2012 Iowa Caucuses!

I have been out of the loop for awhile. Yet, between starting on Twitter and the primaries I have gotten re-engaged.

I was discouraged for awhile to see Newt as the supposed "conservative" alternative to Romney. The 3 people being talked about were Romney, Newt and Ron Paul which made for a perfect nightmare for me.

As I've said, I like some things about Newt but you never know when he's going to throw one of our own under the bus, or join the Democrats on something. Rush called it imploding, which I thought was a perfect description. And I think thats exactly what Newt is doing right now by throwing a temper tantrum over Romney's attacks.

I was always amazed at how well George W did at dealing with personal attacks. Newt is the perfect example of someone who doesn't deal well. And if he can't handle this, then he's definitely not presidential material.

So, after being bummed about all of this, I was pretty excited to finally see a "real conservative" alternative to Romney, in Santorum, doing well. I don't know how long it will last, but I will happy while he does.


Michelle Bachmann decided to get out, since she came in 6th place. I loved her speech, and it made me proud to be a Republican woman.

Sarah Palin hasn't been overly kind to her and that has disappointed me. The other weird thing is that she defends the Ron Paul supporters, as did a pollster today. They are urging us as average Republicans that we need to listen to them.

I have several problems with this:
1) Ron Paul supporters hate Sarah Palin, so I don't know why she's defending them.
2) As for the pollster saying we need to listen to the Ron Paul people, a huge majority of the Ron Paulites defect to the Democrat party once Ron Paul doesn't get the nomination. So I don't see the point.
3) Read this article, and then tell me Palin, pollster and anybody else that I'm supposed to listen to the Paul supporters!!

Happy Thanksgiving 2011!!

Previously:
Happy Thanksgiving 2010!
Happy Thanksgiving 2009!

The Africa Series!--Part 2--Rwanda!

Hotel Rwanda--Based on the true story during the Rwanda Genocide

After my summer trip to Senegal, I decided that my son and I would do a Unit Study on Africa this year. I wanted to learn about as many African countries as we could, but I especially wanted to learn about 3 countries in particular: Sudan, Darfur has been a focus of mine, Rwanda because of the genocide in 1994 and Somalia because of Black Hawk Down.

After learning of the genocide in 1994, I also learned that like most African countries, Rwanda has a lot of orphans and street kids. Operation World is a book that has statistics on every single country in the world and how you can pray for them.(I use it all the time, and highly recommend it!) According to OW, Rwanda has up to 900,000 orphans.

It is for this reason, that I picked a 12 year old girl named Beatha from Rwanda to sponsor. The group I went with, Food for the Hungry, had several countries in Africa, but I felt led to Rwanda. My kids are helping with their money as well in this sponsorship. So, it has become a family project.

What made me even prouder, was when my 17 year old daughter went to a Christian concert and decided to sponsor a little boy with AIDS from Rwanda all by herself. She is sponsoring him through Compassion.

I am seriously considering and praying about going back to Africa this coming summer. I am looking at a possible Tanzania trip, and I also found a trip to orphanages in Ethiopia and Rwanda that looks awesome, but praying for God to lead me where He wants me to go.

Previously:
The Africa Series!--Part 1--Senegal ABC's!

The Africa Series!--Part 1--Senegal ABC's!

My passion for Africa started awhile ago, and ever since my trip to Senegal, it has exploded. I am in love with all things Africa.

God got a hold of my heart through politics/current events and through home schooling my son. We are now doing a Unit Study on Africa and making our way through each country. I will be posting about that in this series.

My first post is about my trip to Senegal. I meant to post something right away, but life was crazy and I never got around to it. Below is something I came up with for my church presentation and a letter I sent out. I had to change it a little for safety precautions.

Senegal ABC’s
A-African jewelry-I was given and bought to bring home.
B—Babies I got to love on
C—Charms-many villagers still think they need these to protect them from evil spirits.
D—Dakota, who was one of my teammates on the trip.
E—Ethiopia-One of the men on our team was born in Ethiopia, which gave him a special bond with the people we met.
F—French is spoken by some villagers but most spoke tribal languages.
G—Goats, chickens and other animals roamed freely through the villages, fields and roads.
H—Hands—they eat with the right hand only, the left hand is used for other things.
I—Islam—A lot of the people believe in folk Islam which is a mix of Islam and ATR (African Traditional Religion).
J—Joni was the other woman on our team.
K—Kenya, Sudan and Tanzania were the African countries where my Pastor, Dr. Hadaway had gotten his experience in African Missions.
L—Late—I am notorious for having “issues” with time. So, I adapted to “Africa time” quite well.
M—Mosque—I went with Dr. Hadaway to the mosque one day and was swiftly kicked out.
N—No Problem!—Our driver’s favorite phrase in English!
O—Orphans—the street kids broke my heart and made me want to sweep them all up and start my own orphanage.
P—Pop—I am a Coca-Cola addict, so I was shocked/happy to see that most places had Coke available for pretty cheap.
Q—Quickly, left to go to historical Goree Island. It was one of the main hubs where slaves were picked up and taken in the 1800’s.
R—Rhinos on the safari!
S—Safari that we got to go on!
T—Theater—so many of the experiences would remind me of movies/tv—Roots, Locked up Abroad, The Amazing Race.
U—Unbelievable—how stressful shopping was because of how they descended on you like vultures to pressure you into buying things.
V—Van got stuck in the mud numerous times. We were there in the rainy season.
W—Wife—Dr. Hadaway kept joking that I would become someone’s 3rd wife. I thought this was purely comic humor, but we found out it was all too real for the women who live there.
X—X-rated—I saw lots of naked people in the villages.
Y—Yummy—I wasn’t real excited about the tongue and the liver we prepared in the village, but the 1st week we ate at the retreat and that was great food.
Z—Zebras we saw at the Safari.

Previously:
Laura Bush Honored for her Work in Africa to Beat Malaria!
I am Going to Senegal, West Africa!

Laura Bush Honored for her Work in Africa to Beat Malaria!

Amazingly, George W. Bush did more for Africa while he was president, than any other U.S. president to date, and yet one would never know it. In 2006, he held a White House Malaria Summit and announced the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), which has led efforts in 17 countries in sub-Saharan Africa to end malaria deaths. I found this description by Tim Goeglein of Bush particularly telling:

In my present role with Focus on the Family, I had to be up in South Africa earlier this year. Everywhere I went, whether for business meetings or ministry meetings, I was amazed at how highly regarded George W. Bush is in Africa. That’s a direct result of his compassionate conservatism and his historic work battling AIDS and malaria there. The President’s PEPFAR initiative against AIDS, and his anti-malarial program, stand among his most significant foreign policy achievements, and yet they’re little known or appreciated now, at least in the United States. I hope they will be recognized over time.

The great thing about this "Africa Story" is that it became a family affair. Laura Bush and the Bush daughters also took it on as a cause while in the White House, and the whole family continues to help the people of Africa.

Laura Bush was honored last night for her efforts to beat malaria. I have fallen in love with Africa since my missions trip this summer, so I find the Bush family's efforts very inspirational. Kudos to Laura Bush!

Related Links:
--Analysis: How George W Bush became an African hero
--First Lady Laura Bush Discusses Her Family’s Dedication to Ending Malaria
--President's Malaria Initiative
--Malaria No More

No Higher Honor!--Condi Rice

Condoleeza Rice has now come out with her 2nd book. The 1st book was about her family, and I got an autographed copy when she came to Kansas City. It was entitled, Extraordinary, Ordinary People.

Rice's latest book is entitled, No Higher Honor and it is about her 8 years in the White House. She shares a lot in her interview with Hannity in the above videos.

Previously:
Lunch with Condoleeza Rice!

The Pacific!--Part 1

A little boy asked me, he said, "Mr. Tatum," he said, "are you a hero of Iwo Jima?" I said, "No, son, I'm only a survivor, we buried all the heroes."--Chuck Tatum

Awhile ago, I watched the mini-series Band of Brothers, which was based on a book written about the fighting in Europe during World War II. A companion mini-series was done entitled The Pacific, which I just finished watching. It was based on stories of men who fought in the Pacific. There is an official website dedicated to the real marines whose lives were portrayed in the series.

Several men wrote books on their experiences, Robert Leckie wrote, Helmet for My Pillow. Eugene Sledge wrote With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa. Chuck Tatum wrote many books, one of them being about John Basilone, and one about Iwo Jima entitled, Red Blood Black Sand.

It was amazing, and so well done. It is not for the faint of heart, and not for children. Yet, it gives you, maybe, just a glimpse of the hell that the World War II veterans went through on our behalf. I don't know how we ever thank them enough for what they did. And, to think that when they came back, they were just expected to resume their life in society.

The above video is of one of the real life veterans who was portrayed in the movie. His video touched me the most. I liked a lot about the series, so I will be posting more.

Facebook pages:
Chuck Tatum
R.V. Burgin
Sidney Phillips

Paul Ryan: Saving the American Idea!

This is the man I wish was running for President. Paul Ryan is speaking to the Heritage Foundation last night, on October 26th. No one says it better than him!!

10th Anniversary of 9/11--Part 3

A powerful video done by Media Research Center. I found it at NewsBusters. All the more moving when you see our beloved Tony Snow, who is no longer with us.


Rumsfeld weighs in on the attacks on the Pentagon!

The First Annual Jeremy Katzenberger Memorial Triathlon was held yesterday at Weatherby Lake in honor of Jeremy. I did a post on him awhile back. He was killed in action in Afghanistan on June 14 of this year, fighting for our freedom. A friend of mine participated in it, and blogged about it.

Previously:
10th Anniversary of 9/11--Part 2
10th Anniversary of 9/11!

10th Anniversary of 9/11--Part 2

Mike's America...Ten Years Since 9/11: We Will Not Forget the Attacks and the Sacrifice of Those Who Keep Us Safe Today

Gateway Pundit...George W. Bush at Flight 93 Memorial: “One of the Lessons of 9-11 Is That Evil Is Real and So Is Courage” (Video)


Bush quotes:

On 9-11, “The most lives lost on American soil on a single day since the Battle of Antietam.”

“One of the lessons of 9-11 is that evil is real and so is courage.”

“At the moment American democracy was under attack our citizens defied their captors by holding a vote. The choice they made would cost them their lives. And they knew it. Many passengers called their loved ones to say good-bye. Then hung up to perform their final act.”

“The Flight 93 heroes led the first counter attack in the WAR ON TERROR.”

“The temptation of isolation is deadly wrong.”

Previously:
10th Anniversary of 9/11!