Here I go again, after promising myself that a 68 year old grandmother needs to stay out of the political mix.  Logic told me that the man upstairs is in control and he will in his time resolve these problems that are devouring our beautiful country.  So, I said "Annie" just walk away from the blogging, quit listening to ever little piece of bad news that showers us daily and get a life.  But, today I find myself sitting down once more at the ole "puter" and letting it all hang out!

Grandparents need to unite and do the right things for our children and their children; it's important we quit gasping, finger pointing and start doing something constructive for our USA.  We, the baby boomers helped create this fiasco and now is the time to help the younger generations fix this mess.

Do we really know how much of the economic stimulus money has been spent, where our monies have been appropriated and why we're digging a deeper financial hole by the day.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that we're headed in the wrong direction and that the present leaders aren't capable and certainly are poor decision makers.  This means all of our government starting with the president and his gang including many Republicans, Democrats and of course it would be mindless of me if I forgot our Supreme Court. 

We know millions of our Americans are losing their jobs, homes and hope of a better future.  Government is rapidly growing and our present leaders think we're too busy to monitor them.  Unemployment keeps skyrocketing, bankruptcies are a dime a dozen, our investors are being beaten up through increased taxation, our education system stinks and is becoming prohibitive for many of your young people and the list goes on and on... 

I'm back and although only one 68 year old grandmother, I'm here for the fight with all of my fellow Americans.  It's time to quit pointing our finger, sitting on our fannies commiserating and make a stand together for our Nation, children and grandchildren.  Let's take one baby step at a time and once again live in the land of the free. 

One closing thought that has troubled me for years is the word "rights."  It has been chewed up, spit out and completely distorted and we in our robotic fashion have allowed the norm to be disfigured.  Not everyone has a "right" to change something just because they have fart crossways.  The Supreme Court needs to quit listening to the peddlers and meddlers, because they certainly are in need of a major overhaul and hat adjustment.  As Always, Annie 

Rights - Roles - Responsibilities

Several weeks ago I attended my grandson’s high school football game. Excitement filled the air as parents, grandparents and friends found their seats in the bleachers.  If the football team can pull another win out of the hat, they will be in the playoffs (the first time in six years.)

Suddenly I realized the hush that fell over the crown wasn’t about the game, but about a 21 year old man who stood on the field with hat in hand covering his heart.  Three years ago, this young man was a track star in our high school and now a veteran with a prosthetic leg.

He is the epitome of one who assumed his rights, roles and responsibilities to keep us safe and to help the less fortunate.  The bleachers were packed and heads were bowed in prayer as the announcer spoke about this young hero.

All at once hundreds of men and women on motorcycles circled the field carrying our “Red, White and Blue” flag in honor of this man and their country.  Tears flowed as we sang the National Anthem – in my heart, I knew that America still stands as “One Nation Under God.”  One young veteran and thousands of strangers were connected by a chain of love.

For those who met him for a few brief moments, he will always be their hero! What an act to follow!  Like this young man, parents are heroes too and they will remove the pain from their children’s lives and restore our Nation that is tottering on a weak foundation.

Parenthood is a “God” given gift and no one has the right or authority to tamper with our parents – they are the pulse of America.  Remember your childhood, when your imagination and dreams would sweep you off to fantasyland – you were the hero or heroine that saved the day.

A dolly would become a beautiful princess in the blink of an eye or and old broom handle was transformed into a prancing black stallion blowing smoke or whatever out of his nostrils.  You were the knight in shinning armor, who saved the maiden in distress or the nurse that healed the sick and doctored the neighborhood stray.

Yep, those were the good old days, when you believed in yourselves and you experienced a distinct warm fuzzy feeling of human worth.  The good news is this – there’s still a little hero or heroin hid away in your heart and soul, just waiting to be called to action.

Maybe you haven’t heard the call yet, but look around and listen to your children. They’re yelling and stomping their feet trying to get your attention.  Our children are suffering from a pain that is very complex;  it’s illusive, difficult to treat and many times misdiagnosed.

They are experiencing an emptiness and a gnawing discomfort which is affecting their minds and bodies.  Treatment is superficial, somewhat like a band aide, unless the real problem is identified.

New child psychology, the women’s movement and non parental caregivers (not in any particular order) are three concerns that have spawned excessive psychological and physical damage to our children.

These are the stimuli that have created a portion of this complex pain, but they’re not the cause.  With careful examination, you’ll find this complex pain comes from a slow erosion of human values and worth that is causing our country to stumble.

Everyone, not just parents and children have been blindsided!  Our leaders suffered too as the new era slowly and relentlessly replaced “morality and spirituality with immorality, self and materialism.

Our government attempted to stay in the middle of the road in a ridiculous effort trying to retain their popularity and position in office.  Confusion set in as our they tried to please everyone by being “politically correct,” which was the beginning and the end for most politicians who believed in morals, human worth and values.

It seems like everything converged on us at one time.  Overnight we started making adjustments due to modern child psychology, the women’s movement and pressure from the baby boomers.

Just when we were scrambling to keep up with the rapid changes - stage left in tramped the special small interest groups (the meddlers) who always wait to make their moves until we are totally distracted.

Yes, parents were agitated, angry and confused, but the trickle down affect of this era placed parents in a compromising position.   The ones behind these movements were strategists and their first order of business was to take the air out of parents and remove parental control.

What better way to bring our Nation to its knees than through our parents and their children!  Even if some of our leaders believed in “One Nation Under God,” they were afraid to discuss and retrieve this fundamental right.

Parents, grandparents and concerned citizens are the ones who will have to take time out and restore our country morally and spiritually, but first they must take back their rights, roles and responsibilities. Help John McCain restore our Nation!

Parents will be the ones who leave a legacy for our children that has real value and human worth.  The past is behind us and we can’t keep dwelling on the past – we must stride forward into the future with the resolve to put discipline and prayer back into our schools and resume parental roles. 

Working together one family at a time to put our Nation back on track as one “Nation Under God With Liberty and Justice for All.”  Oh yes, it will take effort on our part but what a great feeling it will be to leave our children a truly awesome legacy.

As John F. Kennedy said, “And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you.  Ask what you can do for your country.” For those who believe in “God:” he’s still alive and well!   How do I know this, I watched as the Republican Convention closed their ceremony with prayer.

Yow, there were a few low blows about the Church card being pulled out and used, but the good thing is regardless of the off the wall responses - prayer did get the attention of the special interest groups.  You know, they are most welcome to join us as we put our tottering Nation back on a strong foundation. 

As Always Annie

But, the sad fact is our young people will be the ones who clean up our mess, if we don’t step forward and help.  Take a walk with me back to the time that our government was a respected authority – they were supportive and proud of their nation under, “God.”

Our leaders prayed together and didn’t hide in the closet fearing that public prayer would offend someone.  This was a time when morality and spirituality was the adhesive that kept our country strong. 

Child abuse, teen pregnancy and drugs were a rarity and marriage was a sacred institution. Divorce wasn’t condoned; in fact it wasn’t a viable alternative.

Mothers held a most honorable position in the family – they didn’t drink, curse or play around.  Children respected, loved and cherished their mothers, because they were great role models and the glue that held family units together.

Fathers were dependable, hardworking men, loyal to their employer and the shepherds who watched over their flock.  Yes, fathers were qualified to be the head of the household;  they were an accountable, honorable group of men, who accepted their role of husband and father with pride.

Fathers and mothers instilled human values in their children that would help them succeed as young mature adults.  Children had parameters along with love, mentoring and discipline;  they learned to respect themselves and others.   At this time parenthood was touted as the “in thing.”   So what happened to change parenthood so drastically?

First, the baby boomers arrived on the scene in the early 40’s – they were the groovers and movers who defied reality, morality and spirituality.   It was like letting a bunch of kittens make a sand box out of the flowerbed;  the boomers played around until all the sand and dirt was gone.

They were the dreamers, schemers and the ones who fantasized about life in general.   I was one of those boomers, so this isn’t here-say or conjecture about what was happening during that period of time.

We flew by the seat of our pants without short or long-term goals.  Our generation was somewhat like a fairytale without a happy ending.  We flatly refused to conform to the code of morals and ethics that had sustained our Nation for years;  we jumped on the express to nowhere and morals took a big hit and so did our kids.

This was about the time that some of our children started suffering from that complex pain mentioned in earlier chapters.  Along with the boomers, came the birth of a new child psychology, which advocated allowing children to be free (whatever that means.)

This new child philosophy changed parenthood and in my mind was the beginning or birth of “role reversal” between parent and child, which we’ll visit at a later time.  So for the next several generations the “good parent and good child syndrome” plodded along with a few raving reviews from the meddlers and peddlers.

The ironic thing about this era is this – Dr. Spock changed his mind years later and decided that parents were naturally equipped to mentor, discipline and raise their children without meddling fingers and all the sophisticated psychological intervention.   For some strange reason very few parents heard this message from Spock – it was “too little, too late.”

So within a few short years America had received a double whammy created by the boomers and some off the wall child psychology.  Yep, we let our children run free with few restrictions – this was the time when our old standby “No” became a forbidden household word.

Now we go to the third drastic change, which was the women’s movement. This movement wasn’t toddling anymore;  it was running at top speed in search of power, fame and that bloody fortune, we keep hearing about.

Many women were forfeiting their awesome profession of “motherhood” in exchange for a few piddly dollars.  Here we’re talking about a trade off that definitely should have been addressed in a different manner.

No doubt, women needed more education and men needed to share the wealth so to speak, but something was wrong with this movement because our children took the hit and to this day are still suffering from this movement.

Our Nation in their usual fashion supported and encouraged women on their power trek;  we knew in our hearts it was the right thing to do.  But, in many respects this was a poor judgment call because, our concentration was on women and their rights with total disregard to our children’s rights!

Our children were discarded and kicked out of the equation or at least placed way down the list of priorities.  I certainly don’t have all of the answers; I’m just telling the story the way I see it!  In 2008, our young girls are still being groomed for the professional work force and egged on by what I refer to as the “equality struggle of the genders.”

At this time, the US Department of Education estimates that approximately 57% of college enrollees are female.  It seems Motherhood has been devaluated and is considered a somewhat antiquated profession that needs to be relegated to the ancient history shelf.

Brainwashed and spit out again – Motherhood is a “God” given gift and is still and will always be the ultimate profession.  My bet is the children who are young adults now that experienced 18 years under the vigilance of non-parental caregivers and the meddlers, while mom was out making a few bucks would give their right arm if mothers would resume their position as Mother, friend and role model once again.

Due to the weakening moral codes created by the boomers, modern psychology and the women’s movement, our Nation reeks with child abuse, teen pregnancies, addictions, murder and high school dropouts.

Marriage isn’t exactly considered a sacred institution anymore – it resembles a withered piece of fruit on a spindly old tree that falls apart if a storm or hard wind hits it.

Many just pass on marriage and opt for shacking up together. “Shacking Up” eliminates the moral and spiritual pressures, but once again the children are the ones who suffer.  Shacking up is somewhat like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole – nothing about this relationship has a good fit and sooner or later time seems to take its toll and the children take the hit.

Divorce in 2008 is a household name, as common and casual as taking a walk in the park. Like the latest fashions – our attitude is “tired of the old clothes, just trade them in for some new.”  But,what about the children? 

After studying some divorce statistics in the US, it has been discovered that there are two common factors; (1) Infidelity, and (2) family stress account for approximately 50% of our divorces.

Several studies suggest that women are usually the ones to initiate divorce proceedings.  Why should that be a surprised, we’re the heavy weights at the Presidential Polls in 2008!   Another fairly new fad is single mothers (by choice); they select a sperm donor or choose a life of cohabitation and this is perceived to be the norm.

Not in by book, these groups of women have tossed morality out the window and as we speak are participating in a dangerous and lonely game.   Than again, I’m just an ole fashioned grandmother!   This lifestyle actually places many women in a state of limbo, swaying back and forth between mother hood and their profession, without a place to call home.

These women are trying to fit into a pair of parental shoes that will probably result in two things: (1) Non parental caregivers will raise their child, and (2) The child born in this unatural environment will have many challenges in their young adulthood.

Many mothers will some day have to take a long hard look at their precarious position in the family, because they do drink, curse and play around. Unfortunately, it’s the children who will have a lifetime of suffering, because these ladies couldn’t give up their promiscuous ways.

 Fathers will have to revisit their lifestyles and once again resume the honorable position as head of the household.   Fathers must fight for their “rights” and become strong role models for their children and assume the awesome responsibility of parenthood.

 Dads can’t sit back anymore and watch the rest of the crazy world go by – their children need them, now.   It’s sort of like Winston Churchill said many years ago, “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else.”  It’s time to do the right thing for our children and our country.

It’s not about you, nor is it about me – it’s about our children. Let’s work together and leave our children a legacy to be proud of that will ring the bells of history and not be relegated to the ancient history shelf as a “flop.”

As Always, Annie

We've plodded through the many changes over the past 60 plus years and after pointing fingers at the meddlers, peddlers and gov – it’s time to make the necessary changes to restore the once strong foundation.

I only included meddlers, peddlers & gov because they are a part of our history in the USA.  They have been responsible for shaping much of our Nation!  Do I have a bunch of answers, cures or band aids to offer parents, grandparents and concerned citizens?

Not really, but looking back in history it is apparent that our ancestors came from all walks of life and yet they unanimously agreed on two thins: (1) The solid foundation for America must be “One Nation Under God, and (2) Liberty and justice for all would be the cement that would keep the United States alive and well.

As we look back over the past 60 plus years, it’s important to realize that nothing was really broken and we didn’t ask anyone to fix it, but “they” did.  So now we’re faced with a weak government, too many special interest groups with their fingers in our pot, and once again parents are being controlled – no in control.

Parents and grandparents have been left with a mess, that’s for sure and we have to assume some responsibility for creating the mess.  Each one of us as individuals can make the conscious decision that we want our country back on it’s once strong foundation – with “God” guiding us all things are possible.

Yep, we can even move mountains!  “Decisions” should be determined by what is in the best interest for families and children.  Our children should always be our priority and we need prayer in the schools, the Ten Commandments visible for all (they’re really a roadmap for men, women and children.)

Remember, we’re not going to make anyone pray, nor will they be forced to read the Ten Commandments, but the flipside is this - prayer, the Ten Commandments and One Nation Under God is the legacy left to us by a forefathers.

No man, woman or child has a right to tamper with this legacy!  Discipline must be returned to parents, schools and all of our society.  Immorality should be addressed as a Nation and our leaders must be honest, men and women who realize that it’s not about them, but about our children and country…

“They” can continue tooting the same old horn and playing the same old tune about keeping religion and politics separate. So keep them separate, but don’t meddle with our beautiful America that thrived and prospered for years as “One Nation Under God.”

It’s a tried and true concept that works for all – and frankly for those who don’t like the concept, it’s probably time for them to take a hike, go out to sea or find another country.

We need to take care of our troops, their families and let them know daily how proud we are of them and their patriotism. You better believe they’re in Iraq because they want us to be safe!

These are the young men and women who can and will help us restore our country; they will give others outside of our country a chance to experience a better life.  

In closing, some very dangerous red flags are showing their evil eyes in our Nation.  Self-centered, prideful, pleasure seeking and materialistic nation become divided and eventually crumble.  Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before a fall. Proverbs 16:18

History shows that nations without codes of conduct or real human values become extinct.  The Roman Empire, the Soviet Union and other Nations fell due to a decline in morals, values and a corrupt group of leaders kindled by inflation. The wealthy citizens of Rome were prideful, materialistic and pretty much what I call pleasure seekers!

Here is a letter to ponder from Charles Carroll to James McHenry, written around November 4th, 1800. What this letter discusses isn’t news, but its reliable information you can take to the bank.

Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion whose morality is so sublime and pure…are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments.” Bernard C. Steiner, “The Life and Correspondence of James McHenry,” (Cleveland: The Burrows Brothers, 1907). P.475 “God Bless Each and Everyone”    http://www.youranie.com 

As Always, Annie

PS   It’s time America to gets back to the basics of love and restore our country as “One Nation Under God With Liberty and Justice for All."  It really boils down to the hard raw basics – it’s not about you and it darn sure isn’t about me;  it’s about our children and their children.

About a year and a half ago, I wrote a small book for parents and grandparents. It was a story by a 68 year old grandmother and written for two basic reasons, (1) Bring Parenthood back into style, and (2) Expose the meddlers (special interest groups, lobbyists and pork barrel pigs), the peddlers (Liberal news media) and the Government. 

So today 7 days before the Presidential Election, I took it off my old history shelf and thought I’d share one small chapter with America. As you’re reading this, remember the American Dream – don’t sell the dream for a few idle promises and the Obama philosophy.

One question that keeps running through my mind is, “what were we doing and thinking while they (I’m using this term ambiguously) started chiseling away at our Nation’s foundation.”  Excuse the english pun, but none of us know for sure who "they" really are...

Their intent was to destroy the once strong family unit and they haven’t succeeded – in fact they’ve bitten the “hand that feeds them.”  They forgot that those playing with fire will sooner or later get burned – America’s parents are resilient and frankly have had enough.

Families have been put threw the ringer the past 60 years as we experienced and practiced the new child psychology theory, the women’s movement and the unrestricted world that the “baby boomers” advocated, which included materialism.

Our country went from  “One Nation Under God” to a Heinz mix that advocated and condoned materialism and freedom of “self.”  Yes, we bought into this newfound freedom and enjoyed a few years of unrestricted, undisciplined living, but now we’re at the crossroads and parents are down to two choices; (1) Restore our Nation morally and spiritually or, (2) Let the meddlers and peddlers take over ownership of our Nation.

Obama and gang are just waiting to pounce on Americans, their children and their country.  We're on the verge of going from a Democracy to Obamanism. 

Blame isn’t the answer and won’t solve our problems! Parents can consider taking the first giant step of restoration by choosing the right leaders for our country.  

Before the election, our Presidential Elects needs to step forward with “real solutions for real problems.”  In plain english, we want to know in detail how they plan on solving America's dilema.  This time patches, quick fixes and band aids aren't feasible solutions.  John McCain and Sarah Palin aren't the "home health aid" squad - nope they're the surgeons that don't believe in "quick fixes."

The American people don’t need more taxation and false promises – parents, grandparents and concerned citizens want a strong honest government that can actually correct the run away problems of oil, health insurance, education and a weak economy that went south a long time ago.

We've got our work cut out for us because during the past 60 years many of us have turned our heads and been content to blame our government, the meddlers and peddlers.  It's unfair to expect John and Sarah to fix everything via the government - we the people must promise to do our part. 

Individually we can take back our rights, roles and responsibilities and build strong family units again!  We can't continue being passive and blame someone for our children’s promiscuous way.  Glenn Beck on CNN has absolutely hit the nail on the head - as individuals we must step forward and make a conscious decision of what road we wish to take during the next 4 years.

We need to make a moral and spiritual stand for our children and our country.  All citizens should consider returning to an old fashioned idea of budgeting – our uncontrolled spending via plastic needs to stop immediately.

We can’t restore our Nation or our families at this time, because we want what we want, when we want it.  Just getting a handle on the spending frenzy will be the beginning of a great new era for each and every family!

The peddlers (news media) need to join hands with us and help us build a strong nation again – citizens are tired of the “trickle down news” that is laced with propaganda and a large dose of bias tossed in... 

We’re capable of making good decisions and tired of being treated like a bunch of preprogrammed robots.  For now let’s revisit where America has been tramping around the past 60 plus years.

Let’s trek back to the 40’s when teachers were faced with minor disciplinary problems such as talking loudly during class, chewing gum, running in the hallways etc.

Now teachers must cope with rape, robbery, assault, drug and alcohol abuse and at times murder.   So what happened between than and now?   Why have teachers and school administrators been a helpless target without any real support from our Nation?

I say this because our US children’s education ranks quite low compared to some other countries.   We talk a good talk, but that’s all it is – just idle gossip.   Our public schools are in a world of hurt and we’re ignoring their cries for help and parental support.

It’s almost like our public schools have turned into baby sitting institutions where we expect teachers to teach if they have time, but lord forbid if they should discipline our kids.

Here’s a news alert, many awesome and dedicated  teachers have received our message and many have stepped down from their teaching positions and others (not qualified to teach) have stepped in as replacements!

Remember when it was decided that teachers should be the ones to teach our kids sex education and at the same time the elementary schools were telling our kids that, “It’s alright for Johnnie to have two daddies or mommies – my little grandson came home from school one day and discussed this new philosophy.

So, grandma tell me why Johnnie has to have two daddies, where’d his Mommy go?   Boy, grandma couldn't come up with any good explanations for that question - so I told my grandson what I believed in my heart and why I believed certain things to be true!

Along the way, many Americans have adopted the attitude that anything goes in our country because we’re in the land of the free.   So it’s easy to understand why morality and spirituality has taken one hit after the other.

We try so hard not to offend anyone and in the meantime our true identity is being lost in the modern mix.   It’s difficult to admit that our complacency and busy life styles kept us totally off guard, but whatever the reason – we certainly were too preoccupied in our own little world!

Although, parents didn’t always agree with the changes taking place in our schools and society;  they didn’t disagree with enough intensity to stop the meddlers.   Was prayer really removed from schools because of a few over zealous teachers and parents or was it's removal spawned by those special interest groups that I refer to as the meddlers?

At the same time we experienced  hoop la about the Ten Commandments and we were told that they needed to go too!   So gradually with the help of a handful of bored cantankerous people, parents are the ones controlled – not the ones in control.

Over a span of many years we have experienced numerous alterations in our society, especially our social environment.   Some of the changes are good, but others aren’t morally or spiritually acceptable.   Progress isn’t progress in the USA – when the family unit is weakened.   It’s regression!

Due to our materialistic binge and newborn freedom of "self," we've treaded into no man's land and we're stuck in the mire!.   As I mentioned earlier our credit card debt alone is enough to confirm that many have lost their ability to budget, let alone save any of their hard earned money.

Materialism is ruthlessly devouring our children and our country;  it has become the dominant stimuli that keeps everyone scrambling and out of balance.   If materialism is the status symbol of a man or woman’s true worth, than our accumulation of “things” must represent who we really are…

When our worth is monitored in dollars and cents, or the degree of fame and fortune achieved – we’ve truly bounced right off the Richter scale.   So my question is, “why are we wasting our time collecting treasures that we can’t take with us at the end of life?

Many have tread the narrow materialistic path only to find out in the last few hours here on “Mother Earth,” that they wasted a lifetime spinning their wheels in the search for peace of mind and happiness.

This is just an observation that I’ve made from my hospice experiences;  believe me in those last final hours the one making his or her final journey isn’t sitting there counting their worldly possessions one by one!

The materialistic struggle is dangerous because its one of compromise – in order to be a participant we must sacrifice “self.”   No doubt materialism boosts the weak ego and serves as a powerful message for those in search of false “Gods.”

But what about our heart and soul – do we really think being a worshipper of materiality is going to bring us eternal peace of mind and happiness?   How did we arrive in this precarious position - could the reason be our desire to give our children a better life?  The question here is what is "a better life?"

Many of us chose a lifestyle that forced us to jump on the fast track in search of a better life for ourselves and our children.   We had a burning fear of being left behind!

While we spent years trying to keep up with the “Joneses” - our children were sort of raising themselves and about the same time, we started hashing around the problems that our ‘latch key” kids were experiencing.

Shortly thereafter we were hearing about teen pregnancies and serious problems in our schools, but few of us really took the time to figure out where we’d gone astray.  It was much easier to place all the blame on "they!"

Don’t assume that I’m pointing my finger in a better than thou attitude – nope, I was one of the baby boomers and I’ve been there and done all of the above!  I’m hoping that as a Nation, we can address some of these problems and restore our countries’ foundation and I'm here to help all of you.

Our children don’t need more gifts – they need us minding the home front and keeping our families safe.   To all of the meddlers and peddlers – get a life, do something constructive or just flat “Get Out Of Dodge.”   Our Country needs the two mavericks.  http://www.yourannie.com

As Always, Annie

3 R's of Parenthood

Rights - Roles - Responsibilities

John McCain is the veteran, the man who returned to his country and assumed his rights, roles and responsibilities.  John and Sarah place country first and both realize that with the help of parents, grandparents and responsible citizens we can restore our Nation's once strong foundation.

Several weeks ago I attended my grandson’s high school football game. Excitement filled the air as parents, grandparents and friends found their seats in the bleachers.  If the football team can pull another win out of the hat, they will be in the playoffs (the first time in six years.)

Suddenly I realized the hush that fell over the crown wasn’t about the game, but about a 21 year old man who stood on the field with hat in hand covering his heart.  Three years ago, this young man was a track star in our high school and now a veteran with a prosthetic leg.

He is the epitome of one who assumed his rights, roles and responsibilities to keep us safe and to help the less fortunate.  The bleachers were packed and heads were bowed in prayer as the announcer spoke about this young hero.

All at once hundreds of men and women on motorcycles circled the field carrying our “Red, White and Blue” flag in honor of this man and their country.  Tears flowed as we sang the National Anthem – in my heart, I knew that America still stands as “One Nation Under God.”  One young veteran and thousands of strangers were connected by a chain of love.

For those who met him for a few brief moments, he will always be their hero! What an act to follow!  Like this young man, parents are heroes too and they will remove the pain from their children’s lives and restore our Nation that is tottering on a weak foundation.

Parenthood is a “God” given gift and no one has the right or authority to tamper with our parents – they are the pulse of America.  Remember your childhood, when your imagination and dreams would sweep you off to fantasyland – you were the hero or heroine that saved the day.

A dolly would become a beautiful princess in the blink of an eye or and old broom handle was transformed into a prancing black stallion blowing smoke or whatever out of his nostrils.  You were the knight in shinning armor, who saved the maiden in distress or the nurse that healed the sick and doctored the neighborhood stray.

Yep, those were the good old days, when you believed in yourselves and you experienced a distinct warm fuzzy feeling of human worth.  The good news is this – there’s still a little hero or heroin hid away in your heart and soul, just waiting to be called to action.

Maybe you haven’t heard the call yet, but look around and listen to your children. They’re yelling and stomping their feet trying to get your attention.  Our children are suffering from a pain that is very complex;  it’s illusive, difficult to treat and many times misdiagnosed.

They are experiencing an emptiness and a gnawing discomfort which is affecting their minds and bodies.  Treatment is superficial, somewhat like a band aide, unless the real problem is identified.

New child psychology, the women’s movement and non parental caregivers (not in any particular order) are three concerns that have spawned excessive psychological and physical damage to our children.

These are the stimuli that have created a portion of this complex pain, but they’re not the cause.  With careful examination, you’ll find this complex pain comes from a slow erosion of human values and worth that is causing our country to stumble.

Everyone, not just parents and children have been blindsided!  Our leaders suffered too as the new era slowly and relentlessly replaced “morality and spirituality with immorality, self and materialism.

Our government attempted to stay in the middle of the road in a ridiculous effort trying to retain their popularity and position in office.  Confusion set in as our they tried to please everyone by being “politically correct,” which was the beginning and the end for most politicians who believed in morals, human worth and values.

It seems like everything converged on us at one time.  Overnight we started making adjustments due to modern child psychology, the women’s movement and pressure from the baby boomers.

Just when we were scrambling to keep up with the rapid changes - stage left in tramped the special small interest groups (the meddlers) who always wait to make their moves until we are totally distracted.

Yes, parents were agitated, angry and confused, but the trickle down affect of this era placed parents in a compromising position.   The ones behind these movements were strategists and their first order of business was to take the air out of parents and remove parental control.

What better way to bring our Nation to its knees than through our parents and their children!  Even if some of our leaders believed in “One Nation Under God,” they were afraid to discuss and retrieve this fundamental right.

Parents, grandparents and concerned citizens are the ones who will have to take time out and restore our country morally and spiritually, but first they must take back their rights, roles and responsibilities.

Parents will be the ones who leave a legacy for our children that has real value and human worth.  The past is behind us and we can’t keep dwelling on the past – we must stride forward into the future with the resolve to put discipline and prayer back into our schools and resume parental roles. 

Working together one family at a time to put our Nation back on track as one “Nation Under God With Liberty and Justice for All.”  Oh yes, it will take effort on our part but what a great feeling it will be to leave our children a truly awesome legacy.

As John F. Kennedy said, “And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you.  Ask what you can do for your country.” For those who believe in “God:” he’s still alive and well!   How do I know this, I watched as the Republican Convention closed their ceremony with prayer.

Yow, there were a few low blows about the Church card being pulled out and used, but the good thing is regardless of the off the wall responses - prayer did get the attention of the special interest groups.  You know, they are most welcome to join us as we put our tottering Nation back on a strong foundation.  Meet me @ http://www.yourannie.com

As Always Annie