"God Bless America" is one of the most popular patriotic songs ever.  

Did you know it was written by a Russian immigrant named Irving Berlin who loved America very much?

Here is the amazing story behind the song millions of Americans know and love. 

"Irving Berlin was born Israel Isidore Baline, in Russia, to an Ashkenazi Jewish family. His family immigrated to the United State when Israel was five years old. When he was only eight years old, his father died and Israel began working odd jobs on the street to help the family survive.

"Israel inherited some musical talent from his father, who was a cantor, and so eventually he found a job as a singing waiter, in a pub. One day the owner of the pub asked Israel to write a song as an advertisement for the cafe. Israel's song was published with a misprint of the composers name as I. Berlin. Israel liked the change, and so added his nick-name Irving to the misprint.

"Despite the fact that he was a self taught pianist, could read very little music, and had no musical training, Irving, with the help of assistants or collaborators, wrote the words and music for more than 3,000 songs, along with multiple Broadway musicals. His songs are recognized around the world and include Annie Get Your Gun, Blue Skies, Always, and White Christmas.

"Berlin was an outspoken American patriot. Too old to fight in WWII, he showed his support for the troops by writing several patriotic songs such as This is the Army, and traveling to entertain troops overseas. He originally wrote God Bless America in 1918, but did not publish it. In 1938 he revised the lyrics and the music, and then published it as a prayer that the U.S. would triumph over Hitler, and that there would come an end to the Nazi cruelty towards the Jewish people.

"God Bless America has been considered by many as the unofficial national anthem. It is in most church hymnals and has been sung in Hollywood films, at sporting events, and for patriotic celebrations and demonstrations for more than 70 years. Many recording artists have included this beautiful hymn in their repertoire, including Kate Smith (1938) and Celine Dion (2002). 

"And who can forget the memorable gathering of both Democrat and Republican congressmen and senators, following the September 11, 2001 attacks, as they joined their voices to sing as a prayer, God Bless America."    From: FaithClipArt.com

Below is a touching video of Irving Berlin singing God Bless America, first by himself, and then (at :52) with a choir of children.

God Bless America
By Irving Berlin

God bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.

From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.
God bless America, My home sweet home.

Sunday is unique for me.  It's the most special day of the week, a day reserved for God and the things that fill the heart and lift the spirit.

So I saved this wonderful story to share on Sunday.  

Living in abject poverty and surrounded by the ravages of war, 200 people came together to form an amazing symphony orchestra in the Congo. 
 
Led by an ordinary man with incredible vision and initiative, they overcame enormous obstacles to create unusually beautiful and moving music.

There are many heroes in this story.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Freedom of religion is one of our unalienable rights, long recognized and protected in the United States of America.  

The Pilgrims sacrificed everything to come here for religious freedom.  

Our Founding Fathers took great pains to protect religious rights in our founding documents.  

The Supreme Court has a long history of upholding and protecting freedom of religion.  

But now, unelected bureaucrats are ignoring the Constitution, and legal precedent, and are trampling religious freedom as they push to implement their radical social agenda.

Watch as Congressman Trey Gowdy confronts Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, and makes it painfully clear she has no legal basis for her HHS abortifacient mandate.  


Please LIKE this post if you believe freedom of religion should continue to be protected in America!

Should Environment Protection Agency Officials be able to “crucify” and “make examples” of oil and gas companies, as the Romans crucified random subjects to force submission?

In a 2010 video, Obama-appointed EPA official, Al Armendariz, bragged that the EPA's “general philosophy” is to “crucify” and “make examples” of oil and gas companies.

In the video, Administrator Armendariz says:

“I was in a meeting once and I gave an analogy to my staff about my philosophy of enforcement, and I think it was probably a little crude and maybe not appropriate for the meeting, but I’ll go ahead and tell you what I said:

“It was kind of like how the Romans used to, you know, conquer villages in the Mediterranean.  They’d go in to a little Turkish town somewhere, they’d find the first five guys they saw and they’d crucify them."

“Then, you know, that town was really easy to manage for the next few years.”

Armendariz said that approach creates an effective "deterrent factor," and the EPA is following the Roman model.

But Senator James Inhofe is expressing concern about the EPA modus operandi:

“Not long after Administrator Armendariz made these comments in 2010, EPA targeted US natural gas producers in Pennsylvania, Texas and Wyoming.

“In all three of these cases, EPA initially made headline-grabbing statements either insinuating or proclaiming outright that the use of hydraulic fracturing by American energy producers was the cause of water contamination, but in each case their comments were premature at best – and despite their most valiant efforts, they have been unable to find any sound scientific evidence to make this link.”

Senator Inhofe believes the video gives Americans a "glimpse of the Obama administration's true agenda," to "incite fear" and "intimidate" with threats and exorbitant penalties and fees.

If they say this on camera, imagine what they say in private.

Arrogant EPA officials are enjoying their unfettered and unconstitutional power to oppress citizens.  

Each business that is "crucified" impacts men, women, and children who need the income to live.  

Some have lost their lifelong savings trying to pay excessive fees and fines.  

Those without sufficient savings have been burdened with massive debt because of arbitrary and unreasonable policies.  

And others have even been sent to prison for unknowingly violating obscure regulations.

For Patriotic Moms:  

I see articles like this with some frequency, but choose not to pass them on.  However, examples like this can be opportunities for us to teach our children the rights and protections guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.  The Constitution is the foundation of our liberty, peace, and prosperity.  

As Patriotic Moms, we should teach our children.

• Explain that our Founding Fathers' painful experiences with government oppression caused them to set up a system to protect citizens from tyranny.
• Show our kids specific provisions in the Constitution which, if followed, protect citizens from this abuse.
  
• Explain why it's essential for us to seek elected leaders who will implement policies that are in harmony with the Constitution.  And after leaders are elected, we must continue to be vigilant and hold them accountable.

The Supreme Court is getting ready to hear the Obama administration's challenge to Arizona's illegal immigration law, SB 1070.  

Former Arizona Speaker of the House, and candidate for U.S. Congress, Kirk Adams explains the purpose of SB 1070 and why the legislation make sense.


Please LIKE this post if you agree that SB 1070 should be upheld.  

Feel free to comment below to express your opinion for or against SB 1070. 

Mitt Romney's victory speech was the best!

After winning all five primaries Tuesday night, the general election campaign has begun.  

Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich are now planning how they can help Mitt win in November, but that won't be enough.



America needs Mitt!  And Mitt will need our support to win!

Note to Patriotic Moms:  This speech is wonderful.  It's a good one for us to print up, read, and highlight the parts we want to share with our kids.  Dinner could be a good time to share, or you can choose another time that works for your family.

This election is about two completely different visions of America.  

Our kids need to understand the vision we believe in and why it's important!


Please LIKE this post if you agree!

Thank you Pennsylvania, Delaware, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York!  And tonight I can say thank you, America.  After 43 primaries and caucuses, many long days and more than a few long nights, I can say with confidence – and gratitude – that you have given me a great honor and solemn responsibility.  And, together, we will win on November 6th!

We launched this campaign not far from here on a beautiful June day. It has been an extraordinary journey. 

Americans have always been eternal optimists.  But over the last three and a half years, we have seen hopes and dreams diminished by false promises and weak leadership. Everywhere I go, Americans are tired of being tired, and many of those who are fortunate enough to have a job are working harder for less.

For every single mom who feels heartbroken when she has to explain to her kids that she needs to take a second job … for grandparents who can’t afford the gas to visit their grandchildren … for the mom and dad who never thought they’d be on food stamps … for the small business owner desperately cutting back just to keep the doors open one more month – to all of the thousands of good and decent Americans I’ve met who want nothing more than a better chance, a fighting chance, to all of you, I have a simple message: Hold on a little longer.  A better America begins tonight.

Tonight is the start of a new campaign to unite every American who knows in their heart that we can do better! The last few years have been the best that Barack Obama can do, but it’s not the best America can do!

Tonight is the beginning of the end of the disappointments of the Obama years and the start of a new and better chapter that we will write together.   

Want to know what Mitt Romney is really all about when he’s not in front of a camera?  

You can learn a lot about a man by what he does with his spare time, when no one is looking, and when he doesn’t have to do anything.  

What does Mitt do?  He is often helping someone else!  

This is a great interview!

Of course, they left out Mitt's very favorite activity!

That's spending time with his family -- especially his grandkids!!!

Please LIKE this post and share it with your friends so they can get to know the real Mitt Romney!!

Suppose you were an enemy, bent on the destruction of America.  What would you do?  How would you do it?  

In less than five minutes this video portrays a clear path to America’s demise.  The picture it paints is painfully familiar.  

Please watch and LIKE to pass it on!

Being a mom can be the hardest job in the world. 

But it's also the best.

This video showing athletes from the London 2012 Olympic Games was made by Procter & Gamble to honor the many things moms do to help their children succeed. 

The hardest job in the world is truly the best job in the world!

April is Autism Awareness Month.  My heart was touched by this video.  What a powerful reminder that though we all have challenges, we each have unique gifts and talents waiting to be discovered!


 

Here are a few comments about this video that were posted on YouTube:

"I have Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, and I am in college. I have a barely controllable tick where I laugh similar to an evil scientist. At 7:22...this one paragraph explained more about that tick in ten seconds than I had figured out for myself in 15 years. I wish all you haters and sympathizers alike could see what we see through our viewpoint rather than see it from the outside. To understand it is to delve into our minds and see how we work, to see why we don't work like you do."


"Thank you Carly for sharing your beautiful self with us. God bless you. You are an inspiration to all who have been touched by autism. Your parents are truly beautiful people."


"This is pretty cool, i have autism too (asperger's syndrome), and i have autistic friends too, and we are all pretty smart in our own separate way, although i don't know anyone quite as severely autistic as carly. anyway, this is nice, very inspiring."


"...We see why God says he judges the heart; we are so quick to look at the outward appearance and miss the value of the individual , "My ways are not your ways... Isaiah 55:8" Great Video!!!"


"Don't stop communicating!! You are a beautiful and amazing girl. Never allow anyone to get in your way. Not even yourself. I would like to think that the more you can describe how your body feels and how your mind works, you will be able to find treatments that will stop the pain and the frustration. If it hurts you and others, do all you can to make it clear so those who want to manage Autism so that stops. I don't want you or anyone else to live in agony and frustration. You are awsome Carly!!"