The Reality in America's Nightmare

This post will take a while to go through due to the amount of media which you will watch when you read the post. You will need about a half hour of free time to read this, so don't do it on short time. :)

Before you go any further, listen to this.
Paul Harvey: If I Were the Devil
The first time listening to that, the purpose was to understand the idea.
Listen to it once more to let it sink in.
That was recorded in 1965. Look around today. Everything that he said would happen is coming to pass. There is a news story for almost every one of those predictions.
My friends,
America is dying.
My country. My home. It is dying.
Glenn Beck recently did a show on this topic. Watch parts one and two below.
No Right and Wrong, Just Agenda: Part One
No Right and Wrong, Just Agenda: Part Two
You and I, we're in trouble.
The Devil himself is doing his best to corrupt us. Will we stand idly by while he proceeds to do so? What are you going to do? How are you going to resist his ever so tempting lures? You will never make a good change in the world if you let him into your life, and you were made to make a change. So keep him out. Don't just resist, but resist with vigor. And if he does get a hold of you, you had better be kicking and screaming all the way down to Hell. Because you deserve better than the Devil can provide there.
Stay strong, my friends.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

I Am Useful

Today, while at work, I realized something profound to me.
I am useful.
I am important.
I am needed.
Say that out loud. Believe it. You are useful, important, and needed. I don't care what you do, don't do, say, or don't say, you are useful, important, and needed in some way and to somebody.
I am useful because I'm a hard worker.
I am important because I am a Son of the Highest King.
I am needed because there is work to do, and I'm willing to do it.
In what ways are you useful? What about important? Needed?
Think about it.
Focus on the good.
Find how you're useful, why you're important, and where you're needed.
And then go and do.
This is how you live life with purpose.
Now get off of your computer and go live life. :)

What is Freedom?

What is freedom?
I don't mean the dictionary definition.
What does freedom mean to you on an individual level?
To me, freedom is what makes me happy. It's what makes me feel alive. It's what gives me purpose.
This is freedom to me.
Freedom is a quiet mountain peak overlooking a beautiful Idaho valley.
Freedom is the American flag waving for all to see.
Freedom is the sunrise, and the sunset.
Freedom is the crisp morning air after a night of heavy snowfall.
Freedom is a walk in the woods with nobody around for miles.
Freedom is hard work.
Freedom is contentment, joy, and peace.

This isn't going to be a long post. I just want you to think.
What does freedom mean to you?
How are you going to protect your freedoms?
Are you willing to fight and die for your freedom?
Because if you don't fight for your freedom, who will?

Calling It Like It Is

Political correctness. 

Grr.

That stuff really makes me mad.

Here's the deal.

If you're black, why do I have to call you African American?

If you're white, why must I call you Caucasian? 

If you're fat or old, why must I never speak of it?

Is there something wrong with being fat or black or old or white? Are you ashamed of yourself?

I'm a scrawny, short little white guy that is sure to get cauliflower ear from wrestling. So what? 

Must I be perfect to conform to what society wants of me?

Why can't I just be happy with who I am?

So, if you're black, don't take offense when I call you a black person.

If you're fat, don't take offense when I say so.

If you're white or Asian or Mexican or skinny or lazy or Mormon or Muslim or Atheist or gay or smart or stupid, or anything else that defines you, 

I don't care.

I'm going to call it like it is. 

Because I shouldn't have to worry about offending you by speaking what I observe. 

If you don't like who you are, then you need to change who you are.

But you should be proud of yourself, because you are spectacular. 

Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

Changing the World

I am going to change the world.

Look at the power in that sentence. Read it out loud. Right now. Really try to believe it. It means recognizing who you are, and your incredible potential, because you really do have incredible potential. You and I, we have the potential to change the world, but in order to do that we must first believe it.

Remember the quote from Marianne Williamson about your greatest fear not being your darkness?

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Look deep down inside yourself, really dig. Deep down, you know that it is your light that scares you much more than your darkness. Don't deny it, because for about 99.99% of the people on Earth, this is one of the truest things ever written. But, why is this? It is because living up to your potential, well, that means you have to work. It means you have to get out of your comfort zone, and you really have to push to believe how far you can go, and once you get there, it's hard to maintain because you don't want to be greater than anyone else.

I've found that much of life has to do with making a decision and sticking to it. Many times a deathly ill person's fate will be decided by whether or not they decide to live or die. I really believe that God will help a person that makes a good decision and is determined to stick to it. But I also believe that God gives much less help to a half hearted decision than he does to one that all of a person's heart is poured into. So, decide today, because when it's time to make the decision it's already too late - you will probably choose the easy way if your way isn't predetermined.

Today, I, Dallin Ward, have decided that I will not be scared of my light. I will not practice self destructive behavior, and I refuse to compromise my goals, dreams and potential for the easy way.

Because I am going to change the world, and I cannot turn back now that I've started.

I Pledge Allegiance to Freedom

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of 
America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

This pledge is recited by thousands, maybe millions, of school children and other people every day. And yet, when a person recites it in these times, they are pledging their loyalty to a corrupt system. I'm not saying that you shouldn't recite the pledge anymore, but you need to change the way you say it.

First,
The word "indivisible" is a lie. If this country becomes the socialist state that it's heading towards, there will be states which choose to secede from the union - and they have that right. We are not indivisible, nor should we pretend to be. Skip the word indivisible word when you say the pledge.

Second,
When you recite the pledge, there should be no pause in between "one nation" and "under God." If you listen to the pledge said in schools and else where, they almost always pause between those 4 words. But here's the thing. Those are 4 very important words. What this pause intentionally does is separates the idea of our country from the idea of our God as a Christian society. When you say the pledge, do not put a pause in between the words "one nation" and "under God."

Now, we are saying this assuming that the constitution actually means anything anymore. I mean, we pledge allegiance to the flag. Ok. I can deal with that. Our flag is still a symbol of honor. We pledge allegiance to our Republic - that used to exist. We are now a Democracy. This makes the pledge of allegiance to the Republic null and void because the United States of America is no longer a Republic. We pledge allegiance to a nation under God. That doesn't exist anymore either. The rising religion in America today is Homosexuality, not Christianity. We are no longer under God. (That's a scary statement.) As we have discussed, we are certainly not indivisible. And, to the extent of my knowledge, we no longer support liberty and justice for all. Go read the news stories from the past few months on a non-liberal news website. (I prefer theblaze.com) The president is lying to his people every day and getting away with it. Police officers are acting more like the Mafia than the protectors of our rights that they are supposed to be. (Now, with that I'm not saying that ALL police officers act that way - most of them don't. But there are those few that do which put a stain on the reputation of all police officers in the people's view.) Places like New York are much closer to communism than we as Americans would like to admit. Common sense is not so common anymore. Remember, we live in a Democracy now, and to quote Benjamin Franklin, "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to eat for lunch." That is not just, but that metaphor is played out in one way or another every day.

Just like I don't pledge allegiance to the Gay Pride movement or The Atheist Alliance of America, I don't pledge allegiance to a corrupt system that doesn't support my values.

I pledge my allegiance to freedom. I pledge allegiance to my God and my family. Whatever nation supports freedom and a nation with people truly under God - I pledge allegiance to that nation for as long as they remain that way. And, maybe most of all, I pledge allegiance to charity and virtue.

The world is changing people - and it's not for the better. Change yourself. Change your family and then your community. Now is the time to choose sides, and I'm on God's side. Please join me.

Living Life With Purpose

People, living life with purpose is awesome!
Like really, living life with purpose makes a person happier than almost anything else can.
Living life with purpose means that you are an optimist. It means that you are looking for the good in everything - and everyone - and emphasizing it. It means that whatever you're doing, you're determined to do it well, because, at the moment, your purpose is to complete the task, so you may as well give it everything you've got. I don't care if your purpose is flipping hamburgers. What are you going to do to make your job unique? What are you going to do to make it something that you enjoy? What are you going to do to to make your job something that you look forward to waking up to? And, if you think you absolutely cannot enjoy your job, what are you going to change so that you can? Are you going to change yourself? Your job? The people that you work with? The easiest way to be happy with what you are doing is to find the good in it, and emphasize that good. Make it the focus of your job. Avoid focusing on the bad at all costs. (If you find something that you can't find good in, comment below. I'll try and help you find the good. :) )
This is a man who knows how to live life with purpose. Seriously,  watch this video. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLfUgXcvq4g
Brilliant! Does that not make you want to go get on a treadmill and start practicing your moves? It certainly makes me want to. This man knows how to live!
So, even if just for today, are you going to live life with purpose?
Are you going to decide to be happy regardless of the circumstances?
Are you going to put serious effort into being the best at what you do - no matter what it is?
I am. :)
I invite you to join me.
Let's help people live with joy.
Let's help people live their dreams.
Let's live life with purpose.

Put simply,
Let's make life awesome. :D

American Land Stolen by... Americans

I move that, with revisions, the government of The United States of America should reinstate the Homestead Act of 1862, and that all government rights to ownership of land should be declared null and void. Here is why.
Ever since Yellowstone National Park was pushed into law by Theodore Roosevelt in 1872, the government has been grabbing more and more of the people's land, almost on a whim it seems. Executive orders and new legislation take more land from the people every day. Currently, the government of the United States of America owns almost 650,000,000 acres of land. That is nearly 30% of all the land in America. Land which the constitution gives the government no provision to control, or to keep from the people. Notably, most of this land is in the West - where the vast majority of America's greatest natural resources are. Of course the government officials who stole this land from the people had no intent to hinder the free market by taking away access to valuable resources, or to help drive America bankrupt. No. We all know that the government is completely clean of any intentional wrongdoing. I mean, it's not like there have been any recent major government scandals in which guns were given to Mexican drug lords, or in which Americans died, were spied upon, or were targeted for political beliefs.
Our government is better than that.
Right?
Wrong.
Basically, the government is putting 650,000,000 acres of the richest land in America to waste amidst the greatest financial crisis in the history of the United States. But that's all right because we're saving the wolves and the bears. After all, that's what's important.
Right?
No. The wolves and bears can go die in a hole. They don't matter.
This is where the Homestead Act of 1862 would be of great help - financially.
These were the original points of the law taken straight from the government archives. (That page can be found here.)
"With the secession of Southern states from the Union and therefore removal of the slavery issue, finally, in 1862, the Homestead Act was passed and signed into law. The new law established a three-fold homestead acquisition process: filing an application, improving the land, and filing for deed of title. Any U.S. citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S. Government could file an application and lay claim to 160 acres of surveyed Government land. For the next 5 years, the homesteader had to live on the land and improve it by building a 12-by-14 dwelling and growing crops. After 5 years, the homesteader could file for his patent (or deed of title) by submitting proof of residency and the required improvements to a local land office.

Local land offices forwarded the paperwork to the General Land Office in Washington, DC, along with a final certificate of eligibility. The case file was examined, and valid claims were granted patent to the land free and clear, except for a small registration fee. Title could also be acquired after a 6-month residency and trivial improvements, provided the claimant paid the government $1.25 per acre. After the Civil War, Union soldiers could deduct the time they served from the residency requirements."

Isn't that wonderful? With some revisions, the government could use all of this land to help pay off the enormous debt that we have amassed. Here would be the revisions:

-"Intended Citizens" (We already have too many of those) would not be allowed to obtain land. Only people who are already citizens of the United States at the time of the filing of the claim.

-The dwelling would be specified to be at least 12 by 14 feet so that the previous loophole would be erased.

-The person improving the land wouldn't be restricted to farming it. As long as they improve it's value in some legitimate way, they can keep it.

-After all of the other terms and conditions are met, the person would pay $500 per acre of land and it would be theirs. ($500 is about 1/10 of the going rate for land right now.)

There would be many benefits to reinstating this act, with revisions, as law.

1.) It would help pay down the debt. If even only half of the 640,000,000 acres are farmable, minable, or drillable that would bring in $160,000,000,000 at $500/acre. That wouldn't put a huge dent in our massive debt, but it certainly wouldn't hurt.

2.) It would raise employment rates. Giving people land gives them opportunity. They can farm it, or mine it, or drill for oil and natural gas. This gives people a way to earn money for themselves, instead of collecting welfare from the government, thereby saving the government even more money.

3.) The resources pulled off of the land, (Grain, livestock, precious metals, oil, natural gas, etc.) would help bolster the economy, thereby also helping America pull out of debt. This would lower food and gas prices and make people more willing to spend money again as well. America would once again become the place where people come to buy resources, instead of the place where they come to sell them.

This plan is very reasonable. There are many benefits, and few downfalls, if any. Why don't we make it a reality? It's possible, you know. After all, the American people are the government's boss, even if most of the government acts as if the opposite is true.

We need help. Here is a solution. We would be fools to not act upon it.

God bless America.

My Human Rights Are Being Infringed Upon

My political beliefs have not been discussed much on this blog. I'll tell you pretty much all you need to know here.
I'm a conservative and a libertarian.
But that's not what this post is mainly about. This post is about rights that are being lost in America, the "Land of the free" every day.
The government is becoming more like an overprotective mother every day. The government is making it so that Americans will never fail, never feel pain, and never make mistakes. But if they do, the good old government is there to give them unemployment money and welfare. The government is working on eliminating crime and tragedy by getting rid of guns and other "dangerous" things. The government is working on eliminating hate and bias by teaching in the government funded schools that we are all equal, and that there is no difference between a gay person, a straight person, a white person or a black person, or any other kind of person or it.

And the government is doing it all wrong.

It's getting to where a person cannot start a business without at least several types of licensing and too many regulations, not to mention the all too oppressive tax rates. The government may have good intentions with these regulations, licensing, and taxes, (The intentions are really malicious, but we'll play on the side of optimism here and pretend like the majority of our politicians really do care about the people more than they care about their jobs) but they're doing much more harm than good. Here's the deal with this.
It is my right to start a business.
The government has no right to tell me how clean my store must be, or to regulate working conditions.
The government has no right to tell me what I can and cannot sell.
The government has no right to tell me that I must pay them to stay in business, because I built this business, the government played no part in helping it grow. Am I wrong, Mr. Obama? The same rule applies to property taxes and income taxes.
The government has no right to tell me how much I must pay my employees, or how many hours they can work.
The government has no right to tell me who I can and cannot hire, regardless of age, or that I must disregard race and gender while in the hiring process.
In other words, the only right that the government does have is to protect me from those who would infringe on my rights as a business owner, property owner, or even employee. And yet, they trample these rights with more regulations, licenses, and taxes every day. It must be mentioned that the politicians who regularly pass these regulations and such things rarely know anything about the type of work they are passing the regulations for.
To the people in the government: let us fail. Let us, the American people make mistakes. Allow us to release our inner brilliance, because there is a lot of it bottled up, even in people who know how to do nothing more than collect a welfare check, and even more in people who would succeed if you would let them. If this is about money, the people will make you rich. You just have to allow them to do it.

Now, as far as eliminating crime and tragedy goes, the government is doing an awful job. (Sometimes I wonder if the government is capable of doing anything well.... That is, besides destroy itself. It's doing a fantastic job of that.)
The government's plan to reduce crime and tragedy is to take away the things that they believe cause the crime and tragedy - in other words, guns. Therefore they teach the children of the supposed evils of guns and tell them that guns should be banned from the general public, but that it is okay for government agencies to have guns (That's setting the people up for a tyrannical government within a few years, therefore empowering the already too powerful politicians even more.) These children then proceed grow up and vote for corrupt senators and congressmen whom they seemingly sincerely believe will save them from the evils of guns. But, let's face it. These government agencies who are supposed to protect the people from crime, (The police, SWAT, the National Guard, etc.) are mostly clean up crews. By the time they get there, the harm has already been done. There isn't much of a prevention factor there. This is why the people need weapons to protect themselves, especially guns - the very thing that the government is trying to ban. So, we see that the government's intentions with gun bans are obviously malicious because they are taking away a fundamental right of the human race - the right to protect one's self and one's family. One of the main arguments for more gun bans is, "Think of the children. We wouldn't want them around such dangerous things." Um, yeah I do. I want my children to be able to shoot, and kill, any one or thing that seriously threatens them. I'm not just going to hand my child the gun and tell them to be careful, although that seems to be the thing the government thinks I will do in the act of giving my child a gun. I'm going to teach them how to use it, and how to use it well, because there is no way that a child, particularly a little girl, can fend off an intruder of adult size and stature. So, Senator Feinstein, I must say, think of the children next time you go to pass a gun law. Think of that little girl who is helplessly raped by an intruder while her parents are away, because she could not adequately protect herself as a result of your taking the gun that Mr. Biden was going to teach her to shoot warning shots and chocolate bullets with. Oh, and don't even bring up the argument about not needing 30 rounds or an automatic gun to protect one's self. Sure, I probably wouldn't need either of those to protect myself, but that's not the argument here. The issue is that you are trying to take away my God given right to protect myself and my family by any means necessary. We wouldn't want to anger God now, would we? Or do you not believe in God.
Think of the children.

As far as the whole hate and bias issue goes, there isn't much to say.
The point is that I have the right to be racist.
I have the right to be biased.
I have the right to hate other people.
I have the right to judge people by their appearance, sexual "Preference", religion (Or lack of), race, or any other factor.
I have the right to think and speak freely.
This doesn't mean that I actually will hate others and be biased, but I certainly have the right to do so.
Oh, and aren't you infringing on my right to teach my children as I wish by teaching them in the public school system that being homosexual is acceptable? You say that we must teach from a non-religious standpoint. Ok, I can deal with that. I'll probably end up homeschooling my children anyway, but the unbiased, non-religious school system sounds good enough. But you aren't giving me what you promised. Instead of teaching Christian values in schools, like it used to be, you've started to teach Satanic values instead under the premise of being "Non-religious." It is not acceptable to teach values that only the devil himself would endorse to my children. Get this evil out of the education system. In fact, just get out of the education system completely. Education is a privilege, not a right which should be be provided by the government.

To sum it up,
I have the right to do whatever I wish as long as I don't infringe upon another person's rights.
The government has no right to stop me in doing anything I wish as long as I don't infringe upon another person's rights.
The government has no right to do anything that would infringe upon my rights.
The Government needs to get out of my life and start worrying about problems of it's own - It's got plenty of them.
Sincerely,
Dallin Ward

Familiar, but Unknown Longings.

Today I was at work, moving irrigation pipes. Just an everyday thing. But something changed the whole experience. As I pulled off the road into the field, some people drove by. Several vehicles in a row, it was obvious that they were in a group. As I watched these people go by, and waved, I tried to see if I knew any of them. I didn't, but as one of the vehicles passed, I had this feeling come over me. Like a person I knew and loved more than almost any other had just passed. And I just wanted to run to them and give them a hug and ask them how they were doing. But, alas, I couldn't. They were gone in a moment, and besides that, it would have been rather odd of me to go give a person that I know nothing about a hug. But still. This was odd. I felt like a piece of me drove away with them. It's like not knowing a thing about a person, but understanding them completely without speaking. I have had this same feeling with other people as well. This feeling that I need to talk to them, that I know them. It is very rare though. The last time I had this feeling I was at the Family Forum in Salt Lake City. This forum is a place where a person goes to learn about what the speakers there have to say. It was a little bit over a year ago. There were two people there who I felt this connection with, this longing to talk with. I felt comfortable with them, like I would with an old friend, almost right from the get go. And I was able to talk with them. Now, they are some of my dearest friends.
So I wonder, did I know them in the spirit world before this life? Were they my favorite people to be around, and is this unknown longing my spirit yearning to connect with theirs?
I have no clue. But I wish I knew.
I am curious though. Am I the only one that feels this longing every now and then? Do you feel this longing? This desire deep down to talk to someone who you don't know, and yet, you feel like you already do. If you're reading this, I implore of you to comment below. Tell me if you've felt this before. It's a wonderful feeling.

Deciding to be Proud

As I've said in the past, losing state hurt. Bad.
Ever since the day I lost state, every time someone has congratulated me on taking 2nd place, I have downplayed my achievements, and shrugged their compliments off. This is a common thing that people do when they don't want to face the truth. The fact that they did something great. The reason being is that it is easier to downplay and talk like it was nothing than to say, "Yeah, I did that. And I'm proud of it." Downplaying makes dealing with the pain and the criticism easier. It makes it seem like their goal was much lower than what it really was, therefore decreasing the value of the achievement and also decreasing the pain of failure by shutting out their emotions.
Even though this is easier, it's not better.
This is something that I'm just starting to learn. Instead of saying, "No. You're wrong. I didn't do great, I wrestled probably the worst match of my life" I should be saying, "Thank you." But saying a simple thank you is so much harder than I ever imagined. When I say thank you, I feel like I've betrayed all of my goals and my dreams that were lost on February 23 of this year at state. I feel like I'm saying that I am proud of the result, and that I did my best when I say thank you. And it doesn't feel right.
Today, I learned that this kind of thinking is wrong.
That thinking is correct in one area. I don't have to be proud of the result. But what I do have to be proud of is the accomplishments that I did attain. Like being the first freshman from Malad High School to make it into the state finals.
So, thank you to everyone who has congratulated me. I'm sorry that I brushed you off before.
From now on, I'm going to be proud of my accomplishments at state, and in life.

My failures can only fuel me for success now.
Because I have learned from them.
And I'm even better off than I was before.

Come at me, pain.
I'm ready for you.