Dr. Ben Carson: 'Gifted Hands' and a gifted mind

Dr. Benjamin Carson was the featured speaker at the Americans for Prosperity rally last Thursday night at the Waukesha Expo. Though Dr. Carson made quite the media splash at the National Prayer Breakfast in February 2013, his visit to Waukesha went largely unnoticed by local mainstream media.

Senator Ron Johnson was also invited by AFP, and he spoke prior to Dr. Carson about the dysfunction of Washington D.C.  Then he gave an interesting intro about his first impressions of Dr. Carson at the prayer breakfast, which is included in the video clip below. (Sometimes being wrong is good!)

When it was Dr. Carson's turn to speak, the crowd of 2,500-3,000 at the Waukesha Expo gave him a very warm welcome. He spoke about the greatness of America and personal responsibility. He also compared our bloated, inefficient governmental bureaucracy to an overly obese person who would become more fit--more productive if his calorie intake was reduced. That illustration brought him to his discussion of a fair or flat tax and the concept of tithing 10%--that all would pay the same percentage. Who could be more fair than God?, he asked.  The crowd applauded enthusiastically. 

He touched on how Americans are a unique people where the wealthy give of their wealth and the churches and other independent groups care for the needy--we don't need government to do this, he stressed. Then added as government gets bigger, people's rights get smaller. Freedom: Not a Democrat or Republican thing--it is an American people thing!  He spoke out against the divisiveness of our President.

This brought him to the topic of healthcare. He warned, when government is in charge of health care, the government controls you!  In light of the recent IRS scandals, this warning was far more ominous than it would have been a few weeks ago.  As a physician, Dr. Carson is very familiar with the problems of providing health care and the high cost of having a middleman who dictates what coverage will cost. This is why he favors a system of health savings accounts for every individual.

Dr. Carson mentioned his 5th book that he wrote with his wife Candy: "America the Beautiful"- rediscovering this great nation. Then Dr. Carson stated in his quiet but pointed way, "We need not be ashamed of the fact we believe in God."  The crowd jumped to their feet and applauded; it was the most enthusiastic standing ovation of the evening.

Once the audience settled, he added, One of the reasons we [as a nation] rose the way we did was because God was looking out for us.  He explained that was the reason he and Candy put in so many quotes in America the Beautiful about God. Their next book will be titled, "Saving Our Future."

No doubt about it, Dr. Benjamin Carson is a fascinating man. He is soft spoken but not afraid to speak out about what is right, even in front of the President.  If you ever have a chance to see him in person, go!

I became aware of his amazing life story at Christmas when I was given a DVD entitled, Gifted Hands. (It is based on his book of the same title.) Thomas Sowell of National Review says this,
"A remarkable book titled “Gifted Hands” tells the personal story of Benjamin Carson, a black kid from the Detroit ghetto who went on to become a renowned neurosurgeon. At one time young Ben Carson had the lowest grades in his middle-school class and was the butt of teasing by his white classmates. ...Fortunately for him, his mother, whose own education went no further than the third grade, insisted that he was smart. She cut off the television set and made him and his brother hit the books — books that she herself could scarcely read."  I haven't read the book yet but the DVD was outstanding--Cuba Gooding Jr. plays Dr. Carson.  The DVD also includes interviews with the real Dr. Carson, his mother and wife. (The Waukesha library system has it in their collection.)

Benjamin Carson has a truly inspirational life story. Now that he has entered the arena of politics, it would seem there are more chapters to be added to his story.

More Reading:
MacIver Institute: Dr. Ben Carson Calls for Smaller Government and Flat, Fair Tax
Dr. Ben Carson to Deliver Message of Fiscal Conservatism on Thursday in Wisconsin

Links: Practically Speaking, Fairly Conservative, Jay Weber, Vicki McKenna, WisPolitics Quorum Call, Wisconsin Reporter, CNS News, Mark Levin, Breitbart BigGovernment, The Heritage Foundation, VoteWatchWI, The Way <><

Still time to see 2016: Obama's America

Can't figure out why President Obama is spending us into oblivion? or apologizing for America's greatness in the world? What about refusing to let American oil companies drill offshore but loans money to Brazil to drill there? How about why he doesn't help out his half brother George in Kenya?

Well, if you go see Dinesh D'Souza's documentary movie 2016: Obama's America, these and other perplexing questions about why Obama does what he does will all make sense. Spoiler Alert: One reason is Obama's hatred of colonialism.

Though I rarely see a movie (unless it's at the budget theater), I did go see the movie at the AMC Mayfair Mall 18 theater, and it was well worth the $6 early admission price. The movie is still here in the Milwaukee area and I urge you to see it whether you are a Conservative, Republican, Independent or Democrat.
 
Because I am rather a news junkie, I was at least familiar with much of the information presented. However, D'Sousa skillfully weaves all these facts and background stories together into a tapestry that clearly reveals just why Obama believes "No world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will succeed..." Why he is willing that America no longer have nuclear preeminence and why a nuclear Iran isn't a concern. The interview with half brother George was particularly telling.

In light of this weeks spreading Middle East unrest, the map of the United Arab States now becomes all the more chilling.

The movie isn't an emotionally charged hit piece, but rather a systematic, logical account of Obama's life that illustrates why he doesn't believe in American exceptionalism or even desire that America be the best in the world. It was a real eye-opener.

Links: Practically Speaking, Fairly Conservative, Jay Weber, Vicki McKenna, WisPolitics Quorum Call, Wisconsin Reporter, CNS News, Mark Levin, Breitbart BigGovernment, The Heritage Foundation, The Way <><

Shades of Mr. Popper's Penguins, meet Lala

On a snowy day like today, wouldn't it be nice to have someone go to the store for you? Check this out.

As a child, I enjoyed reading Mr. Popper's Penguins. As a mother, I enjoyed reading it again to my son. The story held up well over the years; he thought it was a real hit too. (It is available at the Brookfield Library.) But never in my wildest dreams did I think anyone would ever have a penguin for a house pet! Yet there he is on YouTube.

Unlike Mr. Popper, who kept Captain Cook (his pet penguin) in a freezer, the Japanese family seems to have an air conditioned porch for their pet. I hope you caught that the family gave Lala his freedom after they rescued him and nursed him back to health, but he chose to stay with them. Don't you love his backpack?

By the way, the story of Mr. Popper's Penguins makes it to the big screen this summer, starring Jim Carrey. (Though I am not a Jim Carrey fan, I do like penguins.) The story has been changed some in that this Mr. Popper is a single businessman who inherits several penguins. Hope the movie version maintains the charm of the book. The preview pictures look cute.

In the meantime, stay warm.


Mr. Popper's Penguins book review


Links: Practically Speaking, Betterbrookfield, RandyMelchert, Jay Weber, Vicki McKenna, The Right View Wisconsin, CNS News, Mark Levin, Breitbart BigGovernment, The Heritage Foundation

The "Cheap Date" - dinner & movie under $14

Last Friday night, my husband and I went on a cheap date. We had had a busy week getting our kitchen emptied out for the floor re-finishers, so cooking was out of the question. We were both too tired to go out for dinner at one of our favorite places like Singha Thai,* but we did need to eat dinner.

How about going to that new Asian place at Brookfield Marketplace?, I asked. That seemed to click. The Asian Chef, the latest addition to Brookfield Marketplace, just moved in a few weeks ago and so far, is getting rave reviews, at least from us and some of our neighbors.

Asian Chef offers a wide variety of choices and even lets you choose white or brown rice. The cost/value quotient seems right too. You can get a very adequate lunch or dinner for $4.75. (Some choices are more.) Since there really wasn't a good place to eat amid our chaos at home, we chose to dine in.

After our tasty dinner we went over to the Pick 'n Save to see if they had one of those Red Box movie rental for a $1 kiosks. Yes, they did. We picked out Invictus, starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. That proved to be a winner too. It was a great story of South Africa during their early post apartheid days in 1995. Freeman plays President Nelson Mandela; Damon plays Francois Pienaar, the nation's Rugby star. Mandela uses the country's nearly all white Rugby team to unite the country.

The closeup shots of the Rugby games were reason enough to watch this movie. (Yikes, they make American football players look like wimps!) But watching a segregated nation come together was the real story. Invictus was inspiring.

Spoiler alert: My favorite scene was when the underdog South African team played New Zealand, the favorite, in the World Cup. New Zealand attributed their success to the Maori war dance that they did just prior to every game. It was very intimidating. In contrast, the South African team got on their knees on the field and thanked God for their win. It was one of those good vs. evil moments.

Rating: Invictus was rated PG-13. There was only 1 F-bomb that I heard, and it was said with a rather thick accent. There was one scene where Damon and his wife are shown in an embrace and they fall onto a bed in a hotel room. The audience doesn't see them on the bed though. So as movies go, it is pretty tame. Check out what Common Sense media has to say about the movie if you are unsure your teens should watch.

So that was our cheap date. Sometimes simple is simply perfect!

*Number 80, Crispy Basket is the family favorite there. It is outstanding.

Links: Practically Speaking, Betterbrookfield, RandyMelchert, Jay Weber, Vicki McKenna, The Right View Wisconsin, CNS News, Mark Levin, Breitbart BigGovernment, The Heritage Foundation

Musing about the eve of Y2K and Y2K+10

Ten years ago, New Year's Eve was celebrated with a bit of apprehension because of Y2K. I know I wondered if the lights would stay on, or more importantly, if the heat would stay on! Would the technological fabric of our lives would hold together or unravel?

My old Girl Scout motto, Be Prepared, prompted me to do just that: be prepared for what might come. We had our emergency light, heat, water, and food sources in the ready, just in case. Thankfully, nothing happened. Whether we went off grid for a national emergency or just a weather related reason, as we did a few weeks ago, we learned it is good to be ready.

Since our house had a fireplace, we invited my dad and sister to our house New Year's Eve 1999 for a movie marathon. (Well, at least until midnight, if the power went off.) We watched home movies that spanned 40 years, from our childhood days on up to my son's toddler days, and ate all manner of junk food. We had fun.

Thankfully, there was no technology failure and no need for concern. Our movie marathon continued past midnight.

This New Year's Eve, I find myself thinking concern over Y2K was the good ole days!

In 1999, our economy wasn't in the mess it is in today. We also weren't poised to take over the private health insurance industry with an unconstitutionally mandated government system. There was no war on terror, at least not on our soil, as most of us thought the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 was more of a fluke.

This New Year's Eve, one thing remains the same as New Year's Eve 1999: the movie marathon. We've done it every year since Y2K. We have upgraded to showing DVD's with a projector on a big screen in the living room though.

This year's picks: The latest Star Trek, the 4th Indiana Jones, G-Force, and maybe Night at the Museum 2. There might also be a home movie or 2 for nostalgia's sake.

Let the junk food and festivities begin!

What are your New Year's Eve traditions?


Links: Practically Speaking, Fairly Conservative, Betterbrookfield, RandyMelchert, Jay Weber, Vicki McKenna, The Right View Wisconsin, CNS News, Mark Levin, Breitbart BigGovernment, The Heritage Foundation

Lest we forget: Holocaust Remembrance Day & Hallmark's Irena Sendler

Orig. post date: Tuesday, Apr 21 2009

While many in the world remember the Holocaust on this day, The Day of Remembrance, Iran's President Ahmadinejad spoke before the UN anti-racism conference, spewing his usual Holocaust denial sentiments. Those comments prompted "Dozens of diplomats" from Britain and Europe to walk out. The United States, Israel, Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand and Poland did not opt to attend at all, because of concerns that the forum "would be used as a platform for attacks on Israel."

Iran's President lived up to that expectation with his assertion that "the Israeli state was created by 'military aggressions to make an entire nation homeless under the pretext of Jewish suffering' from the Second World War." I guess his pretext of suffering was in reference to the Holocaust, where over 6 million Jews were murdered by the German government? Don't ask me where the military aggression came in since the homeland of Israel was a initially a diplomatic solution, not a military one by the Jews.

It is difficult to understand how people like Ahmadinejad can deny the Holocaust when there are people still living who witnessed it, photos and film showing the camps, Jewish prisoners exist (pretty hard to get actors to starve themselves to death just to fool the world), and there is historical evidence--military records, hospital records, newspaper accounts, etc.

One such witness was depicted in Hallmark Hall of Fame's production: The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, which aired on Sunday, April 19. (If you missed it, it will be coming out on DVD soon.)

The production was based on the true story of Irena Sendler, a young woman who lived in Warsaw, Poland during the war years. Soon after Germany invaded Poland in 1939, the Jews were rounded up and forced to live in a confined area of the city, a ghetto. We learn that Irena's father was a doctor, who died of typhus years ago, that he contracted while treating the Jews. Irena, like her father, had a heart for the suffering of others and tried to make a difference. She was a social worker.

So she decides to not just help by bringing food and supplies to the ghetto dwellers; she sees that the children must be smuggled out and put in Polish homes for safe keeping. The rumors are that the Germans are emptying neighborhoods and taking the residents to "work camps." Irena sets out to find homes for the children.

Her actions are not without cost; she risks her life and safety to rescue the children. When asked if she realizes how dangerous her actions are, she quotes her father saying something like this: Didn't father used to say that if you see someone drowning, you must try to save them even if you can't swim? "A requirement dictated by the heart," she later said. Irena was taken prisoner herself, beaten so badly her legs and feet were broken, but she managed to escape execution.

Hallmark did a great job portraying what true heroism looks like. Irena Sendler didn't possess any special abilities, she just saw a job that needed doing and risked all to do it. As Renata Zajdman--a rescued survivor said, "she [Irena] is proof that an ordinary person can accomplish extraordinary deeds." In all, Irena rescued 2,500 children out of the Warsaw Ghetto. (Oskar Schindler, of Schindler's List rescued 1,100.)

The movie portrayal was a fitting tribute to one of the many people who put self aside to help others during that horrible time. Hallmark has some background information on their website that is worth reading. It tells how this almost forgotten woman's deeds came to be known again. I was surprised to learn that after the war, she "was shunned into obscurity, and branded a Fascist for saving Jews." If you didn't get to view the production on TV, look for it when it comes out on DVD. (Check the library later this year.)

The Holocaust was real. It was not a pretext of suffering. There are still many who lived through it alive today--some thanks to Irena Sendler.

Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project

Links:
Practically Speaking, Fairly Conservative, Betterbrookfield, RandyMelchert, CNS News, Jay Weber, Mark Levin, Vicki McKenna Jay Weber, The Right View Wisconsin, The Heritage Foundation