God Bless America, Again

It is sad, that the people who needed to hear this speech the most, are the ones who refused to tune in because he's "not their President."  We don't live in the DSA (Divided States of America), but it sure feels like it. May God bless us, and President Trump, to make us United again! 

Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans, and people of the world: thank you.

We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and to restore its promise for all of our people.

Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for years to come.
We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done. Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnificent.

Today’s ceremony, however, has very special meaning. Because today we are not merely transferring power from one Administration to another, or from one party to another – but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the American People.

For too long, a small group in our nation’s Capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost.
Washington flourished – but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered – but the jobs left, and the factories closed.
The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country. Their victories have not been your victories; their triumphs have not been your triumphs; and while they celebrated in our nation’s Capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.

That all changes – starting right here, and right now, because this moment is your moment: it belongs to you! It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America. This is your day. This is your celebration. And this, the United States of America, is your country.

What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people. January 20th 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again.
 The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.

Everyone is listening to you now. You came by the tens of millions to become part of a historic movement the likes of which the world has never seen before. At the center of this movement is a crucial conviction: that a nation exists to serve its citizens.

Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families, and good jobs for themselves.
These are the just and reasonable demands of a righteous public. But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists: Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system, flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of knowledge; and the crime and gangs and drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.

This American carnage stops RIGHT HERE and stops RIGHT NOW. We are one nation – and their pain is our pain. Their dreams are our dreams; and their success will be our success. We share one heart, one home, and one glorious destiny.

The oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans. For many decades, we’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry;
Subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military; We've defended other nation’s borders while refusing to defend our own;
And spent trillions of dollars overseas while America's infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.

We’ve made other countries rich while the wealth, strength, and confidence of our country has disappeared over the horizon.
One by one, the factories shuttered and left our shores, with not even a thought about the millions upon millions of American workers left behind.

The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed across the entire world.
But that is the past. And now we are looking only to the future.

We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power.
From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land.

From this moment on, it’s going to be America First. Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made to benefit American workers and American families. We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs. Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength.

I will fight for you with every breath in my body – and I will never, ever let you down.
America will start winning again, winning like never before. We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth. And we will bring back our dreams.

We will build new roads, and highways, and bridges, and airports, and tunnels, and railways all across our wonderful nation.
We will get our people off of welfare and back to work – rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor.
We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and Hire American.

We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world – but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first.

We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to follow.

We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones – and unite the civilized world against Radical Islamic Terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth.

At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other.
When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice.

The Bible tells us, “how good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.”
We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity. When America is united, America is totally unstoppable. There should be no fear – we are protected, and we will always be protected.

We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement and, most importantly, we are protected by God.

Finally, we must think big and dream even bigger. In America, we understand that a nation is only living as long as it is striving.
We will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action – constantly complaining but never doing anything about it.

The time for empty talk is over. Now arrives the hour of action.

Do not let anyone tell you it cannot be done. No challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America.

We will not fail. Our country will thrive and prosper again. We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the Earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow.

A new national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our divisions. It is time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget: that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots, we all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American Flag. And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the windswept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky, they fill their heart with the same dreams, and they are infused with the breath of life by the same almighty Creator.

So to all Americans, in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to mountain, and from ocean to ocean, hear these words: You will never be ignored again. Your voice, your hopes, and your dreams, will define our American destiny. And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.

Together, We Will Make America Strong Again. We Will Make America Wealthy Again.
We Will Make America Proud Again.
We Will Make America Safe Again....

and Yes, Together, We Will Make America Great Again. Thank you, God Bless You, And God Bless America.

Donald J. Trump
45th President of the United States

Epiphany

Epiphany is January 6th - the celebration of the three wise men's arrival. In many Hispanic communities, a "Rosca de reyes" (King's cake) is served. In the cake, a plastic figure of the baby Jesus is hidden, representing the flight of Jesus, fleeing from King Herod's evil plan to kill all babies that could be the prophesied messiah. Whoever finds the baby Jesus figurine is blessed and must take the figurine to the nearest church on February 2, and In the Mexican culture, this person also has to throw a party and provide tamales.

Alan Thicke

Until 1985, Alan Thicke was best known for his failure as a talk show host (The Thicke Of The Night), and for co-writing TV theme songs such as "Diff'rent Strokes" and "The Facts Of Life".

That all changed when he took the role of Jason Seaver in a new situation comedy called "Growing Pains." With his passing on December 13th, we've lost another of our favorite TV parents. He credited his success to drawing on his own parenting experiences. In the '80's he was part of a fraternity of TV fathers, including Michael Gross of "Family Ties" and Bill Cosby of "The Cosby Show," who helped establish an ideal for supportive parenthood, one half-hour comedy at a time. During the show's run from 1985-1992, he said "The show comes from a reality base. When I'm out, one of the main comments I hear is 'My kid is just like that,' or 'My wife and I just went through that.' And I find myself coming home at night and saying, 'I just did this scene.'" 

His passing at age 69 comes as a shock to his family and millions of adoring fans. 

The Reason For The Season

Well, it's that time again. No, I'm not talking about hustle & bustle & finding the right gifts, decorating the tree, or all the weight I'll gain before the end of the year... though the spirit of all these activities is what I'll be writing about.

Each day it seems, another post starts circulating on Facebook, about people taking offense to "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." Some have even been so bold as to say, if you don't like it, go back to the country you came from. That's when I take pen in hand, or more appropriately, my fingers fly across the keyboard. While I am a Christian, and am not ashamed of saying so, I am ashamed that so many who call themselves Christians could post such atrocities! Even though I myself posted the following: "Sometimes, it is admirable to try and correct the ignorance of the uneducated. But sometimes it is even more admirable to just walk away..." (on the 'are Mormons Christians' debate), this is one argument I will not walk away from.

America was built on the principles of freedom of religion - and unless you are a Native American, we are all immigrants. Suggesting that someone leave the country because they don't believe the same as you, is NOT a Christian way of thinking. And then to imply I'm not a Christian if I don't repost? I agree with not being "politically correct" and saying Happy Holidays, but I also won't be offended if someone says it to me.

Likewise, none of my friends - Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Athiest, Lesbian, Gay, Black, Hispanic, or any other should be offended if I wish them a Merry Christmas. I believe in Christ, and without Christ there would be no Christmas, but my saying Merry Christmas isn't forcing my beliefs on them - it is simply my wishing them the same joy & happiness I feel at this time of year!

Here's A (Sad) Story, Of A Lovely Lady...

Here's a story, of a lovely lady... who passed away yesterday at the age of 82.

Florence Henderson, who played Carol Brady on the Brady Bunch for 5 years and through countless re-runs and specials, was probably America's favorite TV mom. While she had quite the career before and after becoming a "Brady", it is still this role for which she will always be remembered. I tried to think of a favorite Carol Brady quote - which would probably be her saying to Jan, who couldn't stop playing practical jokes - "If you know what you did was wrong, that's more important than any punishment." Which is probably at least one of the reasons why people would come up to Mrs. Henderson and say things like "You know, I really hated you because my kids wanted you to be their mother."

But Carol might be more remembered for saying something she might never have said. I got to be thinking of when Peter throws the basketball which breaks Mom's favorite vase. To which Bobby quips, "Mom always says, don't play ball in the house." Peter later has nightmares with the vase breaking, and Bobby saying over and over - "She always says, don't play ball in the house!" So anyway, a shout out to all true Brady fans -  there are 117 episodes - and I don't recall Mrs. Brady ever saying "Don't play ball in the house." Did she???

What Are You Thankful For?

"What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you thanked God for last night."
What are you thankful for? Can you come up with 5 different things every day?

It is amazing how your outlook changes when you focus on what you have, instead of what you don't.

Call Him President-Elect

No one saw this coming?  For weeks, I'd been saying that the polls were wrong, that Hillary didn't have as big of a lead as we were being told. For months now, as I would scroll through my Facebook newsfeed, yeah, there would be posts from the far left denouncing Trump as a racist, womanizer, and any other label they could think of. But way more prevalent, were anti-Hillary, anti-Obama, anti-establishment, anti-government posts.  So did I think this was possible? Of course, in fact, I expected it.  What I didn't expect, was all the hate. Sure, we knew if Trump lost, he'd blame the media, Hillary's lies, voter fraud.... but I didn't picture Mrs. Clinton to be the sore loser she's turned out to be. Nor did I foresee America so divided that there would be such a thing as "Not My President" movements...protests...violence... all those who didn't and don't believe Trump can make America great again sure aren't doing anything to make it better themselves... in fact, they make America look like the joke they are sure Trump will make it.