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The Road to Revolution Comes Through Courage New Hampshire

The release of “The Avengers” announced the beginning of Summer Blockbuster Season at movie theaters. It was very hard to find a parking space in Monrovia, where I was excited to see the third installment of the film I had been waiting to see. Yes, I said third installment. I did not go to see “The Avengers”. I went to see Colony Bay’s (CB)production, “Courage New Hampshire: A Snake in the Garden”. “Courage New Hampshire” is a dramatic series that follows the citizens of a shire town on the border of western New Hampshire, prior to the American Revolution.

The first episode, “The Travail of Sarah Pine”, was an excellent first effort for creator, writer and director, James Patrick Riley and Executive Producer Jonathan Wilson. In fact, during the 2012 Life Fest Film Festival (May 4,5,6), Episode 1 garnered 3 awards: Best Use of Theme, Best Sound Design, and Audience Award! Episode 2 had a couple surprise guests: radio talk show host Mike Gallagher, and Conservative hero Andrew Breitbart.

The first two episodes had two characters that I knew would be missing in episode three, and I wondered if I would miss their presence. Basil Hoffman plays Simeon Trapp, a villainous character I love to hate. Hoffman is an iconic character actor (The Artist, The Box,) and a joy to watch. Hoffman and I spoke prior to the screening of Episode 3. He, like so many other familiar faces, came to support what has become a close knit sense of family. (See photos from premiere here Courage New Hampshire: A Snake in the Grass Premiere) I pointed to my notebook, where I wrote, “I wonder if I’m going to miss Basil’s character”. He said, “I don’t think you will”. I had my doubts. Hoffman is not only is a great actor, he’s my friend.

Another character missing from episode three is the lovable town drunk, Braxton Cage, portrayed by Gary Moore (The Bill Collector). Moore was also in the first two installments and he came for the premiere. My notebook read, “Am I going to miss Gary and the comedic relief he brought?”
As the lights went down and the first credits came on the screen, the crowded theater erupted in applause for each and every name. I was sure “The Avenger’s” crowd on either side of us was ticked off that they weren’t in our theater, in our screening, enjoying the fun.

What a joy to see another great Conservative, Alfonzo (ZO) Rachel, do a dramatic role in episode 3. ZO played Cesar Mills and I hope to see him in the future.

Riley’s writing, the costumes, the setting, and the beautiful music all work together wonderfully to transport the audience back in time. “A Snake in the Garden” has Intrigue, betrayal, suspense, romance, justice, and comedy. I am happy to say (sorry to Basil and Gary) that the excellent storyline and new characters helped to alleviate any pain of missing previous favorites. Riley is a writer that combines history with current events, comedy and tragedy- good and bad…leaving us wanting more. The villainous character, William Bramley (Patrick Finerty), was in one minute menacing and the next hilarious.

My favorite line of the movie: “Silly, stupid law. Written by half wits, for half wits”. (Silas Rhodes, portrayed by Riley). Riley knows history and the “silly, stupid law” he speaks about is the law the British government passed in England that all white pines growing in the colonies with a growth diameter over 12 inches belonged to the Royal Navy. This was one of many reasons we fought for our Independence in 1776.

His character, Silas, went on to say, “Telling a lad … he can’t clear his land, he can’t farm; why don’t they tax the food out of his mouth? It would be faster.” This had a ring a familiarity. The British were taxing people for cutting trees on their own land. They were taxing people for working their own land. This brought the American people to rebel against the government and rise up against tyranny and fight for freedom. They were tired of working for the government and having the fruits of their labors – stolen.

Doesn’t this remind you of current laws today that prevent farmers from farming their own land, ranchers from ranching, and businesses from growing? Do you see parallels? Perhaps this is why the Tea Party movement supported Colony Bay’s efforts so strongly from the beginning.

There is something else I took away from Episode 3. The spirit in the town of Courage lives in many of us today. Nathan Kershaw plays Bob Wheedle, who spoke these inspiring words: “We’re either citizens of the town or we’re not. … Sooner or later I stop being a deserter. Sooner or later, (my child) is no longer an orphan. Is this our home or isn’t it?” When I heard these words and as I write these words, my eyes fill with tears. Can we be a nation of Americans, united and not divided by the countries of our ancestors and by our heritage? Can we simply be Americans? Is it possible to raise our children and grandchildren without divisiveness? This was what our Founders set forth to do. This is what the Sons and Daughters of Liberty fought and died for.

CB’s model started with the original Plymouth Colony. They set out on an impossible task, much like the pilgrims did when they colonized the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which is where Colony Bay’s name came from. CB applied Plymouth Colony’s model from the beginning – a group of people living in covenant together and responsible to each other. There were several families who were in a home church together. Riley and Wilson went to them and asked “what do you think about creating a film production company?” This explains an undeniably familial feeling surrounding the cast, crew, and audience that I’ve felt at each “Courage” screening. I spoke to Wilson about this during a recent interview and he was encouraged that viewers could recognize this. “The great thing is that we have a lot of home school kids that are learning the craft of film making. Our sound guys are 14 and15 years old.”

The Hollywood Reporter ran a story in June of 2011 when the first episode of Courage first premiered with the headline “Tea Partiers Create Their Own TV Show and Production Company.” Wilson says this was news to many of the actors who found themselves on the front page of Hollywood Reporter in a “Tea Party” show. Some of the cast didn’t know anyone from the Tea Party was involved. Wilson and Riley understood that politics, especially in Hollywood, is divisive. As a result, they have a philosophy of “NO POLITICS ON SET”.

Wilson states clearly that CB doesn’t support anything on set that divides. He said, “Good story has the ability to transform and unite. I think that is what is missing in America…stories about our common heritage.” He went on to say (the Courage series) is so important to make because it takes (the audience) “back to America’s founding. America needs to know where she came from.”

The future looks very optimistic for “Courage”. This series just received the Dove Foundation Seal, meaning the show is approved for family viewing. There are no limits to where Riley will take the characters of “Courage”. Just as our nation was born through dreams, courage, honor, and the devotion of incredible men and women, CB has a community equally devoted to take each of us along with them on their journey. I will be there and hope you will join me! Huzzah!

Bumbo Seat – Can Anyone Read the Directions??

I recently purchased a Bumbo seat for a friend who is expecting a baby.  I usually try to be diligent when purchasing baby items, so I thought I would check product reviews and recommendations for the seat.  As any parent and user of baby products knows, baby products—like strollers, bouncy seats, and changing tables—come with long lists of disclaimers and booklets of instructions for safe use. The Bumbo seat was no different.  What I found most interesting about the Bumbo seat, however, was not contained in the disclaimers or instructions.  There was an abundant amount of information and chatter on blogs regarding the numerous ways that one could misuse the Bumbo seat.

Upon first glance, anyone would judge the Bumbo seat to be a safe and useful product for infants — at least, when the product is used in the intended manner.  In the case of a Bumbo seat, proper use dictates that one place the seat on the floor. One should never place the seat in a chair, on a table, or on any other elevated surface. All Bumbo seats manufactured since October 2007 have such a warning on the front of the seat. The warning includes a safety symbol and the words “WARNING — Prevent Falls: Never use on any elevated surface.”  The company that distributes the Bumbo seat also added the warning to the seat’s packaging, as well.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission has also weighed in on this matter by issuing warnings regarding the proper use of the Bumbo seat and encouraging mothers and caregivers to vigilantly use the product.

Apparently, the additional warnings have been effective in encouraging the proper use of the Bumbo seat and reducing the number and rate of falls from elevated surfaces.  This is very important.  Proper use can save lives, since falls from an elevated surface often result in skull fractures.

The warnings that show up on the Bumbo seat reflect the same common sense one would apply to use of a bouncie seat — the seat of choice for my babies — or a car seat, stroller, or any other seat that a busy baby would like to maneuver his or her way out of.  The same principle applies to a changing table.  I remember taking a “baby preparation” class while I was pregnant with my first child.  The teacher emphasized that we should never take our hands and eyes off the baby while the baby was on the changing table.  Made perfect sense to me!

Given all of this, I was very surprised when I read a recent Chicago Tribune article that makes it seem like the Bumbo seat is dangerous.  My heart goes out to any parent whose child is injured, but we are the adults in the room.  And I can fully appreciate sleep deprivation, as many of us can, but putting your child’s life in danger is something that mothers and fathers can control.  Sleep deprivation is no excuse for shirking one’s responsibility and doing something that totally lacks common sense (not to mention the warnings prominently pasted on the seat).

We need to protect our children and take responsibility for their safety and well being, especially while they are young and unable to make cogent decisions between right and wrong (or safe and unsafe) behavior.  A large dose of that responsibility includes a parent’s diligence when reading the directions on baby products and operating those products as instructed.

Cherylyn Harley LeBon is a mother, political commentator, and former Senior Counsel on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Follow her on Twitter @HarleyLeBon.

Arlen Specter: A Liar Calling Santorum a Liar

So here we go again.  Someone let Arlen out of the home today and put him on CNN with John King to discuss Rick Santorum’s claim that Specter agreed to support President Bush’s judicial nominees to the Supreme Court.

Here is a bitter old man who is still clinging to his dwindled power.  This is a man who said he would not support judicial candidates who created law from the bench, yet he voted for Sonya Sotomayor. Remember her?

This is a man who voted for Obamacare after he railed against Hillary Clinton for her mandated healthcare plan.  This is a man who was a Democrat when he first ran for Senate on the Republican ticket, then switched to actually become a Republican, and then switched back to Democrat when he realized he would lose the Republican primary against Pat Toomey.

This is a man who was for card check and against card check. Do I need to continue? So let me lay this out for you.  We have Rick Santorum who has stated he has made mistakes, owns them and apologizes for them.  Then we have Specter who has directly told me that the allegations above are wrong.

But little does he know there is something called video where we have him in his own words.  You tell me…who do you believe?

To me it’s clear…

Rick Santorum.

Happy International War on Women’s Day

As the 2012 election draws closer, Democrats desperately want to divert the public’s attention away from President Obama’s abysmal record on the economy and jobs. It seems no attack on Republicans is too absurd or too low to make toward that effort. Case in point: The Democrats now preposterously claim that the GOP is waging a “War on Women,” and the  media is shamelessly going along with that fact-free propaganda slogan. With a straight face, they insist that Americans should be gullible enough to believe that Republicans truly hate women and want to enact laws to prevent them from getting any birth control.

The truth is, Republicans simply don’t want to have to pay for someone else’s birth control—or use government force to require a religious institution to violate its sacred beliefs. The GOP wants to stay out of bedrooms and churches. (To nip the standard liberal red herring in the bud: no, being pro-life is not being in your bedroom; it’s being pro-pre-natal care. Using the Democratic playbook, Republicans could easily, disingenuously ask: Why do Democrats hate pre-natal care?)

Women writers from across the political spectrum have documented the fact that when it comes to making vicious attacks on female political opponents, the Democrats take the cake…and then deny they ate it. Democratic strategist Kirsten Powers bravely penned a piece for the Daily Beast (“Rush Limbaugh Isn’t the Only Media Misogynist”), calling out liberally abusive commentators:

Right-wing author Michelle Malkin’s most recent syndicated column, “The War on Conservative Women,” chronicled the ugly side of being a conservative woman in the public eye from her own personal experience. In it, she also pointed out that it’s not just liberal men doing the name-calling and slandering:

Self-serving opponents argue that such attacks do not represent “respectable,” “mainstream” liberal opinion about their conservative female counterparts. But it was feminist godmother Gloria Steinem who called Texas Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison a “female impersonator.” It was NOW leader Patricia Ireland who commanded her flock to only vote for “authentic” female political candidates. It was Al Gore consultant Naomi Wolf who accused the late Jeane Kirkpatrick of being “uninflected by the experiences of the female body.”

Conservative blogger Nice Deb has dug through the internet to compile another collection of left-wing venom and hypocrisy in her post “The Left’s War On Conservative Women.”

The Real War on Women
It all seems so important, proving our side is the truly aggrieved party—and it is, in terms of not letting a false narrative take root in the minds of the voting public. But when it comes to the phrase “War on Women,” it is utterly ridiculous for that phrase to be used in relation to any Western women. On this International Women’s Day, we need to turn our eyes to the true assaults on women.

One such assault was launched yesterday by the Afghanistan government and clerics. The US-sanctioned appeasement of the Taliban has begun blossoming in full, with Afghan women getting pushed back into the burqa and isolated in the home. As reported in the back pages of American newspapers (and on FoxNews.com):

Afghanistan’s president on Tuesday endorsed a “code of conduct” issued by an influential council of clerics that activists say represents a giant step backward for women’s rights in the country.

President Hamid Karzai’s Tuesday endorsement of the Ulema Council’s document, which allows husbands to beat wives under certain circumstances and encourages segregation of the sexes, is seen as part of his outreach to insurgents like the Taliban.

Both the U.S. and Karzai hope that the Taliban can be brought into negotiations to end the country’s decade-long war. But activists say they’re worried that gains made by women since 2001 may be lost in the process.

While the Democrats and their leader, Barack Obama, have taken to the microphones to phonily decry their ginned-up “GOP war on women” since this declaration was made, they have uttered no disapproval of the Afghan move. After all, if they were to complain, they might hinder the negotiations to turn the country over to the Taliban (ok, perhaps not officially, but does anyone doubt that will be the end result?) so our military can hurriedly leave by Obama’s rushed political timetable.

Surely our Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—who used to tout her daring to lecture China on women’s rights during her stint as First Lady—would feel compelled to speak out and issue a statement. But no, she didn’t, even though she, and Obama, had to have seen this coming.

Two years ago, she authorized $500 million to go to Karzai to grease the wheels in negotiating with the women-hating people killing our soldiers: the Taliban and other “insurgents.” Then, in May 2010 when Karzai visited DC and the public expressed concern over his Taliban negotiations, Clinton vowed to a group of visiting Afghan women, “We will not abandon you, we will stand with you always.”

But feminist-hero Clinton’s State Department has been waffling and weakening on Afghan women’s rights ever since. Now, in the wake of this new and worrisome development, instead of taking Karzai to task, they have stuck their head in the sand and made not a peep about this reignition of a true War on Women.

Here’s a few things with which Clinton and the Obama State Department have no problem, as reported in the FoxNews.com story:

Among the rules: Women should not travel without a male guardian and women should not mingle with strange men in places like schools, markets or offices. Beating one’s wife is prohibited only if there is no “Shariah-compliant reason,” it said, referring to the principles of Islamic law.

Asked about the code of conduct at a press conference in the capital, Karzai said it was in line with Islamic law and was written in consultation with Afghan women’s groups. He did not name the groups that were consulted.

“The clerics’ council of Afghanistan did not put any limitations on women,” Karzai said, adding: “It is the Shariah law of all Muslims and all Afghans.”

According to the Guardian, Karzai’s Taliban appeasement could lead to the expulsion of women from the Afghan government and the loss of 10 years of hard-won gains:

The clerics renounced the equality of men and women enshrined in the Afghan constitution, suggesting they consider the document that forms the basis of the Afghan state to be flawed from a religious perspective.

“Men are fundamental and women are secondary,” the statement says, according to a translation by Afghan analyst Ahmad Shuja. “Also, lineage is derived from the man. Therefore, the use of words and expressions that contradict the sacred verses must be strictly avoided.”

The statement drew criticism in parliament, where some politicians took it as a direct assault on the constitution and the wider government. If a ban on men and women working and studying together were implemented, it would in effect dissolve the legislature. (emphasis added)

How ironic that just last week, Obama issued his annual proclamation declaring March as Women’s History Month, with today March 8 as International Women’s Day. What a history we have developing in Afghanistan.

Likewise, the UN issued an International Women’s Day statement from their United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan calling on the Karzai government to finally get around to implementing its anti-violence against women act:

Enacted in August 2009, the landmark Elimination of Violence against Women (EVAW) law criminalises child marriage, forced marriage, selling and buying women for the purpose or under the pretext of marriage, baad (giving away a woman or girl to settle a dispute), forced self-immolation and 17 other acts of violence against women including rape and beating. It also specifies punishment for perpetrators.

In spite of these legal protections under the EVAW law and other constitutional safeguards for women, violence against women and girls remains pervasive in Afghanistan with an inconsistent response from Afghan authorities.

UNAMA found that judicial and law enforcement officials were implementing sporadically the two-year-old law and were not yet applying the law to the majority of cases of violence against women. The report determined that many cases of violence against Afghan women were withdrawn or mediated including serious crimes that would require prosecution with a low number of cases prosecuted.

“I have knocked all doors to get rid of violence but all my complaints had fallen on deaf ears. Instead, the prosecutor accused me of lying and warned me of dire consequence,” 15-year-old Sadat said while undergoing treatment in a Herat hospital. She had set herself on fire due to repeated and unaddressed domestic violence. Sadat later died in a hospital in Turkey where she was taken for further treatment.

They can quote a 15-year-old girl’s heart-breaking words from her deathbed, but the UN can’t bother to note the deal Karzai had just approved days before that will make life brutal again for all the other women and girls of Afghanistan.

But the real War on Women is not confined to Afghanistan. It is being waged on women around the world, as Nina Shea, co-author of Silenced: How Apostasy and Blasphemy Codes are Choking Freedom Worldwide, showed in an excellent roundup at National Review Online, outlining the atrocities happening daily in:

• China: “If the brave woman still refuses to submit [to aborting babies to conform with the one-child government], she may be held in a punishment cell, or, if she flees, her relatives may be held and, very often, beaten”
• North Korea:  ”Pregnant women are forced to undergo abortions, even in their third trimester, for the crime of carrying ‘Chinese seed.’”
• Saudi Arabia: Among the laundry list of outrages and horrors against women, “Women are also at risk of being charged with putting spells on men under laws against witchcraft, a capital crime. A Sudanese woman was beheaded in December for sorcery.”
• Iran: Another laundry list that reads like an upgrade to a club membership (in addition to the Saudi Arabia-level benefits, you will also receive…), which includes “The law permits a man to kill his adulterous wife and women convicted of adultery can be sentenced to stoning.”
• Pakistan: Even as a supposedly more enlightened Muslim society, Shea notes Pakistan’s “persistent practice of forcing rape victims to marry their rapists, a situation that becomes compounded by forcible conversion to Islam [when the woman or young girl is Christian].”

Shea didn’t have room to mention hundreds of other unspeakable offenses, including ones that occur outside the Muslim world, such as India’s pervasive problem with selectively aborting female babies, creating extreme societal problems that are also seen in China where they abide a similar practice as a result of the one-child policy.

The point is, those are the places that are experiencing a real War on Women, not here in Chicago, El Paso and San Francisco. It is an insult to those women fighting real threats in distant lands to apply that phrase to a hyperbolic political argument between the Left and the Right in the United States, where we women have it cushier than anywhere else in the world.

My Friend Johnny

Last week I sent out an e-mail to my network of friends about Johnny —a friend who has been homeless two years. I saw an outpouring of love, but one women was especially moved. Within hours of reading about Johnny, she paid the balance of Johnny’s storage unit. Her concern and understanding of a homeless, deaf man needing hearing aids to move forward and her compassion for his dogs who have been “locked up” for the past two years, led Marie-France to incredible benevolence.

Marie-France is a local Real Estate agent in Los Angeles and an author of two books. She generously said that for every book sold, she will donate $2.00. That is $2.00 dedicated to helping Johnny get hearing aids and having his dogs released. This is an incredible gift from a woman who loves with amazing grace.

If Johnny raises the $1,000 for his dogs, he has a home lined up for one dog, Scooter Pie, a Chihuahua, that he found abandoned in the East Mesa Desert. His other dog, Amy Lee, is a border collie mix that found Johnny as a puppy, will stay with him. They are best friends. The two dogs have been at the Last Resort Animal Shelter for the past two years. If anyone would like to help pay down the $1,000, please donate here. Johnny’s real name is John Endicott.

It is fitting that one of Marie-France’s books, The Rainbow Bridge is about pet loss—a beautiful book about what happens to pets after they die. If you have lost a pet or know anyone who has, this book is a wonderful gift.

2012 is the most important election year we have ever faced as a nation. Marie-France has a put together a beautiful and thought provoking book. Every freedom loving citizen should have a copy of Hope and Change: An American Tragedy to share with their friends and family.

If you have any desire or ideas for helping Johnny, please contact me at debidevens@earthlink.net. Perhaps you have acquaintances in the Tucson area that could help provide housing for his labor or employment that would lead to Johnny being able to afford housing. Maybe all you are able to do is cover him with prayer and allow God to work His miracles. Everything is appreciated and accepted with deepest humility and gratitude.

I spoke to the head of Goodwill of Tucson who gave me some other leads for Johnny. Maybe he has tried these leads before, or maybe not. All I can do is try to offer new hope for a new day. See, I lost track of him one year ago…a year that I spent comfortable in my home. A year that went by quickly for me as I lived my day to day. I can’t let this happen again. If I can help just one person at a time, then that is one person less you may pass by and wonder, “What happened to THAT person, that they ended up out there?” Now you know one person’s story and you know how to help.