Defend Our Culture of Freedom

(This is a column that was published September 11, 2012.)
Writing a column to be published on Sept. 11 is a daunting task. I wanted to write just the right words. I thought about all the things I could say about this day. One topic that stood out for me is what this day 11 years ago did to me personally and how it changed me.

To do that I need to first tell you a little story about something that happened to me recently. I have a friend who really irritated me. Actually, he went beyond irritation. I was pretty angry. I was to a point where I wasn't even sure I liked him anymore. I wasn't sure being his friend was worth the aggravation.
Then something strange happened. I was hanging out with some people who knew him. One of these people started talking disparagingly about my friend. I found myself becoming furious at this guy.
Who was he to talk about my friend this way? Doesn't he know how great my friend really is? Somewhere along the way, I realized that in spite of his faults, I care a great deal for my friend and respect and admire him.
Sept. 11 was like that for me as well. I wasn't irritated or angry with my country, but I was complacent. Growing up, I believed that my country was the greatest on earth, but somewhere along the way, I began to take her for granted.
When Sept. 11 happened, when someone attacked my country, I was angry. In my anger, just like when my friend was attacked, I realized exactly how great my country is. How exceptional she is.
When the terrorists attacked our country, they targeted symbols of what they didn't like about our country our prosperity, our rule of law, and our military. But the reason we are exceptional isn't because of those symbols.
When President Bush spoke to the nation after the attacks, he said, ''Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward, and freedom will be defended.'' He hit the nail on the head about why we are exceptional - our freedom. Earlier this summer, Mitt Romney was criticized for daring to say that culture matters when it comes to prosperity. In particular, he talked about how a culture of freedom where free people engage in free enterprise creates an environment where a country prospers and people can be lifted out of poverty. He was right.
The Declaration of Independence set forth the idea that we are all endowed by our Creator with the freedom to pursue happiness. Our Constitution is unique in that instead of granting us rights, it restricts the government's infringement of our freedoms. It recognizes that, as Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan said, ''Our rights come from God and nature not from government.'' Our founders created a culture of freedom where we were given political, economic and religious privileges. No other country had those freedoms. Our country has prospered because of them.
Gov. Romney was accused of being racist when he gave that speech in Israel. I don't really understand that charge. Culture isn't race. That culture of freedom he was talking about applies to anyone who believes in it and is willing to practice it.
The great thing about our country is that inheritance we have from our founding fathers is available to all of us. My ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War. I'm proud of that, but I'm no more an inheritor of the culture of freedom than my friends whose ancestors came here in the 20th Century.
That day, I felt renewed patriotism and love for my country. I became more thankful for the freedom that made us great, but I also became more protective of that freedom. I realized that it could be taken away in an instant.
More recently, I've discovered that the erosion of freedom can be more gradual. The last three and half years, I've seen changes in my country that frightened me more than the terrorists ever did. I've watched as the culture of freedom has started to change to a culture of dependence. I've heard the president tell me I didn't build my business and someone else is responsible for my success. I've seen religious liberty eroded. These things make me angry just like the terrorists did.
On Sept. 11, I would have signed up for the military had they wanted me. I wanted to defend my country. Today, I still want to defend my country. Now I want to defend it from those who want to change it. I want to speak up and say, ''Enough is enough! I want my country back!''
I want to work as hard as I can to make sure that we continue to have a culture of freedom where everyone can prosper, not a culture of dependency where no one prospers. I believe that there are still more people in this country who believe in that culture of freedom than in that culture of dependence. I believe that our country can still be that ''shining city on a hill.'' I encourage those who still believe that to stand with me and work with me to defend our country.

That's Just So Trumbull County

(This was my first column that I wrote for the Tribune Chronicle. It was originally published July 4, 2012.)

That's just so Trumbull County.

A friend of mine said that to me recently regarding a situation we both found humorous. Some things, however, that are ''just so Trumbull County'' are not as humorous.
Last Wednesday, I sat in a hallway outside a courtroom in Warren Municipal Court waiting for a hearing to start for Berry Meadows. Meadows was accused of felony theft by deception.
After almost an hour of waiting, Meadows' attorney announced to those of us gathered that the charge had been dismissed without prejudice, meaning that the charge can be re-filed if necessary. On Thursday, the same charge in Niles Municipal Court was dismissed.
Meadows is not some hardened criminal or con-artist. Meadows is a businessman who has had the temerity to speak against the Trumbull County Health Department.
The health department has created a situation in this county where only one of two sand filtration septic systems can be installed. Both systems are made by the same manufacturer.
Meadows, owner of Digging Dirt LLC., has a septic system that he believes would save homeowners $3,000 per installation and would produce a clean effluent. He and his wife started looking into how the health department works and soon saw things that raised questions. They made public records requests and posted the results on their Facebook page, Trumbull County Septic News. They attended meetings and confronted officials including Health Commissioner James Enyeart and posted videos of the meetings on Facebook.
One of the records requested showed the possibility that the sheriff's son may have gotten biased treatment for a non-compliant system.
The sheriff's office then brought a felony charge of theft by deception against Meadows. This charge was brought based on a civil claim and was in the process of being handled civilly. The sheriff said that he didn't initiate the criminal case but one of the plaintiffs, Angel Bennet, was quoted in the Tribune on May 30 as saying that she never called the Sheriff's office, but that ''They called me and asked if I could come in.''
The second charge in the Niles Municipal court was for a situation where a civil suit hadn't even been filed, and again in that situation the Sheriff's Department contacted the homeowner.
Although the charges have been dismissed, the Meadows family has endured humiliation and financial loss.
So, now, what do we do with this? Some folks would say it is better to just keep our mouths shut - that we can't change anything anyway so we should just give up. This is Trumbull County, after all, and that is just how it is.
Those folks are wrong. The shenanigans in this county are robbing us of our freedom. Ronald Reagan once said, ''Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation.''
It was 236 years ago when the Declaration of Independence was signed. Those men who signed that document pledged their lives, their fortunes and their honor to declare our nation's independence. They didn't do that so that all these years later our community would be cowering in fear of retaliation by a small group of bureaucrats.
As the Declaration of Independence was signed, Benjamin Franklin is supposed to have said, '''If we don't all hang together, then surely, we shall all hang separately.'' We should heed those words today.
As individuals, we can be intimidated and silenced, but if we ''hang together'' and work together to fight the corruption in this county, it will become more difficult for them to silence us.
Over the last few years, I've realized that I have a choice. I can stay on my own little two acres in Farmington and watch my freedom being taken away bit by bit. I can hope that somehow things in this county get better - that somebody does something - or I can be one of those somebodies. I can join Berry and Deanna Meadows and try to make a difference.
I choose to make a difference. Who's with me?

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day has always been a little strange for me.

As a child, it was kind of sad for me.  My own mother was paranoid schizophrenic and was institutionalized when I was ten.  I really have no memory of her being a “real mom” to me.  When Mother’s Day came around at church, it was painful for me to hear people talk about their moms and know that I didn’t have that.  I grew to really dislike the day. 

Then I got married, and I looked forward to being a mom.  I think as a young woman, my greatest desire was to have a large family.  That did not happen.  So I kept disliking the day.  I’ve read a few blogs recently about childless women feeling so left out when they have the moms stand at church.  I get that. 

Finally in 1999, we were able to adopt Jack.  He truly was worth the wait.  God gave me the desire of my heart. I remember how blessed I felt to take care of him and how the love I felt for him healed me of the hurt in my heart at not having my mom there.  Today, he is such a blessing to me as our little family struggles with my husband’s illness.  While he is certainly not a perfect child (He IS a teenager), he has a good heart, and I know that my road would be harder if he weren’t the young man he is.  

I will never forget my first Mother’s Day.  We traveled to Colorado to visit my Aunt Cecile and attend my cousin Patty’s college graduation.  I spent a lot of time that day with my aunt.  She told me so much about my own mother and how she was before she became ill.  She gave me my mom’s baptismal certificate as well as some pictures.  I am still so grateful for her and the time she took to introduce me to my mom-to the person she was before the illness took that away. 

As I look back over my childhood now, I realize that while I didn’t have my mom, I did have many other women who helped me become the person I am today.  I was truly blessed to have these women in my life.  I have tried as an adult to do that for others as well-to pay it forward.  My son tells me I’m everyone’s mom.  A friend tells me I’m a mother hen.  So maybe I didn’t get my large family the way I planned, but I guess God had other plans for me.  Funny how that works, the plans God has for us are always better than our own even when we can’t see it.

God Bless my friends on Mother’s Day whether you have a large brood or, like me, have never given birth and just mother the ones in your life who need it.    

RINO's.....

RINO…..I think I’m getting a little tired of that word.  Not that RINO’s don’t exist.  I believe that they do, but I think sometimes those of us who tend to be to the far right in the political spectrum that is the Republican Party apply that term to anyone who we deem less conservative than we are.

Most recently, I’ve heard the term applied to my own Congressman Dave Joyce by those who back his challenger in the primary in May.  I think that this is an unfair characterization of Congressman Joyce. 

Before I proceed to tell you why, let me explain that I have supported both men in the past.  In 2012 although I don’t live in State Representative Matt Lynch’s district, I did give him some assistance in his campaign. I grew up in Troy Township which is part of his district, and my home now is close to the line of his district.  I would let his campaign know when there were events in his district that he could attend.  I also encouraged my friends in his district to vote for him. I have appreciated his standing for conservative principles while in the General Assembly and even considered him my “adopted” State Rep since my current State Representative does not represent me very well. 

As for Congressman Joyce, in 2012 former Congressman Steve LaTourette stepped out of the race; and the Chairmen and Secretaries of the County Republican Parties in his district picked Dave Joyce to be the Republican candidate for the Ohio 14^th District.  I volunteered for his campaign and helped out wherever I could. 

Since his election, while there have been a few times I haven’t agreed with him, I’ve grown to respect him and to especially respect the fact that he has the heart of a true public servant. 

The name RINO has been applied to Congressman Joyce unfairly.  On the most important and most visible issue of our time, ObamaCare, the Congressman has voted every chance he could to repeal, defund, delay, or fix it every chance he has had. 

Congressman Joyce is a fiscal conservative who practices what he preaches. He returned $100,000 of his own office budget back to the treasurer. This is something he also did every year when he was the Geauga County Prosecutor for 24 years.  Congressman Joyce introduced a bill – THE SAVE ACT - that would cut $200 billion in government waste and duplicative programs.

Those of us who are concerned about how the Constitution seems to be ignored by our current President should take note that Congressman Joyce recently signed on as a sponsor of the STOP (Stop This Overreaching Presidency) Act, which holds Obama accountable for his Executive Overreach as well as bills to hold the IRS accountable and demand answers from the tragedy in Benghazi.

Congressman Joyce is pro-life, pro-family, and pro-gun. 

That doesn’t sound like a RINO to me.

He may not be quite as conservative as his primary opponent or me for that matter, but he is conservative. 

Some have tried to tie him to his predecessor, Steve LaTourette, and have made a great deal about the fact that he is a member of the moderate Republican organization headed up by LaTourette, Main Street Partnership.  While it is true that Congressman Joyce joined this organization when he was elected, so have several other congressmen who are considered conservative including Congressman Bill Johnson in the 6^th District.  Also Congressman Joyce joined the Republican Study Committee which is a conservative organization.  He wanted to get a full picture of the Republicans in the House.  

Joining an organization, any organization, does not mean you automatically agree with every stance they take.  Main Street Partnership pushed for a “clean” debt ceiling bill, but Congressman Joyce voted against that because it had no spending reductions.  

While I don’t agree completely with Congressman Joyce on everything, I do agree with most of what he has done and don’t believe he is a RINO by any stretch of the imagination.

I’m supporting Congressman Joyce in this primary in part because I believe it is best to vote for the most conservative candidate that can win. I honestly don’t believe that Matt Lynch can win the general election in this district. I don’t want to see a liberal Democrat win that seat. Prior to redistricting, I was in Democrat Tim Ryan’s district. I know what it is like to be represented by a liberal Democrat. I would rather have a Congressman that I agree with 80% or 90% of the time than one that I agree with 5% of the time.

But don’t think that because I cite that practical reason that I will consider Congressman Joyce the lesser of two evils in November.  I have tremendous admiration for the man that Congressman Joyce is.

As I said before, over the last year and a half I’ve grown to respect him as a man who has the heart of a public servant.  When Congress is not in session, he is in the district speaking to his constituents, finding out what they think.  He takes the time to get into the far reaches of the district.  Heck, he actually knows where Farmington is. 

In December, he participated in the swearing in ceremony that we had for several of the township trustees in the area.  He spoke from his heart when talking about his own attitude toward being a public servant. 

I know that he truly gets what many in elected office don’t -we are supposed to be servants of the people not rulers over them.

Congressman Joyce may not be a rock star, but he is a good man working hard to serve all of the people in his district.  For that, he has my vote and my support.