What the Pledge means......

to listen to the whole thing -http://www.poofcat.com/july.html

The following words were spoken by the late Red Skelton on his television program as he related the story of his teacher, Mr. Laswell, who felt his students had come to think of the Pledge of Allegiance as merely something to recite in class each day.
Now, more than ever, listen to the meaning of these words.
"I've been listening to you boys and girls recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester
and it seems as though it is becoming monotonous to you.
If I may, may I recite it and try to explain to you the meaning of each word?"
I
me, an individual, a committee of one.
Pledge
dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self pity.
Allegiance
my love and my devotion.
To the flag
our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom. Wherever
she waves, there's respect because your loyalty has given
her a dignity that shouts freedom is everybody's job!
United
that means that we have all come together.
States
individual communities that have united into 48 great states.
Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and
purpose; all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to
a common purpose, and that's love for country.
And to the republic
a state in which sovereign power is
invested in representatives chosen by the
people to govern. And government is the people
and it's from the people to the leaders, not from
the leaders to the people.
For which it stands, one nation
one nation, meaning "so
blessed by God"
Indivisible
incapable of being divided.
With liberty
which is freedom -- the right of power to live one's
own life without threats, fear or some sort of
retaliation.
And Justice
the principle or quality of dealing fairly with others.
For all
which means, boys and girls, it's as much your
country as it is mine.
***~~**~~***
Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country
and two words have been added to the pledge of Allegiance...
UNDER GOD
Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said
that is a prayer
and that would be eliminated from schools too?

God Bless America!

I pledge Allegience

To the Flag

Of the United States

of AMERICA

and to the republic

for which it stands...

One Nation

Under God

Indivisible......

for Liberty

and Justice for

ALL!

Memorial Day

So, although I was sick all weekend and had to go to the doctor this morning.....(I now have a healthy dose of horse pills every 5 hours for 10 days! AWESOME!!) We did remember why we had a holiday!

Memorial Day brings up a lot of emotion and pride. I am apart of a very large movement here in the United States trying to defend the constitution (www.the912project.com ); my husband served on the USS Enterprise for 4 years in the Navy, making him a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom; my grandpa serving in the Army; and many others that I have come in contact over the years who have impacted my life for upholding their oath to protect and serve the Constitution of the United States. Memorial Day holds a place in my heart. Jonathan and I have a small flag outside of our house and we have a lot of things in our home that remind us on a daily basis how lucky we are to live in this nation and I just wanted to share some quotes by prophets of the LDS church, who also love this country and feel very deeply about upholding and protecting our constitution. (To help you understand the constitution more fully, in an easy to read manner, the 5000 year leap by W. Cleon Skousen *who is also LDS* he is an amazing Constitutionalist and it will help anyone trying to understand what our founding fathers believed when they first established the Promised Land.)

And so, every true Latter-day Saint has a deep love and respect for the Constitution of this land. ("America: Land of the Blessed" 342) Ezra Taft Benson

And again I say unto you, those who have been scattered by their enemies, it is my will that they should continue to importune for redress, and redemption, by the hands of those who are placed as rulers and are in authority over you—
According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I [the Lord] have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles. (D&C 101:76-77) Joseph Smith Jr.

Have mercy, O Lord, upon all the nations of the earth; have mercy upon the rulers of our land; may those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever. (D&C 109:54) Joseph Smith Jr.

The Constitution of our country [was] formed by the Fathers of liberty. . . . Exalt the standard of Democracy! Down with that of priestcraft, and let all the people say Amen! that the blood of our fathers may not cry from the ground against us. Sacred is the memory of that blood which bought for us our liberty. (HC 3:9) Joseph Smith Jr.

I especially love this one by Joseph Smith Jr.

Hence we say, that the Constitution of the United States is a glorious standard; it is founded in the wisdom of God. It is a heavenly banner; it is to all those who are privileged with the sweets of liberty, like the cooling shades and refreshing waters of a great rock in a thirsty and weary land. It is like a great tree under whose branches men from every clime can be shielded from the burning rays of the sun. . . .
We say that God is true; that the Constitution of the United States is true; that the Bible is true. (TPJS 147-48)

Our Constitution and Bill of Rights guarantee to all our people the greatest freedom ever enjoyed by the public of any great nation. This system guarantees freedom of individual enterprise, freedom to own property, freedom to start one's own business and to operate it according to one's own judgment so long as the enterprise is honorable. The individual has power to produce beyond his needs, to provide savings for the future protection of himself and family. He can live where he wishes and pick any job he wants and select any educational opportunity. (So Shall Ye Reap 151; also in TETB 605; from a baccalaureate address given at the University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 4 Jun 1950) Ezra Taft Benson

In concluding, I said: "I love this nation. It is my firm belief that the God of Heaven raised up the founding fathers and inspired them to establish the Constitution of this land. This is part of my religious faith." To me this is not just another nation. It is a great and glorious nation with a divine mission to perform for liberty-loving people everywhere. (CF 79; from an address given at the 16th Annual National Farm Institute, Des Moines, IA, 21 Feb 1953) Ezra Taft Benson

My one fear, and my one anxiety is that I may inadvertently sometime do something or say something that will cast an unfavorable light or bring discredit upon the Church and kingdom of God and the people whom I love so dearly, and upon this great nation which we all love. I pray that this may never happen.
I love this nation of which we are a part. To me it is not just another nation, not just a member of a family of nations. It is a great and glorious nation with a divine mission and it has been brought into being under the inspiration of heaven. It is truly a land choice above all others. I thank God for the knowledge which we have regarding the prophetic history and the prophetic future of this great land of America. . . .
I am grateful for the Founding Fathers of this land and for the freedom they have vouchsafed to us. I am grateful that they recognized, as great leaders of this nation have always recognized, that the freedom which we enjoy did not originate with the Founding Fathers; that this glorious principle, this great boon of freedom and respect for the dignity of man, came as a gift from the Creator. The Founding Fathers, it is true, with superb genius welded together the safeguards of these freedoms. It was necessary, however, for them to turn to the scriptures, to religion, in order to have this great experiment make sense to them. And so our freedom is God-given. It antedates the Founding Fathers. ("Our Duty as Citizens" 918, 920) Ezra Taft Benson

(Ezra Taft Benson also served our nation as Agricultural Secretary and knew many people, including W.Cleon Skousen.)

I firmly believe that Ezra Taft Benson said these or wrote these quotes not only for his time, 30-40 years ago, but to remind us also that Freedom isn't free, and that the Book of Mormon tells us that clearly.

These are just a few thoughts, for more visit http://www.latterdayconservative.com/

To make a difference in your community visit http://www.the912project.us/ and sign up for your state and start a group today!

Also, a beautiful song http://www.bornagainamerican.org/

To defend states rights and learn more about how the nation is supposed to be run, visit, http://www.thepatrickhenrycaucus.com/

I also attended the Patrick Henry Caucus rally at the Utah state capitol building to help protect and defend states rights. We definitely think it was a success. To see pictures look at my facebook page!

America holds a special place in my heart. There's no place I'd rather live, it's so beautiful, diverse and amazing. We have risen up out of the ashes, by and through the grace of God. We are powerful, special and a blessed people here in America. We constantly out-do the rest of the world, protect, serve and defend the right. And I pray we all realize everyday how lucky we are to live in the only true free nation in the world. We have been given a special duty to uphold that standard and spread it like a fire through the world......are we doing our part? I hope I am, because my religious beliefs run in line with having the freedom the Constitution gives us everyday. I know I'm blessed to live here, and everyday I thank God that he has given me, not only the opportunity but the duty to live here and defend our unalienable rights, given by our Creator.

WoRkInG....after a year

So, Jonathan and I have both started working. We decided it was time to get out of the "honeymoon-stage," and have jobs again. Well, mostly him, I just kinda fell into my job by chance.
Jonathan has already worked 2 jobs. He started working for Orem city and he was outside all day, well needless to say, he is a redhead and cannot handle the western sun. He was burnt everyday even with the "special" sunscreen I got at my dermatologists for him. So, he had to quit that job, now he works in SLC for a company called markofoam. He makes anything!! that is made out of Styrofoam. surf-boards to packaging for fish in AK & WA (a little ironic I know.) He likes it, it's just a long drive, but he has the opportunity to possibly become a manager there after only 2 weeks, so we just keep HOPING.
Now, whenever I rented the snowmobile for jonathan on valentines day, I met the owner of the business and we've been talking ever since. Now I'm kinda his "right-hand" girl. I finished two websites for him and filed his life away w/in a week. And I love it. He is so nice and relaxed. We work very well together and I get to be flexible with my back and my schedule. My job is so awesome that sometime soon we'll take some of the machines out that we rent and take pictures of the trails and the boating places. (Lake Powell, Utah Lake, and trails all around utah on ATVS and side by sides.) I got really lucky in the aspect that I've done marketing to large companies around the area, which he needed. So I REALLY lucked out. So far, I am really loving it. Plus it's only 2 miles away from our house....can you complain? NOPE.

the two websites I helped complete ( I entered a lot of our inventory on one, and did all of the inventory on the other.)
www.toyitup.com
www.rentaltoys.com
These are not yet complete we have a few bugs to work out on them, but you get the general idea of what we do.

Well, I'm off to work, just wanted to update a little......

America By Ezra Taft Benson

I don't think I could add anything to this, but this is what it's all about. This is what I've been trying to get across......and this is what we all should be fighting for...but we have forgotten with all the distractions in our lives...

Time to Stand UP!

Ezra Taft Benson. General Conference Talk - April 1962. America, a Choice Land.
My brothers and sisters, everywhere:
With joy and gratitude I face you today in, and from, this historic Tabernacle. I am grateful to be here: for this fellowship, for freedom to meet in peace, to speak without fear, to attend this inspirational conference.
I thank God for freedom--the right of choice. I am grateful for this great nation in which we meet. Every true Latter-day Saint throughout the world loves the USA. The Constitution of this land is part of every Latter-day Saint's religious faith.
To us, this is not just another nation not just a member of the family of nations. This is a great and glorious nation with a divine mission and a prophetic history and future. It has been brought into being under the inspiration of heaven.
It is our firm belief, as Latter-day Saints, that the Constitution of this land was established by men whom the God of heaven raised up unto that very purpose. It is our conviction also that the God of heaven guided the founding fathers in establishing it for his particular purpose.
The founders of this republic were deeply spiritual men. They believed men are capable of self-government and that it is the job of government to protect freedom and foster private initiative.
Our earliest American fathers came here with a common objective--freedom of worship and liberty of conscience. Familiar with the sacred scriptures, they believed that liberty is a gift of heaven. To them, man as a child of God emphasized the sacredness of the individual and the interest of a kind Providence in the affairs of men and nations. These leaders recognized the need for divine guidance and the importance of vital religion and morality in the affairs of men and nations.
To the peoples who should inhabit this blessed land of the Americas, the Western Hemisphere, an ancient prophet uttered this significant promise and solemn warning: "Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, . . .
"For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands, wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God...." (See Ether 2:12, 10.)
Ancient American prophets six hundred years before Christ foresaw the coming of Columbus and those who followed. These prophets saw the establishment of the colonies, the war for independence, and predicted the outcome. These prophecies are contained in a volume of scripture called the Book of Mormon. This sacred record, a companion volume to the Holy Bible, which it confirms, is an added witness to the divine mission of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Redeemer of the world.
How I wish every American and every living soul would read the Book of Mormon. I testify to you that it is true. It tells about the prophetic history and mission of America. It gives the comforting assurance that God has kept this great nation, as it were, in the hollow of his hand in preparation for its great mission.
Yes, the Lord planned it all. Why? So America could serve as a beacon of liberty and in preparation for the opening of a new gospel dispensation--the last and greatest of all dispensations in preparation for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. To achieve his purposes the Lord had to have a base of operations. Later he revealed to a modern prophet that the Constitution of this land was established by "wise men" whom the Lord "raised up unto this very purpose." (See D&C 101:80.) The Lord also directed that the constitutional laws of the land, supporting the principle of freedom, should be upheld and that honest and wise men should be sought for and upheld in public office.
The establishment of this great Christian nation, with a spiritual foundation, was all in preparation for the restoration of the gospel, following the long night of apostasy. Then in 1820 the time had arrived. God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ made their glorious appearance. I give you a few words from the Prophet Joseph Smith, who was the instrument in God's hands in restoring the gospel and establishing the true Church of Christ again upon the earth. In response to humble prayer Joseph relates: ". . . I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.
". . . When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other--This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" (JS 2:16-17.)
To me this is the greatest event that has occurred in this world since the resurrection of the Master--and it happened in America.
Later, other heavenly messengers came to restore the authority of the Holy Priesthood and important keys essential to the opening of the final gospel dispensation. The Church was organized in 1830. Immediately, in response to divine command, missionary-messengers began to carry the important message of salvation throughout the world. It is a world message intended for all of God's children. And so, once this nation was well established, then the Church was restored and from here the message of the restored gospel has gone forth. All according to divine plan.
This then becomes the Lord's base of operations in these latter days. And this base will not be shifted out of its place--the land of America. This nation will, in a measure at least, fulfil its mission even though it may face serious and troublesome days. The degree to which it achieves its full mission depends upon the righteousness of its people. God has, through his power, established a free people in this land as a means of helping to carry forward his purposes.
"It was his latter-day purpose to bring forth his gospel in America, not in any other place. It was in America where the Book of Mormon plates were deposited. That was no accident. It was his design. It was in this same America where they were brought to light by angelic ministry. It was" . . . [here] "where he organized his modern Church, where he, himself made a modern personal appearance." (Editorial, Church News. ) Yes, it was here under a free government and a strong nation that protection was provided for his restored Church. Now God will not permit his base of operations--America--to be destroyed. He has promised protection to this land if we will but serve the God of the land. He has also promised protection to the righteous even, if necessary, to send fire from heaven to destroy their enemies. (Ether 2:12, 1 Nephi 22:17.)
No, God's base of operations will not be destroyed. But it may be weakened and made less effective. One of the first rules of war strategy--and we are at war with the adversary and his agents--is to protect the base of operations. This we must do if we are to build up the kingdom throughout the world and safeguard our God-given freedom.
How will we protect this base of operations?
We must protect this base of operations from every threat--from sin, from unrighteousness, immorality, from desecration of the Sabbath day, from lawlessness, from parental and juvenile delinquency.
We must protect it from dirty movies filthy advertising, from salacious and suggestive TV programs, magazines, and books.
We must protect this base from idleness, subsidies, doles, and soft governmental paternalism which weakens initiative, discourages industry, destroys character, and demoralizes people.
We must protect this base from complacency--from the dangerous feeling that all is well--from being lulled away into a false security. We must protect this American base from the brainwashing, increasingly administered to our youth in many educational institutions across the land, by some misinformed instructors and some wolves in sheep's clothing. Their false indoctrination, often perpetrated behind the front of so-called academic freedom, is leaving behind many faithless students, .socialist-oriented, who are easy subjects for state tyranny.
"At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected?" asked Abraham Lincoln, and answered, ". . . If it ever reaches us, it must spring up among us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time or die by suicide." (Springfield, Ill., Jan. 27, 1837.)
The only threat to the liberty and independence of the American people from abroad is the threat of world communism spreading from its base in the Soviet Union. But the best authorities are confident that the Soviets will not provoke a major war. Their economy would not support it.
Lenin said, "The soundest strategy in war is to postpone operations until the moral disintegration of the enemy renders the mortal blow possible and easy." Commenting on Lenin's statement the Indianapolis Star adds: "Where then does the real danger lie? It lies with us--the American people....
"Other great civilizations have died by suicide. The first free people, the Greeks, died thus.
"And why did Greece fall: 'A slackness and softness finally came over them to their ruin. In the end more than they wanted freedom they wanted security, a comfortable life, and they lost all--security, comfort and freedom.'
"It is the same with Americans today. The danger that threatens us is an internal danger. It lies in our hearts and minds and not in the hands of Khrushchev.
"It is our own ignorance--ignorance of our own history and our heritage of liberty that threatens us. It is our ignorance of the true nature of our enemy, socialistic communism, that threatens us.... Our own lack of faith in freedom and ourselves, our own lack of confidence in the greatness of America and all that she stands for, morally and materially, is what puts us in mortal danger.
"Too many of us are afraid--afraid of atomic war, afraid of the disapproval of our allies or the neutrals, afraid of the threats and boasts of the bloated tyrants in the Kremlin, afraid to offend others by taking action to defend ourselves."
Yes, we are afraid to live righteously according to eternal principles--economic, moral, and spiritual. This is our danger. We must never forget that nations may--and usually do--sow the seeds of their own destruction while enjoying unprecedented prosperity. As Jenkin Lloyd Jones said, "It is time we hit the sawdust trail. It is time we revived the idea that there is such a thing as sin--just plain old willful sin. It is time we brought self-discipline back into style....
"I am fed up with the educationists and pseudo-scientists who have underrated our potential as a people.... I am tired of seeing America debased and low-rated in the eyes of foreigners. I am genuinely disturbed that to idealistic youth in many countries the fraud of Communism appears synonymous with morality, while we, the chief repository of real freedom, are regarded as being in the last stages of decay.
"In this hour of fear, confusion and self-doubt . . . let there be a fresh breeze, a breeze of new honesty, new idealism, new integrity."
To protect this base we must protect the soul of America--we must return to a love and respect for the basic spiritual concepts upon which this nation has been established. We must study the Constitution and the writings of the founding fathers.
Yes, we must protect the Lord's base of operations by moving away from unsound economic policies which encourage creeping socialism and its companion, insidious, atheistic communism. If we are to protect this important base we must as a nation live within our means, balance our budgets, and pay our debts. We must establish sound monetary policies and take needed steps to compete in world markets.
If we are to protect this American base, we must realize that all things, including information disseminated by our schools, churches, and government, should be judged according to the words of the prophets, especially the living prophet. This procedure coupled with the understanding which will come through the Spirit of the Lord, if we are living in compliance with the scriptures, is the only sure foundation and basis of judgment. Any other course of action leaves us muddled, despondent, wandering in shades of gray, easy targets for Satan.
We must not fail in these pressing and important matters. We must not fall short of the great mission the Lord has proffered and outlined for America and for his divinely restored Church.
Yes, this is a choice land--a nation with a prophetic history.
God bless America and her leaders and all the free world. And may God protect his latter-day base of operation that his glorious message of salvation may go forth to all the world, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.