Friday, August 7, 2009

Making Our Voice Heard

A couple of months ago Richard and I started a Neighborhood/Community group called the "Freedom Forum". We meet on the 1st & 3rd Thursdays of every month and discuss topics such as the Constitution, our Founding Fathers, and the principles that our country was founded on. We educate each other, engage in discussions regarding current events and yes, we express some frustrations. I would like to invite anyone who is remotely interested to come join us and check the group out. Here is the link to the blog regarding the "Freedom Forum" & our meetings. http://freedomforumprovo.blogspot.com/


We have also put together a letter to send to all members of Congress (both in the House and Senate) along with a copy of the essay written by Ezra Taft Benson, when he was the Sec. of Agriculture in the Eisenhower administration, titled the "Proper Role of Government." Knowing that our letter with our 2 signatures on it would not make much of an impact in Washington, we set up a petition online where others who share our same view about the role government should play in our lives, could add their signature and give more "weight" to our letter & cause. We set our goal for 1000 signatures and got to work. We have sent e-mails, set up a Facebook Group, passed out fliers, and yesterday, Richard was given the opportunity to do an interview on a radio talk show out of Spokane, WA about our efforts and what the average citizen can do . Here is the link to the web cam & audio of the radio interview http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/1938717
He talks about what inspired him to get involved, the genesis of the group and the petition , and he just did an over all great job. I am really proud of him.


We have been doing the printing of the letter & essay a little at a time, due to the cost of printing, but we have the essays ready to go and are just waiting to accumulate signatures. So I am humbly asking that if you haven't signed onto the letter, that you read it & the essay and add your name if you feel the same way. Here is the link to a blog where you can read the letter, listen to or read the essay by Sec. Benson and find a link for you to add your signature along with ours http://properrole.blogspot.com/. Just a side note-the petition site asks for a donation, YOU DO NOT have to give a donation to add your name and the money does not go to our cause, but to the petition site for upkeep.


If you have added your name (which many of you have & I thank you), please just think of who (a spouse, sibling, parent, friend, etc.) you might share it with that might be interested in signing too. I am asking you to help me get the word out, anyway YOU know how.

I am sorry if this is such a heavy and serious post, but I feel like our country is in a perilous place right now & I appreciate you listening to me. I promise I will get back to writing "fluff" about the goings on in our family soon.

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