people reflect on the past and embrace those things positive and build on that. The theme of --shall we return to slavery--women not allowed to vote etc. etc. I have heard many times from MSNBC-- CBS --the progressives .Such dribble should be ignored for what it I-- a diversionary tactic There is NO compromise of the basic tenants of our constitution --the only consensus to pursue is how to get there. We must realize that we are in the final days-----( The Romans didn't act in time -- were they were so wedded to the slavery of the welfare state that they had no stomach for rebellion out of fear of losing their spot at the trough  or was it just  complacency ).Have we  betrayed ourselves--akin to a society committing mass suicide. Being weary  is the least of my problem far from it. Rather I feel emboldened that maybe 2 or 3 or more Americans feel action is warranted. I think it is important to note that the overwhelming majority  in America in 1776 were content to be ruled by tyrants The freedom loving minority tried talk--negotiation --consensus . We are currently being ruled once again by tyrants of all stripes and parties. Once again a minority will have to put a stop to the destruction of our freedoms and our way of life. I* don't know what it is but I will keep looking and talking and engaging and when it comes along I will recognize  it--I will act on it --I will do whatever it         takes to make it work. Its that important to me.Our loss of our freedom is like the old story of the frog--Thrw him in a pot of boiling water and he will hop out to save himself aontrasted with putting him in a pot of cool water he becomes content to the point that when you slowly turn up the heat that by the timehe realizes he isbeing boiled alive its too late.

[Franklin W.]

Don't know about anyone else but I personally have never had any interest in communist propaganda......

[amanda choate]

First of all, growing weary is no excuse. The original tea party sparked, not fulfilled a goal of achieving liberty. Second, the message of going back is unappealing to me. I have no interests in going back. How far back? 60 years? Then taxes were 90% on the rich. 100 years? Women couldn't vote. 150 years, slavery was a scourge upon the soul of the nation.
Go forward. Unite. Build consensus. Do the unexpected. The political spectrum is more circular than oppositional. There is common ground with out fellow citizens, no matter their political leaning. We are Americans first.
To put politics above our fellow citizens is a dead end. The tea party will be a force to be reckoned with when they are the majority of the country, not of one party.

[Babs Jordan]

Hi, sorry I'm not more on top of the blogs....we do have Thursday Lunch Bunch already in place.  Carole McManus opens the office at the Salem Center for anyone interested in an exchange. It's generally Thursday's at noon. Good to check the website schedule though to make sure the meeting is on.

There is also a little "Corner Bakery" that looks like it would be a good place to meet at the corner of JTB and Bonneval Rd.

I'm unfortunately not retired, and generally buried in work, so I likely wouldn't be able to join.  But post when you will meet if it's not going to be for Lunch Bunch and I'll try to spread the word.  I'm thinking the benefit of meeting in the Salem Center is privacy, but I see benefits to meeting at a coffee house as well :-)

[robert c tipton]

Patsy--is there a place close to your office we could meet and drink coffee and chat ?

 bob

[Franklin W.]

Where & When?

I am in the Southside of Jax, in the San Marco/Lakewood area.

No idea of a meeting place.  Open to options and suggestions for a place suitable for discussion not socializing.

[Patsy Underwood]

I find it encouraging that the comments below is how the tea party started - way back at our country's beginning and six years ago.  I believe many are weary from the 6 year battle and trying to figure out what to do next.  I would like to join you guys for that cup of coffee and idea exchanging.  Where and when?

[robert c tipton]

Maybe from only 3 a new beginning  is possible. Lets see if others are interested in having a cup of coffee and exchanging ideas. I am retired--80 years old and live in Jax Beach.

 

[Franklin W.]

Perhaps a meeting could be arranged to openly and candidly discuss precisely what Babs and Robert have brought up here.