Glenn Beck's "Common Sense"

SWAC Husband just walked in the door with a smile on his face and a copy of Glenn Beck's "Common Sense" in his hand. The NY Times #1 best seller, a "re-do" of Thomas Paine's famous work of the same name (with inclusion of that work), has been difficult to find as disgusted Americans have snatched them up since last week's publication.

A quick read of the "Note from the Author" already has me nodding my head in agreement. There is an unrest going on out there and I've seen it at the local level where 600 people turned out for an informational townhall meeting to hear how their voices could be heard with the local government ... where some have suggested replacing supervisors ... where 1,000 people turned out for a Board of Supervisors meeting in March to protest excessive real estate tax assessments ... where 10,500 Augusta County citizens signed petitions to sue the supervisors for assessments more in line with the financial times.

Nationwide we've seen it as hundreds of thousands of Americans turned out for tea parties and, more recently, protested last week's ObamaCare infomercial by protesting outside ABC studios around the country.

From Glenn Beck's "Common Sense," these pearls of wisdom and knowledge and, yes, the seeds to change:

Do not remain neutral. Do not sit idly by. Do not let others speak for you. Silence has gotten us nowhere so it's once again time for our collective voice to make a simple yet powerful demand ... Don't Tread on Me.
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Thomas Paine was an unremarkable man living in a remarkable time. He proved that it doesn't take celebrity, stature, or wealth to make a difference -- it only takes someone willing to say the things that need to be said.
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Thomas Paine and his fellow revolutionaries shed their blood so that future generations would have access to weapons immeasurably stronger than muskets or bayonets: the weapons of democracy. Those are the tools that we will use to usher in a second American revolution, a revolution that won't be fought on battlefields, but in the hearts and minds of the three hundred million people lucky enough to call America home.

Glenn Beck does not advocate violance but, rather, citizen involvement and responsibility. He notes that Martin Luther Kind once said, "Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time."

Rather than be distracted by a media that are fixated on the death of Michael Jackson, we must stay informed about cap-and-trade, universal health care, local issues, and other events that will affect our lives. We must contact our representatives to let them know how we want them to vote. We must show up at the ballot box on election day. We must educate ourselves and others and encourage them to become more involved.

Glenn Beck's "Common Sense" is less than $10 in most outlets. It includes the original Thomas Paine "Common Sense" as well as the 9 Principles and 12 Values of the 9.12 Project ... and it's chocked full of ... common sense.

Oh ... and Don't Tread On Me.