Unless you were in a coma last week I’m sure you saw the uproar over the draconian legislation introduced in Washington called SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act).  While it was guised as legislation that would put an end to piracy on the internet it was an attempt by the government to censor websites they deemed dangerous.  However, after a strong response from several major internet sites like Google, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, and several others the legislation was put on the back burner.

But don’t let that fool you!!  If there is one bill that the government is offering that gets defeated, you can pretty much guarantee that the Thought Police in Washington will either have one as backup or try to sneak one in on another bill.  Say hello to ACTA!!!  What is ACTA?  Almost the EXACT same legislation as SOPA!!!  Check out this video on what it the potential of doing if passed:

From Wikipedia:

“The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is a proposed plurilateral agreement for the purpose of establishing international standards on intellectual property rights enforcement.^[1] It would establish an international legal framework for countries to join voluntarily,^[2] and would create a governing body outside international institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) or the United Nations.^[1][3] Negotiating countries have described it as a response “to the increase in global trade of counterfeit goods and pirated copyright protected works.”^[2] The scope of ACTA includes counterfeit goods, generic medicines and copyright infringement on the Internet.^[4] Groups such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) oppose ACTA,^[5] stating that civil society groups and developing countries were excluded from discussion during ACTA’s development in an example of policy laundering.^[6"

The reason the governments around the world are beginning to crackdown on the internet is because the internet is the last beckon of freedom and free speech the world has.  Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace have helped social movements grow from a few protesters to MILLIONS around the world.  Sites like Google and Wikipedia have opened up the flow of information to every person with a computer or smart phone.  This is a threat to the establishment authority.

If the world is to continue in the spirit of freedom that is sweeping the globe it will because the internet remains free.  Should there be protections for intellectual property?  Absolutely!!  However, there are already laws to deal with such problems, they only need to be enforced!!  For now we must keep our eyes open to keep governments from restricting free speech on the internet or we all may be criminals soon!!  Until next time.

Much love,

Shawn

Our current foreign policy is unjust, illegal, and dangerous to our national security!!  We MUST CHANGE IT NOW!!!

Welcome to the Resistance.

I know what you might be thinking, “What do you mean Welcome to the Resistance? We’ve been here since September 17, 2011!!”

This I am aware of. However, I mean no disrespect by my greeting, I mean only to welcome you to the membership of those who are awake to the truth. I have watched over the last several months as your movement has grown. I watched as you expanded your numbers and began to put real fear in the hearts of the establishment. I watched as you bravely stood your ground against police brutality and riot police who shot you will “rubber bullets” in the name of “keeping the peace.” I have watched as you expanded your reach around the world and caused millions of sleeping people to awaken to the fact that they were being raped, robbed, and taken advantage of. For this I applaud you.

However, I want to address some concerns I have with you. Please understand that those of us in the Resistance stand with you in exercising your rights as citizens. We stand with you in your fight to awaken a generation to the crimes of Wall Street and Governments around the world. We stand with you against the violence perpetrated against you by police officers who have broken their oath to the Constitution.

Many among your movement seem to desire the forcible theft of the spoils of others. Many of you want to tax the rich without an understanding that a tax to take from one person to give to another is NOT a tax, but theft. Many among you talk of things like socialism, anarchy, and a total end to capitalism. This shows that you are naive and have no understanding of history. Socialism has NEVER worked!! EVER!! Socialism has given rise to the worlds most evil men. Socialism has caused the murder of MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of people around the world in just the last century!!!

You also speak of anarchy in the streets if your desires are not met. Please understand that the Resistance will consider that a threat against our families and we will act with aggression if need be. Anarchy is nothing more than a collective mass of people throwing a childish fit. It does nothing to sustain a livable society or bring peace and equality, which you claim to desire. If you want anarchy then you want death for yourself and decent citizens the world over. If you knew better you would realize that the reason Wall Street was bailed out was because our elected leaders have, for the most part been bought out (except for a few) by big business and the Military Industrial Complex.

While we agree with you that big business and corporations need to be removed from the electoral process, from influencing our leaders, and lobbying in Washington. We cannot stand with you in bringing capitalism to an end. Capitalism is the reason you can afford the tents you sleep in, the sleeping bag you stay warm in, and the cloths that cover your body. Capitalism is not evil. The abuse of capitalism is evil. Just like money in and of itself is not evil but what you do with it certainly can be. Capitalism has never murdered, stolen, or destroyed anyone. It’s the abuse of Capitalism that has done that. We agree that our system has become more about gree We agree that there are abuses (and they will be confronted) against the “little man.” We agree that those in power are stealing from the everyday man to line their pockets, while our children go to bed hungry.

However, if you are going to get angry at anyone or blame anyone for the crimes taking place in this nation, you should first look in a mirror. The reason our government is so bloated and out of control is because “We the People” have allowed it to be. The reason Wall Street is taking advantage of Main Street is because “We the People” have allowed it to happen. Maybe you didn’t see it happening when you were sipping your coffee at Starbucks or grabbing groceries at Whole Foods, but the truth is that the bottom fell out a long time ago.

Our nation is in the condition it is in not because of Wall Street, Washington, Lobbyist, Big Business, or whatever other bogeyman we can come up with. No. The reason our nation is in the condition it is in is because “We the People” have abandoned our Founding principles. We have forsaken the values and ideals that our Founding Fathers used to birth the GREATEST, MOST POWERFUL, AND MOST SUCCESSFUL nation to EVER grace planet earth. The ONLY way we can get back to a system that is beneficial to all is to return to those principles. If we do not then all your protesting will be in vain. I sincerely hope you will consider this a challenge to learn what made America great and contend for that.

America is not only great, she is good!!! If we desire as a people to see that goodness again in our lifetimes it will require us standing up for the right values, ideas, and principles that our Forefathers stood for!!

Sincerely,

The Resistance

I find it funny that the American government beats the drums of war with Iran over their nuclear program, but it’s the American government that has FUNDED Iran’s nuclear program!!!  DOES ANYONE ELSE SEE A PROBLEM WITH THIS?!?!?!

My little girl was up late last night with her daddy working on some new business stuff and I totally didn’t get a post in for the 16th. My apologies. I got so caught up with work and dealing with babies that I totally sacked out after I finished. I will post again today to make up for yesterday but for now I thought you would enjoy the above picture. Until next time.

Much love,
Shawn

I have been thinking a lot lately about my prayer life and how I’ve wanted it to grow this year.  Being that I personally believe prayer is more then just a quite time or a list of things we ask God about I thought I would share some things that I will be praying about this year.  Personally prayer has always been a struggle for me.  I have wrestled for years on how I should approach God, what I should say, where I should pray, etc.  A lot of that has been upbringing and thinking that prayer formulas actually work.  However, what I have found is that prayer is more than just a time to talk to God, it’s communion with God.  It’s talking and silence.  It’s study and meditation.  It’s fellowship with other believers and time alone in silence, praise, and just being with the Creator of all things!!!

You may not be someone who prays or even believes in God.  If that is the case please feel free to skip to the next blog.  However, if you are someone who prays or would like to grow in your prayer life this year, feel free to join me this years in praying for the following:

1.  The President:  That God would lead, guide, and direct him in the decisions he has to make.  That his decisions will be based on the great principles (The 28 Principles of Freedom) that made America great and that he would be led by the Founding Documents (Constitution) that our Founders used to establish our government.  Pray that God would protect him and his family from harm.

2.  Revival:  That God would send a revival to this nation that would cause us to repent of our pride, arrogance, and selfishness.  That we would repent of our racism, illegal and evil wars, our destruction of the environment, the murder of our children, the treatment of our elderly, poor, widow, and orphaned.  That God would send a revival that will cause us to return our hearts to him and one another.

3.  That our leaders would bring our troops home.

4.  That God would guide us in this years election.

5.  That father’s would turn their hearts to their children and children to their fathers.

6.  That those planning evil, whether in this nation or from another, would be thwarted and made known.

7.  That God would lead me as a husband, father, and business leader.  That He would bless our businesses, help us grow, and open the doors of ministry and outreach we believe He has placed in our hearts.

For now that is what I have.  I hope you will join me in this journey and that we can look back and see God’s hand in our lives, our country, and our world one year from now.  Until next time.

Much love,

Shawn

Earlier today I was reading a friend of mines Facebook page, on his page he posted a prayer for revival.  He asked that you would send your “revival rain to revive your people.”  It reminded me of one of my favorite songs from my time in the revival in Pensacola, “Let it Rain.”  Here is the video of Lindell Cooley and the Brownsville Assembly of God worship team singing it:

However, that is not the purpose of my letter.  I wanted to talk for a minute.  I wanted to share my heart a little and I seem to be able to do that better in writing then with words.  This video reminded me of a time in my life where you and I were close.  Really close.  Not that we are not close now but it’s just different now.  I imagine it has a lot to do with growing up and maturing.  I imagine that we progress in our relationship with you much like we do in a marriage.  It grows and is different.  It can grow stale at times but can also be just like when we first fell in love.

I know we have had some ups and downs throughout our journey together (what relationship doesn’t) but I must confess that I have loved the journey.  I have loved the struggle (ok maybe not all the time.).  I have loved learning new things about you.  However, there have been times where I have wondered if I was actually losing my faith.  I have wondered if I had left the God that I grew up loving so much!!  Life can get busy and many times things take up a great deal of time and energy as we get married, have kids, and go to work everyday.  There have been so many times where I felt like I was lost.

I have struggled with these thoughts a lot in my life.  I believe mainly because of the fact of growing up fatherless.  I wrestle with you being my Father.  I wrestle with that type of relationship with you.  I want that but I often don’t know how to walk in it.  I wrestle with trying to grasp and understand it.  I believe it.  I just………….

However, I wanted to talk to you about the future.  I love you.  I want to know you more.  I want to be the man that you created me to be.  I want to be a good husband and father.  I want to be a good businessman and community leader.  While many think that they can do that without you I know that is just not true.  I need you.  I need your Grace and Love.  I need your Wisdom.  I need your Guidance.

Please forgive me because I have walked in the flesh.  I have acted in ways that have hurt you and hurt other people.  I have sinned, strayed, and allowed myself to grow complacent at times.  While I am sure that happens to the best of us I just…………………..hate it.  I hate that we as people so often stray so easily.  I hate that we so quickly turn from your love.  My heart is to know you.  To grow closer to you.  To fall more in love with you everyday.  To share what you have done in me with others.

My prayer is that you would help me.  That you would give me a hunger for you.  That your Grace would seep out of me.  That your presence would saturate me.  That above all I would love like you no matter who it is, what they look like, how they smell, what they do or have done in life, etc.

I would like to continue these letters.  For now I just wanted to share this.  I will write you again soon.

Love,

Shawn

* I have NO IDEA (nor does anyone in the state of Louisiana and probably America) why Les Miles didn’t play Jarrett Lee during the second half of the National Championship game. I don’t think I’ve been that frustrated by a game in a long time.

* I got to spend this week with my older brother and his wife while they were in town. It was a lot of fun!!

* Blogging everyday can be kind of difficult. Not so much coming up with ideas to blog about but actually sitting down and getting it done.

* This is by FAR my favorite video on youtube right now:

* I’m so excited by how well Ron Paul is doing in the first two primary states!!!

* This whole notion that Ron Paul in “unelectable” is just total bull crap!! He has been elected to Congress several times over a 30 year period!!! He has THE biggest grassroots following of any candidate except for maybe President Obama. He gets more financial support from those in the military then ALL THE OTHER CANDIDATES COMBINED INCLUDING THE PRESIDENT!!!! He consistently gets support from Independents and Democrats who are frustrated with the two party system!!!

* If Mitt Romney had as many Independents and Democrats voting for him in the primaries as Ron Paul does the Republican establishment would be having an orgasm!!!

* There is a very real possibility that the radio show I am working on could be broadcast from a studio in the future. Right now we are working from our computers and a switchboard.

* I have been working on a better schedule for the radio program so that we can have a better sound and feel. I hate being scatter brained with the whole thing.

* I have 15 minutes to finish this blog for it to count for today in my 365 Days of Blogging.

* I have several topics I am working on for the blog. Including: Pornography, Rob Bell and theology, A man and his daughter, Raising Kids, Why Politics matter, What Christians should be in the political life of America, Can America survive another 100 years, and many more!! However, that is all for now!! Until next time.

Much love,

Shawn