What have I done?

Have you ever been sitting contemplating life, your achievements, where you are in completing your goals, etc. and realized that you are asking yourself, "what have I done?" I was doing this the other day.

First, I thought, I have made it through this recession so far! I am a small business owner. I rent semi-trailers for a living. I rent to trucking operations, construction companies, distribution companies, manufacturers, and people who have sold their home and their new home is not ready. Wow, could I pick a group of customers that have been hit harder than these? My books tell me no. I can't tell you how many customers I have lost to bankruptcy or going out of business in the last three years. Yet I am still here. I have been blessed, even though it doesn't look like it some times. Heavenly Father has helped me; my being in business today proves that point.

Second, I thought, I took on a new role as a political activist in the early part of this century. The year 2000 brought new meaning to "what the government can do for me". I realized what that saying should really say is "what the government can do to me!"

After reading a lengthy article about the illegal immigration invasion in our country and the financial crisis it has created in many of our states, I got involved in the illegal immigration issue in 2002. This led to getting more involved in the role government was taking and the role it was ignoring that it should have been involved with. This brought on a realization that our government "of the people, by the people and for the people" had perished from the earth. Abraham Lincoln had not been correct, we had failed our forefathers. This was not something that I took very well. I got angry and started letting my elected representatives know this. If I walked up to any of our elected officials today and said hi to them, most would not know me. When I introduce myself, there is an immediate look of recognition on their faces. I am the name at the top and bottom of many of those letters they have received over the last seven years. Some supportive, many reminding them that they were not carrying out the role they had been elected to by the voters.

Third, I thought, how did I become a TEA Party member? Who started it all? The person who did a blog post, the one who goes by the user name of Gmack. He posted on January, 19th 2009 an article with the title: Mail a Teabag to Congress and Senate. This was the first known date of the modern TEA Party beginning. I heard the discussion on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 on the Glenn Beck Show talking about starting a nationwide movement of the TEA Party. Then Beck's 9-12 Project and We Surround Them grew and sparked attention. April 15, 2009, I made the trip to the Federal Building in downtown Salt Lake City and joined my very first protest rally at the ripe old age of 50 something. I was not going to let the government destroy our country any longer. I was joined there by thousands others with the same thought and we shook the foundation of the federal government that day in the rain, sleet and snow. We were not taken seriously by the media or the government. We were just a bunch of right wing extremists that were trying to instigate violence according to them.

Fourth, I thought, we needed to send a message to the country, we had to let Congress and the White House know that the old gentlemen's club in Washington DC was going to come to an end and we were going to send representatives that had the interests of the voters and our country at the top of their priority list and not what would get them more power. As Glenn Beck puts it, "those who would not lose their soul" when they got there. I ran as a delegate for the state Republican convention with the goal of removing Bob Bennett from his Senate seat. I was one of hundreds with the same goal. We cast the vote that was heard around the world that day, it was not going to be business as usual anymore, the voters were taking back the government from the progressives, socialists, Marxists, Communists, and so called conservatives that would not stand up and stand their ground. Bob Bennett was voted out at the convention and our movement roared forward to other states with the same results.

Fifth, I thought, does my joining Glenn Beck's "restoring honor" movement and his call for us to have "Faith, Hope and Charity" solve all of the problems of the country? No, but it will sure get us back on the right path.

So "What have I done?"

I have thought about this a lot and I feel pretty good about what I have done. I have survived the recession so far. I have become a voice on the watchtower calling out the threats that I see. I have become another voice in the throng that has demanded change. I have taken action and stood my ground demanding that what is right be the norm and that those pushing for change to what's right be taken from power. I have looked to where my blessings come from and reconfirmed my faith that this country was created by God and not man.

I have done a lot. You have done a lot. We all have done a lot. We have regained position in the country. We have made those who want to destroy our country take notice. We have had the press react to us. They are wrong in what we have done. They don't understand what we have done. But we do.

We should all be happy with our accomplishments. We have created a wave that is going to have a dramatic affect for the good on our country. It is time to accept that this change we have brought about is good. We have accomplished something that is so large, they cannot understand it. It is okay to look at this and smile; we are doing what we should be doing. We should all have a feeling of great accomplishment!

Now we must finish! If we let off, our gains will be lost. If continue to press forward, we will restore the greatness to our country. November 2nd is not far off. Make sure that you, your family, your relatives, your friends, and your associates are all registered to vote. Then vote for who will be good for America!

The University of Utah marching band has been playing "God Bess America" and then the "Star Spangled Banner" with representatives of our armed forces and/or police and fire fighters acting as the color guard for our flag at every home football game since 9/11/2001. It brings chills to me every time I hear these songs and see our flag. This is what we are doing this for, so that our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren can experience the same thrill and love for our country that we do. May God bless us and America!