I lost a close and dear friend in my thirties, gone too soon and early in this life I understood immediately how much I valued our times of great conversation, problem solving, shared dreams and the feeling of nothing was ever met alone.  My friend was always there, always with me and then suddenly she was gone.  While I could never replace our friendship, I have been fortunate to meet people whose trust and presence have been a similar relationship.

Some friendships last a lifetime, others are a period of time, but ever notice how even those brief encounters can pick up right where they left off and blossom again.  I have friends I can call at 3:00 a.m. and it's never an issue, friends I can share anything with and friends who know me and love me unconditionally.  Someone once said friends are the family we choose.  I like to think of my friends as family, and perhaps that comes from a lesson in my faith.  My grandfather as a minister called everyone by their name prefaced with the word brother or sister.  He had a collective family definition of friends as brothers and sisters in God's eyes.

The fight starts now.  This isn’t the end of America. America has way too much fight in her to lie down and give up.

Don’t stop. Your activism will determine whether we continue to be the greatest nation on earth. Your dedication to keeping our government more accountable than ever before will ultimately decide how America handles this second Obama term.

More than anything, though: Don’t give up.

America has survived bad leaders. We get past them and elect good ones who can help us undo the damage done by those bad leaders. Now is the time for more people to jump into this crazy political world; it takes everyone to keep our government truly accountable.

You can count on young conservatives to be more vocal and energized than ever. We aren’t going to let our future slip away. We need your help to make sure it doesn’t happen. Help us keep this country the hope of the earth! 

Traditional names are often under attack with changing times and much of this stems from an all inclusive, ease the pain of the somewhat unfairness of life mentality.  Such is the case in Rhode Island where a recent event has led to a request to change the traditional name of the father-daughter dance to 'family dances' to alleviate gender bias.  Or at least that appears to be the premise for the request by a single-mother in Cranston, RI who complained to the American Civil Liberties Union that her daughter was unable to attend a 'father-daughter' dance.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/09/25/rhode-island-school-committee-seeks-end-to-banned-father-daughter-dances/

Tradition defined as a specific practice of long standing is under attack frequently by the ACLU in what often appears as an attempt to equalize everything so that no one is ever excluded or offended.  I am not saying I don't feel empathy for a child without a father or one who doesn't care enough to attend the father-daughter dance, but I think that our traditions are often under attack by a minority of individuals who care little about anything but their singular lives.  I grew up in a single-parent household and it presented some difficulties, but I never once remember having a thought that events should change to accommodate me.  Maybe I was fortunate to have family and friends who could stand in and fill the role if even for one night.  My life was different, not unfortunate or excluded.  Did this single mother ever think about another approach?  Is there a grandfather, an uncle or mentor who might accompany her daughter to the dance?

We teach kids today not to keep score, to be politically correct and we teach them that life is so fair that instead of working for equal achievement we can instead bend the rules.  We don't all start at the same place and we don't all reach the same end result, life isn't fair that way.  We live in a nation of equal opportunity, not equal achievement.  Teaching children there are no winners and losers, isn't realistic.  Because traditionally there will always be someone who achieves more or less than you as an individual.

I am not certain if any tradition is safe anymore as we see case after case challenging the name or purpose of a tradition by the one individual who feels they have been treated unfairly by life so everyone else must invoke change to make life easier for them.  Maybe I sound a little tough because I worked to overcome rather than bend the rules.  We kept score and I learned how to lose and how to work harder to win.  I hope the school district in Rhode Island and their state legislature do the same as they work towards a resolution.

As I focused with many of you over the tragedy of the recent shootings in Colorado, I noticed without hesitation the discussion quickly turn from the news breaking horror to the sadness of those lost or injured and then to gun control.  Without fail each time something of this nature happens, those opposed to our 2nd Amendment rights come out in full force with their view of 'no guns - no shootings'.  I firmly denounce this kind of thought process and wholeheartedly defend the 'right of the people to keep and bear arms'.

I have been shooting guns since I was four years of age either in the capacity of hunting or target practice, with a little skeet shooting for sport thrown into the mix.  I have a concealed weapons permit and believe it is my right to protect and defend myself as per the laws of the state of Florida where I reside.  I obey the law and am accountable for my gun ownership and use.  So please explain to me why I should be punished for the crimes of another individual who does not and chooses to murder innocent people?  You don't take my car keys when my neighbor gets a speeding ticket.  Oh, I know some will argue that isn't the same thing.  Well really because a vehicle has the power to take lives too, so I debate along these lines.

I am tired of those who use the recent tragedy as their rally cry for gun control.  The actions of one unstable or evil individual are not reason to violate the constitutional rights of the Americans whose gun ownership and use are perfectly legal and who are responsible citizens.  Deranged individuals are not new to our society, and I am certain the future holds a few more to come forward and commit criminal acts.  However, I firmly believe that in any given situation where my life is threatened and the other person means to do me harm, I have a constitutional and legal right to defend myself.  Guns don't fire all by themselves and bullets do not magically load themselves into a gun - it takes a person.  None of us can predict what makes someone fall off the sociological cliff and turn violent to the point of committing a murder, but let's punish the criminal not the compliant citizen who owns a gun and has never even considered a crime.