A Christmas Message from the Chainsaw Carpenter

On this day in which the Christian world celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, I would like to express my feelings and wishes for you. I hope that each of us has taken time to reflect on the majesty of the Saviors life. His examples of perfect love and sacrifice should inspire us all to greater heights of love toward our fellow man.

I hope we have all taken extra time to be with our families, not just shopping for things for things to give them, but just being with them. Serving each other, talking, playing a game, it doesn't really matter what we do, just that the time was given to our family.

I hope that we have gone out of our way to serve someone. Whether it is shoveling snow, feeding the hungry, singing a carol to another. Service will break down barriers and soften the hearts of those who have been served but even more so the one who serves. Today's world could definitely use a softer heart.

I hope that we can feel the Savior's love in our hearts and that we can carry that love with us when we go back out in the world. We can have nothing greater than charity in our hearts and nothing will change the world around us faster than that pure love for others. No legislation or program will replace the love for our fellow man that we ought to show others each day.

I hope that each of us will think about what we do each day. Are we doing that which would be of greatest worth to the world? Are we doing that which would be of greatest worth to ourselves? Today's world needs a big infusion of love and service, let's get to it!

Merry Christmas!

If you have to use lies and deceipt, how good can it be?

What are the first words that come to mind when you think of a used car salesman? Lies? Deceit? Dishonesty? If any of my readers are used car salesman, I apologize up front for using this generalization, but I use it to make a point. Many of us would use these words to describe this profession because we have been hoodwinked by not so honest sales people.

I don't know why they feel they have to lie or deceive us to sell their product. Do they feel that it is inferior? Are they so unsure of their ability? Do they want to intentionally deceive us because they know their product is bad?

I have had all these thoughts these past weeks when I have watched the debacle surrounding the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare.) Now, to be honest with you I have never been a big fan of the Act, but I thought that those on the other side of the aisle had good intentions when they pushed it through.

Now after the admissions of deceit by our President I am having very big doubts about the merits of the legislation. Were the promoters of this law so unsure of their foundation that they thought they had to lie to us? If they knew that it was a lemon, why push it on us? What was their motive?

Whatever that motive was, they have lost the trust of the American People. How can we ever trust that whatever they tell us is true? How do we know that it is not some new way to deceive us into supporting yet another bad law? Have we sunk so low that we would do anything to forward our agenda?

I really try to stay positive here with my thoughts but this has been on my mind all week. We need to ask the question, "What other lies have we been told?" If our government reflects the values of the people, have we become a nation of liars? If so, then we are in real trouble. If not and we have elected some bad apples, then we need to hold them accountable and move forward. We can't just let this slide or be swept under the rug. If we do it now it will keep getting worse.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to live in a country whose government feels that they have to use lies to keep us happy. Anything built on a lie will fall because more lies must be told to keep up the facade.  As citizens we need to demand accountability. This one can't be swept under the rug. If we allow this, many of our elected officials may see this as a way to get things done. I shudder at the thought of this kind of future.

If you feel the same I would invite you to do something. Write your Congressmen and demand accountability, write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, get the message out that this is not acceptable. As Margaret Mead said; "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

"Vote The Bums Out"

"If all those liberals would go to Kimodo Island, then we could get our country back on track!" Did you ever hear or think this?  Glenn and Rush have assured me that getting rid of the other side will solve all of our problems. On the other hand Bill Maher and Harry Reid are sure that the conservatives have to go. Who's right?

The reality is that neither political party can fix our country. You see, the problem is that Democrats are sure that big government is the answer and Republicans are sure that big business is the answer. Guess what, neither big business nor big government will solve the problems which currently vex America.

Our problems run deeper than any politician can possibly deal with. Our problems begin on a personal level. Here are a few examples.

•  Americans spend $1.20 for every dollar they earn. How can our government get its fiscal house in order if the citizens aren't willing to do so first?
•  Most of us are unwilling to do the homework to elect good candidates, we instead rely on the media or advertising to vet our candidates.
• We claim that we have certain rights but few of us understand where those rights come from. (Here's a hint, they don't come from the Constitution or the government) .
•  Most of us haven't educated ourselves in the foundations of our republic (not democracy).

• The biggest problem I see is the dismantling of the family structure. (Nearly 60% of children are born to unwed mothers.) If there is no family structure, how can a solid government structure be expected to function.

  What I am trying to point out here is that America's problems are stemming from very personal issues and we cannot fix the national issues until we address the personal ones. So where to start?

A very good step would be to become educated in the foundations of our freedom. Where did the founders get their ideas? They read authors such as John Locke, Montesquieu,  Bastiat, Cicero and many others. Our system of government was established on the learning of centuries. It would behoove us to take in some of that wisdom so we can understand how our government is supposed to function.

We should work to get our own houses in fiscal order, then we can hold our representatives to our standard.

Most importantly we need to work to keep the family structure safe. Lifelong commitment to a single spouse is becoming obsolete. We need to spend more time nurturing family relationships. If the family continues to break down society's break down won't be far behind. Contrary to what's being touted on the news, a robust economy won't save our nation, but a strong family just may.

America will be saved only if we as individuals will have the commitment and put in the effort to save ourselves and our families first. We can only treat the symptoms for so long before the disease takes over. Let's get down to the root of what is dragging our country down.

Our dysfunctional  politicians are a reflection of us as citizens. What do you say, let's make a better reflection.

Get Off The Beaten Path

Do you ever get tired of being in a crowd? I know there are some who love a big crowd or the hustle and bustle of a busy place. That person is not me.

For example, for our annual hunting trip this fall my family decided to try something new. You see, we usually take our atv's off road to some wild place and hope we can find someplace that has not been overrun by other hunters. That task becomes harder each year.

We decided this year to back pack in to a non-motorized area. It was hard work to pack everything in and became that much harder when we harvested a big bull moose, which had to be packed out on our backs. The trip required more work, but in the end was very rewarding.

I had forgotten how nice it is to not hear anything when out in the wilds, usually I can hear the rumble of atv's around me.

I could go on about this trip but that isn't really what I wanted to write about. When we get off the beaten path, we will find that the reward for our efforts will increase.Why is it that we think we will find happiness by following the crowd? The crowd will always take us to the that place which is average or lower. I know that none of us want to be just average.

In order to rise above the crowd we need to get out of it. We need to do the things that others aren't willing to do. Are you willing to work smarter and harder than the crowd? If you are then you will find yourself at a whole new level in your life and achievement.

For many years I had thought that backpacking would be too much work, but the thing I found was that the moose were bigger and the enjoyment of the trip was greater. What do you think you will find when you leave the crowd behind?

' Tis The Season

Well friends, I did it again! I told myself that I wasn't going to do it this year,but it happened anyway. I let myself get so busy that I neglected some of the important things in my life. Work in the Summer always seems to get out of control. Not to mention the fact that in the midst of the frantic Alaskan building season we also must take time to recreate. We also try to

fill our freezer and pantry while playing.

We did pretty well, we fished a few times and this fall we hunted for moose, harvesting a very large bull. We took a family road trip into interior Alaska for a few days and I got to float a river with my son. As you already know I neglected my writing, which is important, at least to me. I don't really feel too bad about it though because I think what I did was probably more important.

I guess this brings me to my point. We need to live in the season of life that we are in. I have spent a lot of time in my life trying to fight against the seasons and at times this has really done a number on me.

For example, a couple of Summers ago I decided to study some "heavy" books. I worked at it for a while but it became so frustrating because there were so many other things to do that I never got around to studying. I then put a guilt trip on myself for not following through. It was a vicious cycle and when it spit me out I vowed never to try it again. I decided then that Summer was for Summer things. It made a big difference, at least for me.

Well, Winter is now fast approaching so I figure it's time to buckle down on a few more academic endeavors. I would invite you to do the same. Pick up a book that is going to take some hard work to get through, start writing, do some real meditation. After the frantic pace of the Summer, I am looking forward to slowing down a bit and exercising my mind, why not join me?

Freedom Lessons From a Chicken

Photo courtesy photobucket.com

The wily fox slunk through the underbrush, darted quickly into my yard, grabbed a hen, and dashed back into the woods. The only signs of the attack were a pile of feathers and the cacophony of sound from the remaining chickens.

To unfold the mystery of this caper one must look to the owner of said chicken and to certain decisions which he made that led to the demise of this hen. As a keeper of poultry, I like to let my birds graze from the grass in my yard. The chickens get better feed and more exercise. My feed bill is also cheaper. There are risks of course, neighborhood dogs or foxes can prey on my flock.

Since the attack occurred I have kept the brood locked in their pen and plan to until I can solve the problem of said vixen. My poor chickens have lost their freedom because I have a security issue.

The parallels that can be drawn from this scenario hit real close to home. Looking back to many of the tragic events caused by terrorists we can see the knee-jerk reactions which followed them. After 9/11 our government set up a huge new bureaucracy in the Dept. of Homeland Security. Under this umbrella our airports turned into quasi-military establishments. Privacy rights were trampled upon in the form of new wire-tapping laws ans unwarranted surveillance. While many see this as making us safer, I see these events as a great loss of freedom.

Another example of this occurred following the bombing of the Boston Marathon. The city of Boston was essentially put under martial law in the name of protecting its citizens from danger. Warrant-less house to house searches were conducted regardless of their constitutionality.

I know you've heard all this from the "fringe", but I also see some real problems with this. We seem to be all about freedom and our rights until there is an emergency. When something bad happens the government doesn't seem to have a problem with trampling on those rights. We are a less free people since these two events happened. In this sense, the terrorists won and we lost, even after twelve years of war trying to prove other wise.

The government seems to look at us like their flock of chickens. Do we dumbly go along because they know what is good for us or do we stand up and say, wait a minute? Do we question the loss of freedom that has occurred? Is more supposed security really worth being "penned up" inside more government regulation?

The American people need to put down their "foot" and say enough is enough. Freedom involves risk, no government program can take the risk away, but repeated attempts to do so by government, have resulted in minimal changes to risk and great lessening of freedom. Until we decide that we aren't a flock of chickens, our perceived masters will see us as such and keep trying to "save" us. I for one don't want to see a world without risk, for if and when that happens, there will also be no freedom and that will be the greatest tragedy.

The Best Things In Life Aren't Free

image courtesy of PatriotIcon.org

Free truck, come pick it up. 555-5555. This was my Craigslist ad the other day when I was trying to get rid of a junk car from the yard of a home I was rehabbing. I received twenty calls in 35 minutes. The car was gone within two hours. I was floored by the response. Why would so many people want a junk car?

I believe it's because we have become a culture of people wanting something for nothing. We eat terrible food because our kids get a free toy with the meal. We expect our children to get a free education and then complain because they didn't learn much. We expect to remain free, but are we willing to do what it takes to remain so?

This weekend we celebrate Memorial Day. Many of us will go camping or have a barbecue, without really thinking about why we can do so. Do we stop and reflect on those who sacrificed all so we can be a free people?

Do we think about the Pilgrims who colonized our shores? Are the heroes of the Revolution in our thoughts? Do we reflect on the soldiers of the Civil War who fought to keep our country united? How about the millions who gave their lives in WWI, WW2, Korea, Vietnam, and the seemingly endless campaigns of the Middle East? Do we think on those who may not have died in our service but who lived their lives working to keep us free?

Without taking these thoughts to heart we cannot appreciate the immense sacrifice made for us. I always hear people saying how we are so blessed to live in a free country. I agree we are blessed to live here in such prosperity. I worry that we think that this will always be our state. We seem to think that our freedom will be perpetual.

We can only remain free if we jealously guard the freedoms we have and work to become more free. Each and every day we need to spread the message of freedom. We need to become involved in our local governance. The first thing we must do is govern ourselves properly so that the government doesn't need to do it. We need to stop feeling entitled to anything.

The free car I gave away was a piece of junk as are most things we get free in life. The best things are always those which come most dear. This Memorial Day I hope we can reflect on the sacrifice made for us. I hope we can ponder on what our great grandchildren will think of us in their reflections. Will we be remembered as the generation that turned things around? Or will we be remembered as the one who let freedom slip through our hands?

I think we will be great in their eyes, so let's start paying the price now. Freedom is the greatest blessing and it comes at the highest price.