Getting Started

I suppose I'm not too old to start this. We'll see, as time and blogging go by.

First, despite my internet ID, I do not currently live in West Virginia.  I grew up there, and if I am very blessed, I will go there to grow old and die.  In the meantime, I am "from" WV in that my roots are there, hence my name.

I'm in my mid-50s, a retired US Navy Chief Petty Officer (submarines); still married to my high school sweetheart; two sons; one grandson; the two best daughters-in-law on the planet.

I just looked back at that sentence. My high school english teachers would cringe to see me write that in a serious way. However, if you read me here, get used to it. I do it all the time; I write like I talk.

Primarily, I considered starting this blog to discuss subjects most people will consider political. For the most part, I consider them less about politics and more about living life, but observing politics as a reflection of who we are.

As time goes by, I expect other subjects will slip in. I love to float streams fishing for smallmouth bass: I expect some of that will come up here. I believe the Bible, as inspired, word for word; I expect some of that will come up here. I have been a Redskins fan since 1973, through thick and thin, but not much of that will come up here unless something changes soon.

So, that's me. Oh, political "side." Everybody has to have a political "side," right? How can other people pre-judge whether you are a good person or a bad one, unless they know whether you hail from the left or the right? Well, here's my political side:
1. I believe that every word in the Consitution means today what it meant when it was written, unless amended by the approved amendment process.
.....a. Don't bother with the stupid "oh you still believe in slavery and women not voting" argument. It's stupid, and a waste of whatever skin you wore off on the keys typing it. There are two reasons:
..........i) It should be blatently obvious to the most casual observer that even if I didn't say "unless amended by the approved amendment process" above, that the amendment process and the amendments themselves are still unquestionably valid.
..........ii) When going back to re-acquire some characteristic of living that was cast off in error (and discovered using 20/20 hindsight), there is NO requirement to re-acquire everything surrounding it at the same time. Wishing for the "good old days" means only wishing for the good of the old days, at least it does to reasonable people.

2. I believe in the sovereignty of the individual as the starting place for governance. If the individual is not sovereign over his own existence, then his contribution to governance, whether by vote, by serving, or by working for those who serve, is moot and without validity.

3. I believe that the US is a christian nation.
.....a. That is NOT to say that the government is "christian" as in a religion that is a government or government approved religion. THAT is forbidden by the Constitution for good reason.
.....b. That is also NOT to say that the US is only for christians, or any such other silliness that generally gets trotted out as a supposedly fatal retort when this subject comes up. This nation is for everyone that wishes to come here, be a part of us, bring us what they are, and work together to preserve and extend liberty wherever possible.
....c. That IS to say that the bulk of the principles carried by the founders into the establishment of our government are found in christian belief, and if one would understand the principles of the founders (and every citizen should strive to, without exception), then one would do well to understand the framework of thought and philosophy that created the principles of the founders.
..........i)  Oh, and as an addendum here, don't bother with the "they were deists, not Christians" argument.
...............1) That line of retort is a smoke screen for excluding the God of the Bible from any favorable consideration of the part of those in the discussion.
...............2)  The most famous "deist" (so-called) held up as "proof" of this is Thomas Jefferson.  Read Jefferson.  I recommend the files accumulated by the University of Virginia.  Whether "Diest" or Christian (by label), it is plain that his diety was Christ.  Noted.  That's the same thing as Christian principles.  Putting a different name on it doesn't change it.  Call what he believed "blizflather" if you must, but if/when you read him, you'll find his deity was Christ and he had a healthy disdain for the organization known as religion.  That separation is a good one to remember when one considers a letter Jefferson wrote later on, especially when one wishes to try to use that letter to elucidate the Constitution.

4. I believe in individualism. I believe that responsible people do all they can for themselves, asking for assistance only as absolutely necessary and only as little as absolutely necessary, and when they are able to do for themselves, they do a little extra, in case a fellow citizen needs help. THAT is individualism, not the isolationist silliness I've heard thrust into the name "individualist." When someone has that attitude and that heart, I've seen them get more help, when they need it, than you can imagine, and every dollar that left a pocket for them was a dollar when it got to them, rather than the 55 cents or whatever is left over after a dollar passes through the government grist mills to get to them.

There will be more, I'm sure. That should get us started.

Liberty for the brave,
Al