Giving Thanks plus the Weekender

Most writers submit their holiday copy for the day of or the day before the holiday. I’m writing this column reflectively…after the fact. I admit it. I do not express my thanks often enough. I frequently approach the Lord with my troubles, problems, issues and questions, but not to thank Him for His blessings and the “teachable moments” that spring from my trials. I do not thank those whom I love for being who they are. I do not thank them for their support, encouragement and compassion. For me it is easier to be a cheerful giver than a grateful thanker. Thank you to my family and for my family who sustain me when the going is rough and who comfort me when I stumble.

Thank you for the remnant of people who cherish liberty. The scattered group of individualists who recognize their inalienable rights to be free provide an earthly hope to complement my eternal hope. Thank you for the wisdom of the Founders and the Framers who were imperfect men and their counseling women. They recognized that their imperfections and weaknesses were common to all humanity, and they were driven to devise a system of self-governing that would encourage our better natures to thrive and prevail. As Thomas Paine observed in 1805, the great beauty of a democratic republic is its capacity for elective remorse…to change directions when one proves to be faulty or unwise. Corrective action is its most endearing asset because fallible people will not always choose wisely, but the ability to change or even reverse course is a fundamental principle. So once again, thanks for the remnant that is committed to changing from our present circumstances back to the dreams and designs of the Framers.

Thank you for our founding freedoms, and for those liberties that have endured decades of erosion. The freedom to speak freely and to dream of universal liberty has survived from the beginning, and, for the most part, is generally intact. While our freedoms have been restricted, I am thankful that we continue to have enough liberty to challenge the status quo and work for our nation’s restoration to first principles.

Although I have already expressed my thanks for my family, I especially want to thank the Almighty for my grandchildren. They are my primary impetus for needling, wheedling, whining, begging, pleading and teaching about the benefits of and necessity for liberty. I have not accomplished every goal that I have set during my life, but the prospect for doing so has always been available. I sense that for my grandchildren the prospects are much dimmer and the opportunities are fewer. They are savvier than Grandpa was at their ages, and their potential is so great if a smothering Nanny State doesn’t dash their dreams. They can be tremendous producers and contributors if Big Brother doesn’t extinguish the sparks that ignite them.

Finally, I am thankful because I have been blessed in numerous ways at unexpected times. I KNOW that they were not serendipity or coincidence, but true blessings. I have been blessed by all the people whom I’ve known throughout my six decades plus. Despite some friction with a few, I have learned something from everyone when I took the time to know them. Thank you for lessons learned, forgotten and recalled. Thank you to my readers and listeners on WSPD. If we were to meet on an elevator or in a Wal-Mart, we probably wouldn’t recognize one another, but we share a kinship. We want a government that does its duty….and no more. We wish for a land where liberty reigns and is not constantly challenged by the power structure. We share a love for freedom and sanity and accountability and responsibility and honor and integrity…..and a true sense of community. Because we share our dreams and desires, I’m honored to call you “Sister” and “Brother” as we work to turn on that shining light on the hill.

I do hope your Thanksgiving weekend is a blessing and a beginning. There will be no Littlestuff Weekender this week, but our Monday column will be posted. I’ll be sitting in for Fred LeFebvre from 6:00-9:00am Monday morning on 1370 WSPD, Toledo  www.wspd.com, then back with my regular Tuesday show from 6-7:00pm. Thank you.

Comments: cearlwriting@hotmail.com

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Littlestuff Weekender-7-30-2011

It has not been a good week for liberty or our nation’s fiscal integrity. For a while I thought I was watching the Rockettes doing the can-can and kicking it a little further with each move. Twenty-two patriots held firm and refused to be bullied and steamrollered. I urge you to contact the stalwarts and thank them for standing tall for our country. Also, I urge each and every patriot, liberty and Tea Party group to send letters of commendation and appreciation. Do not wait until the 2012 campaign to express your support for the 22 Spartans who stood against the hordes of Persians. Send copies to the Speaker, the Majority Leader and the House Republican Campaign Committee. Let them know NOW that you and your organizations are thankful for their courage and their convictions. It may not matter for much, but it could be the deciding factor for preventing a RINO challenger in the May Primary. One final note on this effort: Every group from every community should send the letters because the 22 must understand that they are valued, and the leadership should be placed on notice in case they attempt some retribution.

Oddly, “Cut, Cap and Balance” received more votes in both the House and the Senate than did Boehner’s fruitless fizzle. That indicates, on the surface, that a more principled approach is more difficult to vote against because the legislator would have lots of explaining to do. Boehner’s little hodge podge of iron clad Jell-O was easy to oppose because it had so many glaring gaps in it. My personal preference was for the strongest bill imaginable because Weasel Harry and King Obama had already declared the House bill “dead on arrival,” so you might as well draft and pass something principled with teeth and make Harry and the Despot explain why they’re against fiscal solvency. Sadly….Boehner et. al. didn’t ask for my advice…..and I would have given it for free.

This will be a busy week for me as I’ll be working at the Wood County Fair and the Ohio State Fair. In addition, we’ll have our radio show on Tuesday and Wednesday from 6:00pm to 7:00pm, on 1370AM, WSPD in Toledo.   www.wspd.com   . Also, I’ll be having breakfast with a presidential candidate (lips are sealed), enjoying a dental appointment, and attending the family reunion on my Mother’s side in Carey, Ohio.

Had a wonderful time in Tiffin on Friday at the Seneca County Fair. Saw lots of old friends (just like me) and enjoyed catching up with everyone and sharing memories. The great group from the North Central Ohio Conservatives had a super booth, and I really enjoyed working with the Welly’s and Bonnie Daniels who came to help me when they had to leave.

As many of you know, I have cut back the Littlestuff-minoosha postings to four per week from the previous six per week. The M,W, F and Weekender schedule has opened some valuable time as I pursue writing my broadsides/book, and spend a little more time tending to my woefully neglected acreage. Monday’s column will feature Robin of Loxley aka Robin Hood, Wednesday will be “Crisis Creation,” and Friday’s column will be about “Crisis Management.” I won’t tell what’s in them, but rest assured they will not be very complimentary for most career politicians. Sometimes I think that writing about donuts would be more useful…..certainly donuts are more beneficial than most career politicians. It seems that when I write about politicians, I’m limited to discussing stupidity or cowardice, but with donuts I could discuss crème-filled, jelly-filled, glazed, powdered, iced and those with sprinkles on them. Donuts and most career politicians have something in common; however, neither has much at its center or its core.

The House Judiciary Committee has passed out legislation that dramatically increases the power of the federal government to access and monitor IP addresses for individuals and corporations. They would be able to secure all types of information including credit card numbers, social security numbers, passwords and general correspondence……and more…..without first securing a warrant. It passed the committee by a close vote and goes to the floor for further action. This is an affront to the 4^th Amendment and should be defeated by the membership. Unfortunately, Judiciary Committee recommendations have traditionally had a high rate of passage. Also, so many of our government data systems have been penetrated by hackers that any expectation that your personal data will be protected is misplaced. Big Nanny wants to take care of you from cradle to grave, and Big Brother wants to watch you to be certain that you’re grateful.

Have a great weekend, and our next column will be posted in August.

Comments:  cearlwriting@hotmail.com       or     www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

Many Thanks

It’s time for this curmudgeon to get maudlin and weepy. The past year has been so event-filled and my life has been so blessed, that I thought this is the perfect time for me to slobber my thanks to all who’ve helped me along the way. Please understand that it is impossible for me to thank everyone who has supported me in any way during the course of my life. Some people were helpful when I was unaware of their efforts, and others have been there each and every day for years. So by necessity, this will be a rather generic, broad based expression of my gratitude.


First, thank you to my parents, Betty and Ervin Earl, who invited a little stranger, suffering from whooping cough, into their lives more than 6 decades ago. Thanks, too, to my siblings, Karen and David and their spouses, Dave and Deb. All my nieces, nephew, grand nephews and nieces.

Highest praise and greatest thanks to Pat, my bride of 41 years, and to her family…my collection of in-laws and outlaws. Kelly and P.J. have ALWAYS been supportive of Dad and his passions, and now Kevin and Heather are learning to tolerate them, too. Shaun, Erin and Sully are my motivators, and pretty cool young people as well.

I would like to thank Doctors Brunner, Conlan, Huntington and Puhl for patching me together for the long and exhausting campaign. Also, kudos to the LPO for its support, to the party leaders particularly Kevin Knedler, and to all the candidates who shared lit drops, fair booths, parade floats and speaking engagements. Thank you, too, to the Liberty groups, Patriot organizations, Tea Party affiliates, 912er’s, We By For’s and others who asked us to address them. Finally, to all the civic organizations who invited us to participate during their candidates’ nights….thank you.

To our many friends, both long-time and newly found, thank you for believing in me, for your tireless efforts and most of all, for your encouragement. To our Facebook friends and Littlestuff-minoosha readers, thanks for sharing laughs, rants and events with us. And most of all, thank you’s to the 178,000 plus people who were not afraid to “split” the vote…who believed in the principle of liberty, smaller government and less government intrusion.

Thank you to my Lord for giving me an appreciation of freedom that can only come from an awareness that I am and have been forgiven, that I live under grace and am a child of God.

Comment:  earl4sos@gmail.com