Your Moral Compass

New Beginnings

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:35:00 +0000

Those of you who know me understand that my life is accustomed to moving at a comparatively slow rate. Having been in EMS for a number of years, I’m used to working a lot of hours in a short timeframe and then having several days in a row off. My pace has been dramatically changed and I’m having a difficult time transitioning.

Recently, I accepted a government job that required my family and me to relocate to a more centralized area of the state. The move was hectic enough. Preparing to move, packing, cleaning, disconnecting utilities, reconnecting utilities, etc. are all taxing in themselves. Then, you make the move which requires you to live in total chaos as you unload, unpack and reset everything you’ve acquired in your lifetime back up. Through in the mix, a new job with a totally foreign schedule and you’ve got the makings of a major stress filled scenario.

I’m now a Monday thru Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM person. I love that this new schedule allows me to be home every night with my gorgeous family, but I’ve quickly come to the realization that there isn’t enough hours in the day or enough energy in my body to do everything I used to do. Throw in the mix that I have recommitted my life to the service of Christ and that Lezlie and I feel led to participate and help out with our new church’s youth group on Wednesday and two church services on Sunday’s - where is the time to get stuff done that I used to have?

My wife is a natural at moving at warp speed and having multiple irons in the fire at one time. She is an excellent juggler. Me, not so much! I’m really having to work hard at it. Still, I’m confident that we’re right in the middle of where God wants us to be at this time in our lives. This move has been ordained since we first considered it. God has opened every door and His leading has been very clear. We have not had to work at making anything in this move happen. From finding our new home to finding our new church to Lezlie working out a deal that allows her to continue in her present role at her job, but work from home most of the week. Hallelujah! God is powerful, gracious, and merciful.

I’m confident that we’ll settle into a new routine and that I’ll adjust to working bankers hours. I’m thankful for the way God is working in our lives, for second (or many more than second) chances, for the amazing friends that God is putting into our lives, for my amazing family of whom I have been so blessed to have, for my career which is moving in the direction I had always envisioned it heading, and for a God who knows me by name, loves me despite of myself, and considers me His friend.

We The People by Ray Stevens!

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 05:23:00 +0000

90 Year-Old Veteran Of THREE Wars and Medal Of Honor Recipient Forced To Remove His Nation's Flag From His Lawn

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:59:00 +0000

Fox News - A Medal of Honor recipient in a dispute over his right to fly the American flag in his yard will have another week before D-Day -- when he'll be forced to take down the Stars and Stripes or face legal action.

Ninety-year-old Col. Van T. Barfoot, a veteran of three wars, initially was given a 5 p.m. Friday deadline to dismantle his flagpole or face a legal battle over violating an order from his townhouse community association in Henrico County, Va.

Barfoot, who fought in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam, was told in July that he could not put up his freestanding flagpole in his Sussex Square neighborhood — but he installed it anyway.

On Tuesday, he says, he got a letter from the homeowners' association telling him the 21-foot pole he erected in September violates the community's aesthetic guidelines.

Read Entire Story

Instead of a "thank you for faithful service in your call to duty (3 times)" a home owners association is telling the 90 year-old Medal of Honor recipient that his flag pole, in which he has proudly displayed his allegiance to the U.S., violates the association's aesthetic guidelines. Retired Army Col. Van T. Barfoot, distinguished service member did more in one battle than most soldiers do in their entire military careers. Read his Medal of Honor Citation for yourself. He is a highly decorated retired veteran of more than thirty years and three wars.

First of all, I HATE HOA's. Always have, always will. Their very existence is Socialistic in concept. HOA's do not pay a home owner's mortgage and/or their property taxes and therefore should NOT be allowed to tell a home owner what he/she can and cannot do on his/her property. No one bats an eye anymore at giving up the liberties that people like this notable American hero fought so selflessly to protect.

Right off the back, I can guarantee the argument that no one is forced to purchase a home in any community is going to come up. This is true and I can’t argue against it, but some things in this country ought to be sacred and the right to place a flag pole in your yard and proudly display your country’s flag should be one of them; especially when you take such good care to follow proper flag etiquette by raising the banner and lowering the banner at the proper times each day for more than thirty years. A flag pole with your nation’s flag on it isn't going to lower property values, the very thing HOA’s were charted to protect.

This is unpatriotic anytime, but particularly at a time when our soldiers are off fighting for our national interests. This HOA and any others with similar restrictions should be ashamed of themselves for spitting in the face of their motherland and all the fighting men and women who have answered the call to serve their countries interests. I’m pleased to see that U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va has taken up the cause of this patriot (although, I’m a bit surprised to find out that he is a Democrat, but I digress).

Even if you support the right of the HOA to disparage a person’s right to demonstrate their patriotism, exceptions can be made to any rule and if you can’t make an exception for a man who single handily destroyed two machine gun nests, stared down an enemy tank with a bazooka and destroyed it and captured 17 enemy combatants, and carried 2 fellow soldiers 1700 yards to safety all in one day, who can you make an exception for.

This HOA is a classic example of everything that is wrong with America and the decay that is eroding what makes America the greatest nation on earth. This isn’t a simple case of complying with the restrictions in the HOA guidelines. This is much much bigger and if you can’t see that, then perhaps you should go serve on the front lines for a period of time.

The Silent Monks Perform the Hallelujah Chorus

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:34:00 +0000

The New Democratic Designer Drug!

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:38:00 +0000

Obama as the cover picture is absolutely appropriate!

Oklahoma Trooper Defends Use of Force in Report

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:34:00 +0000

In June, I brought to your attention the unprofessional conduct of an Oklahoma State Trooper that should have resulted in the loss of his job. Trooper Daniel Martin is back in the news again for yet another incident involving his inability to control his temper. How many more times will this loose canon be allowed to disparage his profession and the entire public service arena?

The AP story of Trooper Daniel Martin's abusive behavior. -

An Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper defends his use of a baton in a second case involving claims he used excessive force.

The patrol released Trooper Daniel Martin's report Friday on the latest incident after an open records request by The Associated Press.

Martin says 28-year-old Kristopher Douglas disobeyed four requests to move back from a traffic stop Oct. 3 in Holdenville. He says he struck Douglas' left thigh once.

Douglas says he was trying to enter a friend's house when troopers arrived. He is charged with obstructing an officer.

Martin and another trooper remain on administrative leave pending an investigation.

In July, Martin was suspended without pay after scuffling with a paramedic during a traffic stop involving an ambulance.

Holdenville is 75 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.

Obama The Great Failure

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 06:24:00 +0000

Despite his effort to get SEIU union jobs in Chicago by personally lobbying in Copenhagen for the 2016 Olympics, Barack Obama now has yet another failure to add to the impressive list of failures he is stacking up.

Most Transparent Administration - Failure

North Korea - Failure

Socialized Health Care by August - Failure

Iraq - Surrender

Russia - Putin is laughing at him - Failure

Iran - Laughing in our faces as they launch missiles and claim enough plutonium to build a bomb - Failure

Afghanistan - 43 dead troops since General McCrystal asked for reinforcements and no response - Heading for failure

Olympics in Chicago - Failure

Unlike Bush, who was disliked by many socialist nations in Europe and the world, but respected... Obama is a laughing stock and a failure.

Its going to be a rough 4 years as the "Novice-in-Chief" continues to flail away.

I do not take pleasure in this. It is truly disturbing.

Unless Obama dumps his leftist advisers and moves to the middle, he is going down as worse than Jimmy Carter and the USA is going to be in a dangerous and ultimately worse shape.

Auburn Journal.com

Since becoming POTUS, Obama has failed to achieve victory in anything. Even the leaders of other countries scoff at him. The IOC is just the latest slap in the face to his over inflated narcissistic ego, placing him squarely back in the real world.

Unemployment continues to balloon out of control due to Obama's dismal economic policies. The stimulus plan is a complete and utter failure!!! Meaningful health care reform is failing to gain any ground and his push for a public option is failing. Government Motors is closing down a whole division on the cusps of his nationalized car companies formation (which by the way, has done nothing but make people committed to NOT buying GM in the future).

People all over the world are beginning to realize just what an empty suit this liberal puppet is. He's failed at least three times to convince world leaders to back him, once in France, once at the UN and once at the G20 summit. American leaders are beginning to realize that Obama and his failed policy attempts are going to be the ruin of their political careers. Obama can't even unite his own party, let alone the United States of America.

Obama is the biggest joke this nation has ever known. Obama, after learning about the IOC decision stated, " it is always a worthwhile endeavor to promote and boost the United States." WHAT??? This coming from the man who traveled all over the world on his 'apology' tour bashing America? This from the man who thinks American's are all racists? Obama is the biggest hypocrite of all time.

How can anyone look another human being in the face and say that Obama is one of the greatest leaders this country has ever known? What has he led on? What has he been successful at? Who has he united? Where are his successes?

Pledge of Confusion?

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:21:00 +0000

It's a new school year, but an old fight is brewing in American classrooms. Teachers and administrators around the country are scratching their heads once again over the Pledge of Allegiance.

The courts have consistently ruled that students have the right not to recite the pledge in public schools. But now some First Amendment advocates are taking it one step further, arguing that the law compels educators to inform kids at the beginning of school that the decision is entirely up to them.

Read Complete Story

I'm torn about this. I'm a deeply patriotic person. I've served my country. I continue to serve the public. There's no avoiding the anxiety and fear, however that I have about this once great country of ours. The America that I live in today, is not the same America that I pledged allegiance to as a child. The liberal movement in America has so blurred who we once were and the things that we stood for that made us great, that I don't even really know who America is anymore.

I'm a grown man, with a fair amount of understanding about the world and how it works and if I'm this uncertain myself, do I really want my kids reciting that pledge? Doesn't that send them a mixed message about making promises you can't truthfully make? I mean, I wouldn't pledge allegiance to this country under the present leadership and direction this nation is heading. Why would I expect my kids to recite empty words?

America is a very dangerous place to be right now. Not dangerous like living in some third world country under a brutal dictatorship...but dangerous like we've lost our identity and our moral compass. If we can't keep our moral compass in our ever changing world, how do we expect the rest of the world to tow the line? I can't pledge allegiance to a nation that is promoting socialism, pushing the liberal agenda so hard that people of morality are demonized, and with leadership that is weakening our nation defensively, fiscally, and morally.

I want very much for my children to have a deep sense of patriotism and serve their fellow countrymen, but they have nothing worthy of pledging allegiance too. I don’t really know how to proceed with my kids in areas like this. I’ve lost my hope in this country and the future scares the living daylights out of me.

Recently, I was engaged in a conversation with a dear relative of mine who accused me of having the socialistic stance compared to that of our national leadership. This discussion took place during the rage that was sweeping America over Obama’s indoctrination speech to our children, in which we kept our kids out of school for.

His argument against me was that I am basically brainwashing my children, because I won’t let them decide for themselves whether or not our leadership is harming America in this present day. I explained that I couldn’t disagree with him more.

My children are 8 and 6 years old. They have no real understanding about how choices made today can dramatically affect so many others for such a long period of time. They’re developing their moral compass and as responsible parents, it’s my wife’s and my job to teach them right from wrong, lives lessons about choice and consequence, and instill in them a value system that will make them productive and responsible members of society.

In short, they’re too young to understand the complexities of how badly Obama and the liberal movement are damaging our nation with lasting bad choice after bad choice. So, we, as parents, must make choices about how best to protect them from the rhetoric of the worst President and congress in American history. We must make choices about how best to explain to them why they are not allowed to watch the speech of an irresponsible man, who has no business speaking to elementary aged school children.

It pains us to look our children in the eye and tell them that our nations President and congress are bold face liars with a seemingly endless lack of morality. How do you explain to a child who knows that killing the defenseless unborn child is a terrible wrong, yet our President sponsored the very bills that support unchecked murder of the unborn? Or how do you have a discussion with them about how our tax system is supposed to work, when the news is pouring in about our leadership cheating the tax system? How do you try to teach them fiscal responsibility when our leadership is spending us into oblivion? How do you explain to a child the need to work for the things in life you want, when our nation is making entitlements our national way of life?

No, I am not the socialist. I am the responsible parent who wants my children to stand for morality, integrity, honesty, and responsibility. It is my first job as a parent to educate my children and give them the tools they need to one day - when they reach an age of maturity and understanding - make responsible, informed, and moral choices for themselves.

The Wizards of Washington

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:38:00 +0000

Acute ST-Elevation MI Declining in US

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:15:00 +0000

By Michelle Rizzo

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jul 24 - The incidence of acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction has steadily decreased in the US since 1996, regardless of gender or ethnicity, to the lowest rates in years.

The researchers retrospectively examined data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from 1988 to 2004 to determine the trend in age-adjusted incidence of inpatient acute STEMI. They also assessed the incidence by gender and by various races. The findings are published in the July issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.

The database contained 1,352,574 patients, at least 40 years of age, who were diagnosed with STEMI between 1988 to 2004. The patients had a mean age of 66.06 years.

The age-adjusted STEMI rate was almost two times higher among men than among women (62.4% versus 37.6%, respectively). The age-adjusted rate for all acute STEMIs remained steady from 1988 to 1996 (108.32 per 100,000 in 1988; to 102.5 per 100,000 in 1996).

The age-adjusted incidence steadily decreased to half the incidence of the previous 8 years from 1996 onward (50.0 per 100,000 by 2004, p < 0.01).

This is good news. I was surprised by their findings. Health care in general has changed in the ten years I've been doing EMS. New and improved medications, new technologies, better informed patients, etc. Maybe one day they'll actually be able to prevent heart attacks all together. That's bad news for job security. :0)

Obama is a Blatant Liar

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:04:00 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama said Tuesday that political motives are behind GOP efforts to block the overhaul of health care in Congress.

President Obama takes on critics of health care legislation in remarks Tuesday at the White House.

In a Rose Garden statement from the White House, Obama said Republicans "who openly announce their intentions to block this reform" would "rather score political points" than confront an ailing health care system that is draining the federal budget while leaving 46 million Americans uninsured.

"Time and again we've heard excuses to delay and defeat reform," Obama said a day after Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele called for blocking health care legislation under debate in Congress.

The president said such tactics "play the politics of the moment instead of putting the interests of the people first."

He opens his mouth and proves once again how disconnected he is from the rest of the country. I oppose nationalized health care and it has nothing to do with political tactics. I'm against further denigrating this nation by reinforcing laziness. Social handouts do nothing to improve our country. We're already a nation of expected entitlements.

Every person who has looked at both the House and Senate versions of the proposed Bills have agreed that Obama is a bold face American liar. While this legislation will let you maintain your present policies, the minute anything changes in your status (no matter how insignificant your change) you WILL lose your present policy and be forced to enroll in a policy that is designed by the government. Obama knows this, but he is again recklessly lobbying to have inadequate and horribly crafted legislation passed BEFORE the American people are fully informed. Can anyone say, "Stimulus?"

What has the federal government ever done in a cost effective manner and done it efficiently. It can't even make it's own deadlines for preparing reports about where they can make the cuts Obama says are necessary to very partially fund his handout to America.

Then, in a slap in the face to all American soldiers and veteran's, Obama and his political allies dramatically weakened a nation today by cutting the funding to the unmatched and most technologically advanced fighter jet in the world. If we don't continue to stay ahead of the rest of the world in military innovation, then we are just inviting military confrontations.

Your president is the worst in history. I wondered who would be worse - him or Carter - and it's clear that he is surpassing Carter in every category of terrible.

No One Ever Seizes Power With The Intention Of Relinquishing It.

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:10:00 +0000

“Now I will tell you the answer to my question. It is this. The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power. Not wealth or luxury or long life or happiness; only power, pure power. What pure power means you will understand presently. We are different from all the oligarchies of the past in that we know what we are doing. All the others, even those who resembled ourselves, were cowards and hypocrites. The German Nazis and the Russian Communists came very close to us in their methods, but they never had the courage to recognize their own motives. They pretended, perhaps they even believed, that they had seized power unwillingly and for a limited time, and that just round the corner there lay a paradise where human beings would be free and equal. We are not like that. We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?”

“We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it.” I wonder if he knew just how prophetic his words would be when he penned them. Obama and the worst congress in history are recklessly hurrying through legislation, because they know they only have a limited amount of time before the masses begin to realize just how damaging they really are to America.

The truly unfortunate aspect of this, however, is that the damage will be done before America stands up and calls them on it. By then they will have unprecedented power. By then, the money and lifestyle that they have worked so hard to obtain and maintain will be public domain at the pleasure of the government. By then, their liberties and freedoms will be controlled and dispensed at the pleasure of the government. By then, their healthcare will be dictated and rationed at the pleasure of the government. By then, private business will no longer be in control of their destiny and will be told who they can hire/fire, what products they can/cannot produce, and who/where they will be allowed to market those products.

Wake up America.

We The People!

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:26:00 +0000

Oklahoma Trooper Interferes With Patient Care and Assaults EMT

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:35:00 +0000

I was astounded to catch a report of this story on Fox News this evening. Let me set this up for you. The ambulance has a sick patient in the back that they are transporting without lights and without sirens to a local hospital.

The trooper in the video is attempting to respond to a separate emergency. The trooper approaches the ambulance at a high rate of speed with only his warning lights on and rides the bumper of the ambulance. This is equivalent to being on the bumper of a semi. The ambulance is box shaped and that is why every fire truck and ambulance says stay back 100 feet, because we can't see what's going on directly behind us.

The driver of the ambulance does not see or hear the trooper behind him, which apparently works to enrage this trooper. When the driver finally realizes the trooper is behind him, he pulls over. As the trooper passes he comments rudely on the radio' "try checking your rear views," or something to that effect, and the driver responds with a gesture of surprise, which the trooper would later claim he thought was an obscene gesture.

The trooper then comes back and stops the ambulance. The paramedic, thinking that there must be some kind of medical emergency accounting for the erratic behavior and driving of the trooper, gets out and attempts to determine what the problem is and help. The paramedic explains that they have a patient and pleads with the trooper to follow them to the hospital and deal with the situation after patient care has been transferred. The trooper then tries to forcefully arrest the paramedic, who resists (as I believe he should have) because the patient is under his care. The trooper places the paramedic in a choke hold, which is against police procedure. The trooper eventually relents and the patient is transported.

Attorney Gary Jones, representing Trooper Martin, stated that Trooper Martin was within his legal authority to stop the ambulance because the ambulance was not running with its lights or sirens on. James also said the paramedic escalated the situation by challenging the trooper. While it is true that the Trooper was within his legal right to stop the ambulance, that does not excuse the fact that he did or the fact that he needlessly assaulted the paramedic and tried to force him to abandon his patient.

The trooper's only defense is that the paramedic made matters worse by getting out of the back of the ambulance. Points to ponder here...the treating paramedic is the one in charge of that ambulance. The responsibility for the patient's care and everything that happens in the course of that call falls squarely on the shoulders of that paramedic. This wasn't like a typical traffic stop where an officer would have to worry about a perp getting out of a vehicle that he was stopping. I maintain, that this course of defense for the officer is absolutely absurd.

This whole matter was instigated by an out of control police officer. I encourage you to read the paramedic's written report of the incident. I hope that this trooper loses his job. The unprofessional conduct of this officer, coupled with his inability to maintain control, his flagrant disregard for the well-being of the patient being cared for, his reckless driving, and his apparent lack of knowledge of the law concerning Paramedic's in the line of duty make him a danger to the community at large and a disgrace to his community and profession.

I'm happy to say, that in general, emergency public agencies enjoy a high level of professional courtesy both on and off duty. Very rarely does a police officer act against an EMT or Firefighter, very much like they provide the same courtesy to fellow police officers. Stories like this paint a mostly false picture of public service cooperation that distorts the professions we chose to serve in.

In the end, the D.A. opted not to prosecute either side of this scuffle. The D.A. would have been in a worse case scenario. While the officer was with in his right to stop the ambulance, he also committed a felony when he assaulted the paramedic and interfered with the medical treatment of his patient.

For more detail on this story visit KOTV's website.

Why I Am Abandoning GM And Other American Car Companies

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:52:00 +0000

General Motors Corporation

Attn: Ed Peper, North American Vice President
P.O. Box 33170
Detroit, MI 48232-5170

Dear Sir, 26-May-09

Today, I received in the mail a form letter signed by Ed Peper, encouraging my family to continue to buy Chevrolet. I felt compelled to write and inform you that, although we have always bought GM, we will no longer do so. In fact, I am in the market for a new pickup truck to pull our camper; however, GM is not going to be a consideration for us in our selection.

The reason for our abandoning GM in their time of need is very simple. GM no longer stands for General Motors. It stands, instead, for Government Motors. When GM or any other American car company can be told who it can employ, how it will conduct its business, and what kind of products it will produce from a government administration, especially the Obama administration, then I will no longer support that company.

The bailout and the Obama administration’s participation in GMs future are costing you business. For too long, GM has been saddled by the unions and made terrible contract concessions. GM has never maintained its resale value, like that of Toyota, Honda and other foreign car companies. Had you worked on these issues sooner, GM would not be in the predicament it is in now. GMs failures as a company will dramatically hurt this nation’s economy, but I would rather the economy suffer than validate Obama and/or the federal government’s involvement in private business practices.

Mr. Obama...Dead is Dead No Matter How You Candy Coat It.

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Fri, 15 May 2009 05:57:00 +0000

Thanks to my friend Sten, for turning me onto this.

The Commemoration of My Life

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:31:00 +0000

This past weekend my family and I traveled back to my home in Indiana to celebrate the life of my great aunt. My aunt is dying of leukemia and though we will honor her in her death, it was a very joyous occasion to honor her in life. See, my aunt is part of a large family and has amassed a vast number of friends and we’ve all been blessed and honored to have been a part of her life and her, a part of ours.

During the gathering on Saturday, among the 450+ people that attended, I was fortunate to overhear many wonderful stories about how my aunt has touched the lives of so many. Listening to all of the stories made me begin to think about how my life will be remembered.

I’ve made many mistakes in life. Some were huge and some weren’t so big, but they all taught me something and helped to shape me into the man I am today. Many periods in my life I wish were easier to travel through, but character isn’t achieved during the times that are peaches and cream. I’m thankful for every dumb thing I have ever done, because those things are the ones that have been the biggest factors in making me, well, me.

When your time comes, what will people remember most about you? For me, I hope people always remember me as someone who spent his life in the service of others. I want to be remembered as someone who cared deeply about the needs of others and who worked to ease the burden of those I encountered. I am never happier than when I can do for others, that which they cannot do for themselves.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” What an excellent tenet to govern you life.

No one expects his or her lives to be cut short. My aunt never thought that her time would draw near at such a great age. What about you? Are you living your life in a manner reflective of how you want to be remembered? Even in the valley of the shadow of death my aunt inspires me. What an amazing person she is.

Ron Paul: Secession is American

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:33:00 +0000

Finally, I agree with something Ron Paul says. I'm seriously thinking secession. I have never been more ashamed of my government and the people of America who elected them. The positive is that Obama's popularity numbers are in decline and I predict he'll be out after the first term.

Resident's of New Orleans Should Reimburse U.S.

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 20:20:00 +0000

When I read the following headline on Fox News I was dumbfounded. Trial Starts Monday in Suit Against Army Corps of Engineers for Katrina Flooding. I think the Corps should receive a medal for keeping the residents of a "disaster waiting to happen" city safe for as long as they have. This isn't rocket science people, when you build a metropolitan area below sea level in the middle of the swamp it is eventually going to flood, no matter what you do to prevent it. Those people who are rebuilding in this location are complete idiots!

The article quotes residents arguing "the corps' poor maintenance of the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, a shipping channel dug in the 1960s as a short-cut between the Gulf of Mexico and New Orleans, led to the wipeout of St. Bernard Parish and the city's Lower Ninth Ward when Katrina struck in August 2005." Come on, seriously? What do you think is going to happen when you’re an Oceanside city built below sea level surrounded by swamp?

"It's really something the people of St. Bernard and the Lower 9th Ward, and New Orleans East, everybody in that area, have needed for a long time. What happened there should not happen in the United States of America," said plaintiffs' attorney John Andry. "It's the largest preventable catastrophe in American history." Yeah, because the United States of America is exempt from the wrath of Mother Nature and the laws of physics. The only way this catastrophe could have been prevented, is if the city had never been located there to begin with. You can't cheat the odds and the odds were, are, and always will be that New Orleans is going to flood for reasons already mentioned in this blog.

I was all about getting them the immediate help they needed to survive, but I am not sympathetic to their claims of victimization. The blame for the loss of life, the damage to property and the lack of preparation lie squarely on the shoulders of the people dumb enough to live there to begin with.

Christian's Must Start Defending Their Rights and LIberties

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:26:00 +0000

I'm thrilled to read that two college students are defending their right to practice their religion and rally against the oppression and attack of a morally deficient and corrupt nation. We’ve allowed the liberal and godless minority to become louder than we who should be publicly living our faith and reaching out to a dying world.

As Christians, we should seek out peace and forgiveness, but we must balance that with the advancement of the cross. Apathy is the enemy and simply doing nothing in defense of our faith is corrupting our world. Beyond our God given right to practice our religion, it is also our constitutional right. If three people want to pray privately, how can that be a violation of any institutions policies?

The case detailed in the following article is a testament to two incredibly brave college students in one of the most amoral and sinful cities in our nation. I pray that God’s vengeance will reign down on this college and a precedence of protection for a Christian’s rights will be set. Please join me in praying on behalf of these two brave Christian’s and for Christianity in this nation.

San Fransico Chronicle - Two students who were threatened with suspension at the College of Alameda after one of them prayed with an ailing teacher in a faculty office can sue the community college district for allegedly violating their freedom of speech, a federal judge has ruled.

The students, Kandy Kyriacou and Ojoma Omaga, said college officials at first told them they were being suspended for "disruptive behavior," then held disciplinary hearings and sent them letters warning that they would be punished if they prayed in a teacher's office again.

The women sued, and U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ruled in San Francisco that their case could proceed, saying a college student has the right to pray in private outside the classroom.

Although a public college, like other government agencies, must refrain from endorsing religion, Illston said in her March 31 ruling that an objective observer probably wouldn't have thought that the Alameda community college was making any such endorsement just because the teacher bowed her head while the student was praying.

The case dates from the fall of 2007, when Kyriacou and Omaga were studying fashion design and merchandising at the two-year college and took breaks from class to pray with each other and other students on a balcony, according to their suit.

Kyriacou prayed with the teacher, Sharon Bell, at an office Bell shared with other teachers, on two occasions in November and December 2007. The second time, a day when Bell was feeling ill, another teacher entered the office and told Kyriacou, "You can't be doing that in here," and the student stopped praying and left, the suit said.

Kyriacou and Omaga received suspension notices 10 days later. Omaga was accused of praying disruptively in class, Illston said, citing testimony at the students' disciplinary hearings.

The students' suit seeks an acknowledgment of their rights, an apology and removal of all disciplinary action, but no damages apart from attorneys' fees, said Steven Wood, one of the lawyers.

In seeking dismissal of the suit, lawyers for the Peralta Community College District argued that the school was entitled to designate faculty offices as "places for teaching and learning and working," and not for "protests, demonstrations, prayer or other activities" that would be disruptive.

The students countered that they were being punished for the content of their speech, not its disruptiveness.

Illston said the students could try to prove that the school treated religious expression more harshly than other speech.

Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute, which is representing the students, said, "It is alarming that a publicly funded college would seek to suspend and expel students for praying on campus, then dig in its heels to defend an untenable, unconstitutional position."

Jeff Heyman, a spokesman for the college district, said its leaders "respect freedom of speech and the First Amendment," but would not comment on a pending case.

Obama Administration Caught In Another Lie on Mexican Gun Statistics

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:05:00 +0000

Recently, there has been much dialogue on the drug violence in Mexico knocking on the U.S. door. Obama’s administration has tried, as it always does, to place the blame for this violence on the American gun laws. They’ve put out, on various occasions, that 90% of the guns used in the violence in Mexico are purchased in the U.S. Hillary, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, William Hoover, assistant director for field operations at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and others have made this proclamation.

The problem??? Well, it’s just not true. In fact, it’s not even close. In fact, it’s a blatant lie, fabricated to purposely mislead the American public.

Here is the truth, because I know you won’t get it from the government. Only 17% of the weapons recovered at Mexican crime scenes have been traced back to America. In other words, 83 percent of the guns found at crime scenes in Mexico could not be traced to the U.S.

Fox News, reported today that Ed Head, a firearms instructor in Arizona who spent 24 years with the U.S. Border Patrol, recently displayed an array of weapons considered "assault rifles" that are similar to those recovered in Mexico, but are unavailable for sale in the U.S.

"These kinds of guns -- the auto versions of these guns -- they are not coming from El Paso," he said. "They are coming from other sources. They are brought in from Guatemala. They are brought in from places like China. They are being diverted from the military. But you don't get these guns from the U.S."

Some guns, he said, "are legitimately shipped to the government of Mexico, by Colt, for example, in the United States. They are approved by the U.S. government for use by the Mexican military service. The guns end up in Mexico that way -- the fully auto versions -- they are not smuggled in across the river."

Many of the fully automatic weapons that have been seized in Mexico cannot be found in the U.S., but they are not uncommon in the Third World.

The Mexican government said it has seized 2,239 grenades in the last two years -- but those grenades and the rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) are unavailable in U.S. gun shops. The ones used in an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Monterrey in October and a TV station in January were made in South Korea. Almost 70 similar grenades were seized in February in the bottom of a truck entering Mexico from Guatemala.

"Most of these weapons are being smuggled from Central American countries or by sea, eluding U.S. and Mexican monitors who are focused on the smuggling of semi-automatic and conventional weapons purchased from dealers in the U.S. border states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California," according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

It’s terrible that our government leaders would bold face lie to us in order to advance their agenda; an agenda that is clearly at odds with our nation’s constitution.

New RSS Email Service

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 21:18:00 +0000

Greetings faithful Your Moral Compass readers. I'm writing to tell you about the RSS email service change I made today. For all of you who subscribe, I have removed FeedBlitz as my provider. They were supposed to be a free service and decided to change that, so good-bye FeedBlitz.

I have switched to MailChimp. Their service is much more customizable and remains a free service for certain types accounts, such as YMC. I have already transitioned your membership subscriptions over to this service, so you will not need to do anything any differently.You'll begin receiving emails very shortly as I update the blog.

Summer's coming and as the weather continues to get nicer, things like camping and outdoor family events will take precedence. However, I'm sure with our current national leadership, I will regularly feel the need to purge myself of their ridiculous, immoral and unconstitutional actions/policies via my recently described "diatribe." It seems, when you call a liberal on the illegality of how they violated federal electioneering laws based on the video evidence that they provided that somehow you are the one at fault. Diatribe is how my pointing out the illegality is how my words were described, like I violated the law or something!? I guess if the shoe fits, I'll wear it. Give me something not to diatribe about and I'll be happy to comment on it. Unfortunately, with this administration that task is impossible.

Have a great week everyone.

Kingdom Bailouts

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 18:08:00 +0000

Earth Hour: The Ridiculous Waste of Ambition and Resources

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 01:34:00 +0000

Absolute non-sense! There is NO credible science to support man-made global warming. The extreme amount of narcissism necessary to fabricate a crisis of global proportions is astounding. What’s even more astonishing are the masses of mindless numbskulls that will fly straight into the fire without thinking for themselves.

We know, for instance, that the world has NATURAL warming and cooling cycles. Sea levels rise and fall with these naturally occurring phases. Natural disasters occur at varying levels based on the stages the Earth is in. Ice ages, global flooding, volcanic eruptions, massive hurricanes, cyclones and tornadoes, earthquakes, etc. can only be attributed to our correlation with the Earth’s orbit and axis and, of course, the wrath and fury of God.

I detest everything about the global warming alarmists and their cause. The whole charade of their ridiculous crying is nothing more than a ploy to raise taxes and scare the populous into submission. I had seen the news explaining the Earth Hour event coming up, but I had purposely not paid any attention to it. When I saw the pictures covering the event, however, I was disgusted. Had I known specifically when the event was to take place, I would have turned on everything in my house that uses electricity.

My wife informed me that I should be happy for this event since I constantly go around the house turning off the lights that everyone in the house leaves on. This is different, though. I gripe about the lights being left on and the garage door not being closed on cold days, out of a conservation of spending and not out of a sense that we’re raping the earth.

Renegade Judges, Attack on the Family, and False Perception of Home Schooling Part 1

blogupdates@yourmoralcompass.net (Troy) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 04:14:00 +0000

A Wake County, North Carolina judge has ordered three children to attend public schools this fall because the homeschooling their mother has provided over the last four years needs to be "challenged."

The children, however, have tested above their grade levels – by as much as two years.

The decision is raising eyebrows among homeschooling families, and one friend of the mother has launched a website to publicize the issue.

The ruling was made by Judge Ned Mangum of Wake County, who was handling a divorce proceeding for Thomas and Venessa Mills.

A statement released by a publicist working for the mother, whose children now are 10, 11 and 12, said Mangum stripped her of her right to decide what is best for her children's education.

The judge, when contacted by WND, explained his goal in ordering the children to register and attend a public school was to make sure they have a "more well-rounded education."

"I thought Ms. Mills had done a good job [in homeschooling]," he said. "It was great for them to have that access, and [I had] no problems with homeschooling. I said public schooling would be a good complement."

The judge said the husband has not been supportive of his wife's homeschooling, and "it accomplished its purposes. It now was appropriate to have them back in public school."

Mangum said he made the determination on his guiding principle, "What's in the best interest of the minor children," and conceded it was putting his judgment in place of the mother's.

Adam Cothes, a spokesman for the mother, said the children routinely had been testing at up to two years above their grade level, were involved in swim team and other activities and events outside their home and had taken leadership roles in history club events.

According to Williams' website, the judge also ordered a mental health evaluation for the mother – but not the father – as part of the divorce proceedings, in what Williams described as an attack on the "mother's conservative Christian beliefs."

According to a proposed but as-yet unsigned order submitted by the father's lawyer to Mangum, "The children have thrived in homeschool for the past four years, but need the broader focus and socialization available to them in public school. The Court finds that it is in the children's best interest to continue their homeschooling through the end of the current school year, but to begin attending public school at the beginning of the 2009-2010 instructional year."

The order proposed by the father's lawyer also conceded the reason for the divorce was the father's "adultery," but it specifically said the father would not pay for homeschooling expenses for his children.

The order also stated, "Defendant believes that plaintiff is a nurturing mother who loves the children. Defendant believes that plaintiff has done a good job with the homeschooling of the children, although he does not believe that continued homeschooling is in the best interest of the children."

The website said the judge also said public school would "prepare these kids for the real world and college" and allow them "socialization."

Williams said the mother originally moved into a homeschool schedule because the children were not doing as well as she hoped at the local public schools.

Reported by World Net Daily
By Bob Unruh
Reported 03/11/2009