3/16/13
Howdy all! Well, I am back, or am I still here, or what is it? I don’t really know, but I want to share with you again.
So,…
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 4:6-7
In the first place, it is to be remembered, that the general government is not to be charged with the whole power of making and administering laws. Its jurisdiction is limited to certain enumerated objects, which concern all the members of the republic, but which are not to be attained by the separate provisions of any. ~ James Madison, Federalist Paper XIV, 1787
It has been a while, and so much has gone on, personally and politically. So, may I share? Life sure has its way of focusing on what is important. My Dad has not been well. He turned 82 in February, in the hospital. I called him to say hi, and he asked me to come to NY. He never asks. So, Terri helped find the funds and I went, taking my son who is back home a year after leaving the Army. By the time we got to NY, Dad was out of the hospital and excited about our visit. I realized that we would have a rare moment. There were 3 generations of Tom Kiley’s, all veterans at dinner; Air Force in Korea, Navy in the Cold War, Army in Afghanistan. My Dad hasn’t been that happy in ages. That was so good for my soul as well.
Now politically. So much is going on. How can we keep up with it all? Answer – you can’t. It isn’t possible. And that is by design. You know, the old Cloward and Piven overloading the system. Well, it seems there is one way; local activity. Here’s an example. In my legislative district we have 2 state representatives that are both republican; one who is really good, and one who has self-proclaimed to be a social moderate. She has been more liberal in the recent past, being the sponsor for WA state’s gay marriage law, and for a law to control air quality that would cause mandatory destruction of woodstoves in homes – all based on just one complaint. Well, she was recently a sponsor of WA state house bill HB1588. This bill was the mandatory background checks for private gun sales bill. Well, a number of her constituents started to write, and call, and communicate with each other. As a PCO, I sent her a letter reminding her that her job as our rep is to speak our voice, not hers. After lots of calls, and letters from many people in the 16th and other LD’s, she actually changed her mind. She realized that this would not ‘close a loophole’ in background checks at gun shows. It would only impose more control over those who already follow the laws. The bad sorts would not care at all. And, she realized that this bill would greatly infringe on our 2nd amendment rights. Not only did she change her mind, but she stood strong with her stance against this bill, even with pressure from national figures such as Gabby Giffords! Bottom line – local efforts worked. The bill never made it out of the House in Olympia. It didn’t have the support to pass. And our rep’s position had a lot to do with that. But our work isn’t done. As Madison said, government’s jurisdiction is limited to certain enumerated objects. Overstepping these limits does nothing for the people and is usually unconstitutional. All it does is strengthen what choke hold we allow our federally (and statewide) elected employees to have over us. We are experiencing dramatic overstepping of the government’s jurisdiction, and we cannot stop it all at once. But, we can change things one by one. Effort by effort. We have proved it in the fighting 16th! And I for one look forward to doing it again. And remember to pray. As I said we cannot fix it all, and we cannot fix it at once. Pray for God’s wisdom, and do what is right. The peace you receive will be well worth it. I sensed it after seeing my Dad, and again after seeing the background check bill wither away.
One other prayer I know of may help. This prayer has helped me throughout my life;
Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
Take care, God bless,
And stand with Israel
Tom Kiley
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