Two years is too long...  Updates soon to come...

November/December 2011

Friends and family, it's been almost a year since my last post.  It seems that Facebook has taken away much of my 'need' to update the blog.  I am going to try to post a bit more often, as my Facebook posts are a more transient and temporary, the blog posts stay accessible forever.

Family Update - We are all doing well, Malachi was baptized earlier this year, a bit late, since we did not feel like we had a Church home in TH we waited until we moved to our new home.  Gabriel will be baptized in the next several weeks.  Erica is YW president in our little branch, I am Cub Scouts leader, good stuff!  Rose is doing well coming along in her schoolwork.  Sarah is rapidly developing her illustration skills.  Ammon, Malachi and Gabriel are learning what it really means to work hard, carrying wood, helping with real chores...  Hannah has been demoted from Princess to Dutchess (Yes we had to demote her, she was taking the princess thing to seriously...).  Maggie and Abbie are super cute, Maggie's hair is growing back well from her head shaving incident, Abbie is growing like a weed.

House Update - Well, I had big plans for the house and still do, but things are going slower then I'd hoped, having stated that, we have done alot, replace the outside doors and two windows on the main floor, I replaced all of the plumbing (including the drain lines) and the bathroom, we have finally started seriously insulating the attic and are putting up drywall, running new electricity and recessed lighting.  Hope to complete that work before the end of Thanksgiving weekend.  We have also painted the kitchen and put up a new ceiling fan.  On the outside we have done alot, cleared the yard of the huge weeds, cleared back the woods quite a bit, made a path to the future back pasture, starting a permenent fence in the lower pasture, hope to finish the first leg before the ground freezes we have also started a pole barn that is going to initially serve as a horse run-in.

So, we've been busy bees!  I'm hoping to start to 'finish' some of this work over the next weeks, we will see...

An open letter to the people who are fighting for freedom in the middle east...

First let me tell you who I am, I am a Christian and a conservative, born in the United States of America.  Many of you probably assume that people like me hate people like you.  First I want to clear this up, speaking for myself and fellow Christians and conservatives that I know personally.  We do not hate you, in fact we pray for you and read the news about you and hope for you and your families freedom and prosperity every day.  We respect your faith and your desire to simply be left alone.  The challenge we face is that there are people amongst you that would have us and many of our other friends literally wiped off the map.  So what do we do?  What would you do?

I personally have a large family by western standards, 8 children and a wife, I married young and have gone through many struggles, from losing a house, to having a child with epilepsy, to homeschooling my children, the daily struggle to feed them among countless others..  I have been blessed with the freedom to live as I choose and do what I will, that blessing, although I personally have not had to spill blood to maintain it, was bought with the sweat, blood and treasure of my ancestors and other great people in this country.

You now stand at a precipice, what do you do?   Do you make the leap over of your own free will?  Do you grab the powerful hand of the fundamentalists groups to help you over just to find out that they want to limit your freedoms, just as has been done thus far by the various dictators and nobility in your country?

I want you, each and every one of you to be happy.  I firmly believe that happiness can only truly be obtained by individuals when you have the liberty to do as you wish in your life and to work towards the goals you set for yourself.  You deserve to be able to worship freely!  You deserve to be able to raise your children, care for them and see them become who they want to be.  The only thing I ask of you is to not impose your specific religious doctrine on others, let them choose and be happy. 

Your God and my God are the same, let us live as children of that God not mortal enemies.  Peace be with with you my brothers and sisters.

Well Pleased.

I usually post about politics, but today that will not be so...

As some of you may know, the last couple of years has been tough on my family. I lost my job in AZ, moved back to Indiana, thanks to the kindness of Erica's Sister and Brother-in-law had a place to land. This was very tough for us. I am thankful that I was able to maintain employment throughout this, initially not immensely "gainful" but since I have obtained a solid position with a 90+ year old company. But that is not why I am writing this post...

I want to write about my wonderful children, they have taken this entire roller coaster ride in stride. They have adapted to sharing bedrooms with cousins, sharing beds when necessary, living by someone elses rules, even if they are confusing and new and sometimes hard to understand, They have been willing and joyful participants in sacrificing what has needed to be sacrificed and doing what needed to be done. For them I am well pleased, to God I am grateful.

A new chapter has begun in our lives, Erica and I closed on a home a few weeks ago. It's an old house in the country on 4 acres. We got it dirt cheap, with that it needs a ton of work, we should be able to handle about 90% of it ourselves, but we are talking in the tens of thousands of dollars range. The previous owner has not yet removed their "stuff" and we need to start the work to prepare the children's bedrooms. So yesterday Erica and I went to the house to move all of the remaining stuff downstairs and get the space ready for a complete demo and remodel. Once again, my kids were up to the task, Rose and Sarah took turns helping out upstairs and keeping the babies, everyone participated in moving stuff downstairs, sweeping, cleaning-up and doing what needed to be done. Not one complaint, in fact one of the kids, I believe it was Gabriel said that "It is great that we are all working on this together!" My children exemplify what I believe it is to be a Leschorn, we are a family that does not fear hard work and takes joy in the process of reaching for our goals, a family with the help of the Almighty can overcome huge obstacles and strenghten our bonds with our Maker and eachother in the process.

My quiver is indeed full and I am a blessed man. Praise to our God, our Heavenly Father. In Jesus' name, Amen.

It's time to take out the dictatorship that is the Iranian Government.

"There is no security, no safety, in the appeasement of evil. It must be the core of Western policy that there be no sanctuary for terror. And to sustain such a policy, free men and free nations must unite and work together." - President Ronald Reagan

Who are the Democrats really?

Reposted from a comment on MSNBC.com. Details below:

I guess it is because of my age and back ground but I have never understood how left wing Democrats have overcome their history of being a notoriously racist group of politicians in the US. Here is the short list of Democrats that have a well documented history of being racist. Listing to the news you would gather that Republicans are just short of being under the control of Hitler. Let’s take a journey through history and honor those past Democratic Party members that have brought your party to the place you are today.

•George Wallace the Democratic Governor that stood on the step of High Schools, and College's promising that schools would remain segregated. Had black demonstrator’s water cannoned in the downtown streets of Birmingham. Senator Byrd who just passed away was an active member of the KKK.
•Sen. Ernest Hollings, leading Democrat Senator known for use of racial slurs against several minority groups
•Lee P. Brown, former Clinton cabinet official and Democrat mayor of Houston who won reelection using racial intimidation against Hispanic voters
•Andrew Cuomo, former Clinton cabinet official and Democrat candidate for NY Governor who made racist statements about a black opponent.
•Dan Rather, Democrat CBS news anchor and editorialist known for using anti-black racial epithets on a national radio broadcast
•Donna Brazile, former Gore campaign manager known for making anti-white racial attacks. Brazile has also worked for Jackson, Gephardt, and Michael Dukakis
•Franklin D Roosevelt, Democrat icon and orchestrator of Japanese Internment
•Dick Gephardt, former affiliate of a St. Louis area racist group
•Robert Byrd, former Ku Klux Klansman known for making bigoted slurs on national television
•Jesse Jackson: Jackson was the featured prime time speaker at the 2000 Democrat Convention. Jackson has a history of using anti-Semitic slurs and derogatorily calling New York City “Hymietown.”
•Rev. Al Sharpten, Democrat activist and perennial candidate and race hustler known inciting anti-Semitic violence in New York City
•Cragg Hines: Hines is one of the most rabidly partisan DC based Democrat editorial columnists to work for a major newspaper, and he makes no attempts to hide it.
•Orval Faubus, Democrat Governor of Arkansas and one of Bill Clinton's political heroes opponents of school integration
•Lester Maddox, Democrat Governor of Georgia opponents of school integration
•J. William Fulbright, Arkansas senator and political mentor of Bill Clinton filibustered against 1964 civil rights act.
•Albert Gore Sr., Tennessee senator, father and political mentor of Al Gore Jr. has been known to lie about his father's opposition to the Civil Rights Act.
•Sam Ervin, North Carolina senator of Watergate hearings fame filibustered against 1964 civil rights act.
•Richard Russell, famed Georgia senator and later President Pro Tempore filibustered against 1964 civil rights act.
Facts about the civil rights act: 40% of the House Democrats VOTED AGAINST the Civil Rights Act, while 80% of Republicans SUPPORTED it. Republican support in the Senate was even higher. Similar trends occurred with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was supported by 82% of House Republicans and 94% of Senate Republicans.

So, I was wondering how this history of conservatives being this big group of racist, fascist Nazi’s has become mainstream. It seems that the media is successfully omitting the historical facts of the Democratic Party. Plus, they are doing a very good job of insinuating that Republican are and have always been affiliated with various racial group or movements. They are using the ignorance and the lack of history being taught plus a poor education system to make younger Americans (younger than me 50 yrs) believe that Republicans are the party of racist Nazi fascist. Wow, they are doing a good job of it I must say. Plus, the people spouting this information believe it and many are younger Americans. I think most Democrats older than 50 know the truth about the party’s well documented history as being a party with strong ties to racist organizations and policies. As my son would say Dad when the world was black and white (he thinks that because of old black and white TV shows) we would have link this new Democratic party or Progressives as a left wing Marxist, communist radical political party. Today I would just categorize many Progressive as NUT BARS and to be fair there are some Republican NUT BARS.

I do believe it is time that Democrats or Progressive embrace their rich history and celebrate these truths:

•Democrats work hand-in-glove with the Ku Klux Klan for generations; they started the KKK and endorsed its mayhem.
•KKK was honored at the 1868 Democratic National Convention, no Democrats voted for the 14th Amendment to grant citizenship to former slaves
•The records of Congress reveal that not one Democrat in either in the House or the Senate voted for the 14th Amendment.
•Three years after the Civil War, and the Democrats from the North as well as the South were still refusing to recognize any rights of citizenship for black Americans.
•South Carolina Gov. Wade Hampton at the 1868 Democratic National Convention inserted a clause in the party platform declaring the Congress' civil rights laws were "unconstitutional, revolutionary, and void."
•It was the same convention when Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first grand wizard of the KKK, was honored for his leadership.
•Eisenhower (Republican) signed the GOP's 1960 Civil Rights Act after it survived a five-day, five-hour filibuster by 18 Senate Democrats.
•1964, Democrat President Lyndon Johnson signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act after former Klansman Robert Byrd's 14-hour filibuster, and the votes of 22 other Senate Democrats, including Tennessee's Al Gore Sr., failed to scuttle the plan.
•As recently as 1960, Mississippi Democratic Gov. Hugh White had requested Christian evangelist Billy Graham segregate his crusades, something Graham refused to do. "And when South Carolina Democratic Gov. George Timmerman learned Billy Graham had invited African Americans to a Reformation Rally at the state Capitol, he promptly denied use of the facilities to the evangelist. (Is this why the left hates Christians because they are still racist).
•Until 1935, every black federal legislator was Republican, and it was Republicans who appointed the first black Air Force and Army four-star generals, established Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a national holiday, and named the first black national-security adviser, secretary of state.
•Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said: "The first Republican I knew was my father, and he is still the Republican I most admire. He joined our party because the Democrats in Jim Crow Alabama of 1952 would not register him to vote. The Republicans did. My father has never forgotten that day, and neither have I."
•John F. Kennedy's (Democrat) brother, Robert, in 1964 assisted the FBI's efforts to destroy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by approving the wiretapping of the man considered the heart and soul of the civil rights movement.
•Sen. John F. Kennedy (with an eye on the Democrat presidential nomination for 1960) voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the law that really got the ball rolling on federal civil rights legislation.
•1964 Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 would never have become law if not for Republican senators and congressmen whose overwhelming support offset extreme Democrat opposition.
•President Nixon who implemented the first affirmative action program with the Philadelphia Plan in the late 1960s. The plan required government contractors to set goals and timetables for hiring minorities. Nixon was a Republican and a crook.
Recognition to Paul Brooks and IrishMike for summary of historical information. Plus, the encyclopedia Britannica that mom and dad gave me many years ago. And the Democratic party for conveniently skipping over so much of its rich history. I wonder why? Ethics and integrity would really be a great concept for both Republican and Democrats to embrace.

It is a fact that the liberal news media and democrats are just bunch of racist trying to point the finger at a group that they fear. Since I am not a member of the Tea Party, not a member of the Democratic Party, or any political party I will let you in on another fact. All races, creeds, colors, religions, ethnic backgrounds have a percentage of humans that are racist bigots. It has always been that way and always will be that way. The best we can do it try to prevent these humans from being placed in a position where they are able to influence falsely beliefs on others. Unfortunately good and evil do not have any political boundaries or affiliations. Good and evils are represented equally in both parties.

Reposted from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38303950/ns/politics/, this is a comment to the reference article, the comment is a wonderful piece of work. Rick-1103139 is the author.

Character Of The Happy Warrior

Who is the happy Warrior? Who is he
What every man in arms should wish to be?
It is the generous Spirit, who, when brought
Among the tasks of real life, hath wrought
Upon the plan that pleased his childish thought:
Whose high endeavours are an inward light
That makes the path before him always bright:
Who, with a natural instinct to discern
What knowledge can perform, is diligent to learn,
Abides by this resolve, and stops not there,
But makes his moral being his prime care;
Who, doomed to go in company with Pain,
And Fear, and Bloodshed, miserable train!
Turns his necessity to glorious gain;
In face of these doth exercise a power
Which is our human nature`s highest dower;
Controls them and subdues, transmutes, bereaves
Of their bad influence, and their good receives:
By objects, which might force the soul to abate
Her feeling, rendered more compassionate;
Is placable - because occasions rise
So often that demand such sacrifice;
More skilful in self - knowledge, even more pure,
As tempted more; more able to endure,
As more exposed to suffering and distress;
Thence, also, more alive to tenderness.
`Tis he whose law is reason; who depends
Upon that law as on the best of friends;
Whence, in a state where men are tempted still
To evil for a guard against worse ill,
And what in quality or act is best
Doth seldom on a right foundation rest,
He labours good on good to fix, and owes
To virtue every triumph that he knows:
Who, if he rise to station of command,
Rises by open means; and there will stand
On honourable terms, or else retire,
And in himself possess his own desire;
Who comprehends his trust, and to the same
Keeps faithful with a singleness of aim;
And therefore does not stoop, nor lie in wait
For wealth, or honours, or for worldly state,
Whom they must follow; on whose head must fall,
Like showers of manna, if they come at all:
Whose power shed round him in the common strife,
Or mild concerns of ordinary life,
A constant influence, a peculiar grace;
But who, if he be called upon to face
Some awful moment to which Heaven has joined
Great issues, good or bad for human kind,
Is happy as a Lover; and attired
With sudden brightness, like a Man inspired;
And, through the heat of conflict, keeps the law
In calmness made, and sees what he foresaw:
Or if an unexpected call succeed,
Come when it will, is equal to the need:
He who, though thus endued as with a sense
And faculty for storm and turbulence,
Is yet a Soul whose master - bias leans
To homefelt pleasures and to gentle scenes;
Sweet images! which, whereso`er he be,
Are at his heart; and such fidelity
It is his darling passion to approve;
More brave for this, that he hath much to love: -
`Tis, finally, the Man, who, lifted high,
Conspicuous object in a Nation`s eye,
Or left unthought - of in obscurity, -
Who, with a toward or untoward lot,
Prosperous or adverse, to his wish or not,
Plays, in the many games of life, that one
Where what he most doth value must be won.
Whom neither shape of danger can dismay,
Nor thought of tender happiness betray;
Who, not content that former worth stand fast,
Looks forward persevering to the last,
From well to better, daily self - surpast:
Who, whether praise of him must walk the earth
For ever, and to noble deeds give birth,
Or he must fall to sleep without his fame,
And leave a dead unprofitable name,
Finds comfort in himself and in his cause;
And, while the mortal mist is gathering, draws
His breath in confidence of Heaven`s applause:
This is the happy Warrior; this is he
Whom every Man in arms should wish to be.

By William Wordsworth

"It is my prayer that perhaps we can all become happy warriors." -JTL