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2024 Year in Review and 2025 Look AheadWe finished the year very strong in 2024Several of the longer term goals we had set for ourselves in the early years of our organization were accomplished in 2024.&nbsp; It is so refreshing to have moved from the idea of securing the blessings of liberty to actually securing them.&nbsp; One thing people of faith understand is that we are all becoming something through what we do, and how we live, demonstrating what we are becoming through action and results.&nbsp; We all LIVE our values every day and those values are reflected in our actions, accomplishments and achievements.&nbsp; We all hope and pray those values reflect our Lord and Savior properly. &nbsp; We now have to set our sights higher and farther as we continue to grow and prosper.The meaning in our lives is of course centered on that LOVE of life and our growth on that journey.&nbsp; We put away childish things as we grow up and learn to LIVE &amp; LOVE, if we embrace it honestly and with humility.&nbsp; The meaning and purpose of our lives emerges and we must stop from time to time to reflect on what that means to each and every one of us.&nbsp;&nbsp;The fall Holiday Season in America starts with the harvest and the time we set aside to be Thankful.&nbsp; Just as the father of our great country wrote in 1789 about setting aside a time of Thanksgiving to the almighty for bringing us through the revolutionary battles that followed our Declaration of Independence. We were all to be thankful for the deliverance of the American people and the creation of a Constitutional Republic built on the foundations of the Declaration in 1776.&nbsp; We paused to honor the sacrifices that were made and to reflect on our blessings and where they come from.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/education/primary-source-collections/primary-source-collections/article/thanksgiving-proclamation-of-1789">https://www.mountvernon.org/education/primary-source-collections/primary-source-collections/article/thanksgiving-proclamation-of-1789</a>&nbsp;The constitution was designed and written to protect those God given rights reflected in the Holy Writ to secure those Blessings of Liberty. Our motto became E Pluribus unum, a wonderful latin phrase depicting the individual and the collective simultaneously.&nbsp; A collection of individuals working together for a common cause.&nbsp; In this case the common cause was the most beautiful and honorable thing that we must continue to cherish, uphold and protect, which is the Liberty of the Christian Ethic.&nbsp; Liberty and Freedom are synonymous. In the 1599 Geneva Bible it is translated as Liberty, in the New International Version it is translated as freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17).&nbsp;That same Thanksgiving proclamation that was made by George Washington was reflected in the triumph of 2024 and what appeared to be a people united again for freedom and turning back towards Christ. The only hope of restoring our lands and the promise and the spirit of 1776 (2 Corinthians 3:16). &nbsp; It was so refreshing to talk to folks this fall after the elections and the relief that E Pluribus Unum still exists and Americans still yearn to be free.&nbsp; It was as if a great spell had been broken and a great peace of mind had begun to return to our land.&nbsp; We all know this instinctively and we find ourselves at the end of a new beginning that could be a great restoration of common sense and return to first principles in 2025. We also know that after the Holidays we will have to roll up our sleeves and get to work restoring that common sense to each and every one of us in common cause.&nbsp;It is in this spirit of Thanksgiving I start this year’s newsletter.&nbsp; Let us not forget that the word holiday at its center is the root word HOLY.&nbsp; Merry Christmas is a time where the hope of the world is born and becomes flesh for us all.&nbsp; These first principles of Thanksgiving are also reflected in the renewal of the New Year.&nbsp; The entire holiday season in our country is both Tradition and Heritage.&nbsp; It is a time of Humility (Thanksgiving), it is a time of Hope, Love and Peace. A time where we all reflect and reconcile to the Most High God the source of all creation.Let us all take stock, reconcile and reflect on resolutions for 2025 in that spirit of unity and purpose.&nbsp; Let us all continue to pause, again and again, that we may be refreshed in that hopeful spirit that carries us throughout the year and our lives. Starting the first day of each week in Church that centers us on that which is most important.&nbsp;Here is a short list of 2024 Accomplishments for your perusal:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- In April 2024 we teamed together on Prop 47 reform to get Prop 36 on the ballot in November.&nbsp; We saw this as a great opportunity in our community to unify together on this fundamental Law &amp; Order issue.&nbsp; We went door to door talking with our neighbors and even stood in front of stores gathering and engaging folks to capture signatures for Prop 36.&nbsp; This proved to be a very important moment building our grass roots organization. We helped to deliver the positive results of Prop 36 passing across our state so we could reverse course in 2025 and restore Law &amp; Order in our communities.&nbsp; Link Here: <a href="https://www.ourblessingsofliberty.org/news/blessings-collects-signatures-for-prop-47-reform/">https://www.ourblessingsofliberty.org/news/blessings-collects-signatures-for-prop-47-reform/</a>- May 2024 Spring Festival Downtown Porterville.&nbsp; We set up an information booth at the Spring Festival and met a lot of great people in our community celebrating downtown with food, family and fellowship. We fully supported Alexandra Macedo and actively campaigned for her locally introducing her to everyone at the event.&nbsp; Our booth was featured in the Porterville Recorder representing Alexandra. It was a great turnout even though it was rescheduled due to weather. Downtown Porterville has a huge potential for rebirth where folks can gather and celebrate our patriotic city which is central to our identity and small town roots. Alexandra went on to win her race resoundingly and we are very proud of her energy and strong American and Family values.&nbsp; We plan to be at the spring festival again this year in April. You might see one of our team riding a cool “Yellow Cab” racing bike mingling with folks up and down main street USA.&nbsp;&nbsp;- July 2024 was the formal launch of “La Gente” a grass roots committee centered on the American Spirit &amp; Values that unite us all.&nbsp; The Event was held at Veterans Park and well attended despite the heat.&nbsp; We the People are the change and the phrase La Gente reflects that same sentiment which is as American as apple pie. Link Here:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.recorderonline.com/news/la-gente-holds-hot-dogs-and-handshakes/article_bcc0a54c-4069-11ef-a1dd-7338761965f3.html">https://www.recorderonline.com/news/la-gente-holds-hot-dogs-and-handshakes/article_bcc0a54c-4069-11ef-a1dd-7338761965f3.htm</a>- Saturday, Aug. 17: American Legion’s Post 20 - Veterans Car and Motorcycle Show at Veterans Memorial Building.&nbsp; We had our booth alongside the indoor vendor market and had the pleasure of being part of the 1st annual event.&nbsp; There was a very good turnout and we really enjoyed the time supporting the American Legion. Our information booth was a great success and we hope to do this again in support of our veterans.&nbsp;- In the fall campaign we were very successful in networking across the county and supporting a number of great candidates and initiatives.&nbsp; We had strong county wide outreach developing partnerships that deployed resources for local races.&nbsp; Money and resources that had previously gone upwards to state and national candidates was redirected to local races making a big difference across our entire county.&nbsp; This networking and action played a significant role in changing 3 seats on the Porterville City Council for example.&nbsp; We created an election integrity committee and hosted a half dozen local organizations in the run up to the 2024 Campaigns and the fall elections.&nbsp; The Election Integrity committee promoted non-partisan voter registration and educated many folks on the election rules and processes.&nbsp;- Awards Banquet in 2024 – Family and Friends Celebration.&nbsp; We held a Family and Friends event in November to celebrate all of our friends and family in our grass roots efforts.&nbsp; We hosted nearly a 100 people and had a wonderful evening recognizing our accomplishments and our individual achievements in 2024.&nbsp; There were a wide variety of awards for outstanding performances in and around our community that fueled the teamwork and led to meaningful change. There are many strong leaders in our local community. As we grow we will continue to help folks with the tools and resources to get more engaged transforming our community. Together we continue to make positive change for everyone locally from Clubs, Non-Profits, Local Boards and Churches all focused on local leadership and community engagement. For those of you that attended we had a great time celebrating our victories and showcasing the great leadership success recognition of results.- City of Porterville TCRTA outcomes. We finished the year with great results in our efforts to challenge the TCRTA inefficiencies in Porterville. Restoring the local transit was years in the making and our voices in the city council chambers for more than 2 years were pivotal in the change and the outcome. The mass transit model never fit our community and eventually we reversed the direction restoring local control. Transparency was the vehicle calling out waste from broken down equipment and low ridership showing that the mass transit model was too expensive and did not serve the community well. Pointing out the obvious waste was very effective.&nbsp; Millions were wasted but we were able to recover significant money and value by returning to a local model that better serves the community.We have achieved many things in the past few years culminating in the 2024 Election Results.&nbsp; There is much more to be done to restore leadership throughout our city, county, state &amp; country.&nbsp; We must continue to develop and grow our faithful grass roots leadership organization. We are hopeful that we can continue to attract strong leaders to the cause and work in lock step restoring strong leadership throughout our communities at all levels.&nbsp; The Christian Ethic is paramount in protecting our freedom through good stewardship.&nbsp; Securing the Blessings of Liberty has always been the mission and the goal to restore first principles.&nbsp; Please continue to help us grow our organization in the coming year so we can continue to restore America’s promise and those blessings for the next generation.&nbsp; Please share this newsletter and our success with others so we can unite together in our love of God &amp; Country that is the true spirit of 1776 in our great nation.In our Spring Newsletter I elucidated to a mnemonic.&nbsp;Leading, by&nbsp;Inspiring others living our&nbsp;Values being&nbsp;Engaged in the fight as&nbsp;L.I.V.E. A great acronym and very fitting for 2024 alongside the core of&nbsp;L.O.V.E –&nbsp;Living&nbsp;Our&nbsp;Values&nbsp;Everyday.&nbsp; Another excellent reflection of action is&nbsp;L.I.V.E –&nbsp;Leading, with&nbsp;Integrity,&nbsp;Values and&nbsp;Empowerment.&nbsp; During the process of restoring common sense we have found these mnemonic devices to be very helpful in keeping us grounded and on task.&nbsp; These tenets have proved helpful in our grass roots organization working to secure the Blessings of Liberty.&nbsp;We are planning on starting a new committee in 2025 centered around liberty and developing local leadership. We are planning to have quarterly meetings so there will be some dates forthcoming where we can get together and discuss local issues as well as county, state and national issues that may align with our local conversations. Our plan is to spend time educating on issues. We would like to bring in guest speakers to enhance our meetings and inspire others to action. We are excited about the prospect of networking and growing our reach while we raise money and engage local causes. If you are already on the newsletter we will be sending more updates.&nbsp; Please share this with family and friends and invite them to check us out and help us to grow our grass roots presence so we can continue to restore common sense, build up our community and deliver meaningful results for our families and our future.<a href="https://www.ourblessingsofliberty.org/">https://www.ourblessingsofliberty.org/</a>Dated: January 6th In the Year of Our Lord 2025.

Review of 2024 successes and a vision for 2025, focusing on faith, liberty, community, and leadership.

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2024 Year In Review and 2025 Look Ahead

Our Blessings of Liberty Newsletter Greetings All, &nbsp; We have been very busy this year we have not had enough people to reap the harvest. We pressed very hard this year to get ordinances into our city to address the “Homeless” problems we are facing.&nbsp;This was hard fought because it has been neglected for so long in our city. We still have a long way to go as the reality that many of those on our streets are not from Porterville and many of those on our streets do not want help. We are all scratching our heads seeing so many that have chosen this lifestyle. We have to sift through this problem and define it more clearly if we are to solve or ameliorate it. We must define it more precisely. We have to recognize that the best description of the problem we are facing today is vagrancy. There are laws on the books for vagrancy but not for homelessness and therein lies the problem. Progressives changed the meaning of the words and tried to change definitions to support a political agenda. &nbsp;We all see the results of decriminalizing crime that accompanies this problem (PROP 47). People are not living on the street because of a lack of homes. The experiment to create affordable housing has failed and housing is no longer affordable for even our working children and working families.&nbsp;It seems as though folks are waking up more and more these days to the deception of this artificial intelligence age, where changing definitions leads to neglect and lawlessness. &nbsp;Folks are watching the train wreck that is today’s politicized media, and politicized culture, and most of us are sick and tired of what we are seeing and hearing. &nbsp;The great success of the past few generations has enabled us to outsource just about everything and we have all been focused on whatever life’s pursuits tickles our fancy including our thinking.We started by outsourcing little things like cooking dinner and mowing the lawn. &nbsp;We trusted our education system to educate our children and we trusted our doctors to over prescribe drugs so we would not have to change our new lifestyles. &nbsp;We are starting to realize as the world around us becomes less recognizable that we even outsourced our responsibilities to be engaged in the local community. &nbsp;Not all of us, but all of us have outsourced much and we are starting to see the results of our growing dependence on bad leaders. We have been far too dependent on others to go out and lead and fix the problems we face in our local communities.&nbsp;Our organization is centered on Leadership and we recognize that bad leadership leads to bad results while good leadership leads to good results. &nbsp;We have had it good for a very good for a long time and we have gotten soft. We are in the midst of major changes. We are starting to see the reversal of fortune from too much debt and dependency.&nbsp;&nbsp;It seems the bad ideas are growing exponentially from bad leadership with little or no accountability. &nbsp;In hindsight our self-deception that neutrality was a good thing and that others will fix things for us has brought us to this inflection point. We must change the direction from the world that doesn’t work, back to the world that works. We all see the results and we all know its past time for REAL change.&nbsp;It may seem daunting at times but for every problem there are solutions. We are informed by the good book that if we love Christ we will follow his commandments. &nbsp;We all know that virtue and morality come from seeking truth. We all know that the only way that things will change is to engage the issues through meaningful action. &nbsp;We have to get engaged each and every one of us and LIVE OUR VALUES EVERYDAY if we really want to express our L.O.V.E. for our neighbor’s.&nbsp;Our organization recognized in its founding that we needed to pull together for bottom up change. &nbsp;We recognized that local action will have a national impact. &nbsp;We also concluded that we needed to teach people and inspire people along the way so our grass roots movement would be built on a solid foundation and not sinking sand.&nbsp;&nbsp;We have had great success locally and we are gaining momentum as we head into this next election cycle. We are in a great position to fulfill the promise of advancing good Leaders to positions where we can make meaningful change. &nbsp;Meaningful change is closest to the people. &nbsp;We have much to do as we gather together to reap the harvest and restore an optimistic and hopeful future.&nbsp;We are LEADING by example. We are INSPIRING each other and others in our community. We are living our VALUES of Faith and Family &amp; Freedom. We are ENGAGED in the local issues where it matters most. This is how we L.I.V.E.&nbsp;&nbsp;Please Join us as we engage the issues so we can build our local networks and work together for positive local change. &nbsp;We are excited to be part of the change. We are keeping it simple as we live and love our neighbors in our local community. We are all volunteers who LIVE in, and LOVE, our local community where we raise our families. &nbsp;Election Day is less than four months away and we need patriots like you to help elect strong leaders to Porterville City Council.&nbsp;Join us in the fight for Faith, Family and Freedom in Porterville and the surrounding communities. We are always engaging to expand our network. We are all just neighbors, discussing and taking action to solve and support local community issues.&nbsp;Sincerely,&nbsp; Ed McKervey – President - ourblessingsofliberty.org&nbsp;

Addressing homelessness, leadership, and community engagement for positive local change

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Blessings of Liberty Newsletter - Summer 2024

Read the Porterville Recorder post: <a href="https://www.recorderonline.com/gallery/local-leaders-rally-for-prop-47-reform/article_cbde8bb2-025b-11ef-be58-5f068935723f.html">https://www.recorderonline.com/gallery/local-leaders-rally-for-prop-47-reform/article_cbde8bb2-025b-11ef-be58-5f068935723f.html</a>

The no penalty for crimes experiment has been detrimental to California. A statewide initiative seeks to end it.

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Blessings Collects 300 Signatures for Prop 47 Reform

Achievements, ongoing initiatives, and future goals in advancing American Dreams

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2024 President's Message & 2023 Annual Report

We've compiled a concise roster of endorsed local candidates for the upcoming Primary, individuals whom we believe play a vital role in upholding the values of America and our communities. Remember to always perform your own research— it's your civic responsibility.Blessings of Liberty, as an independent community organization, has not accepted any payments from campaigns, PACs, or political funds. Our endorsements are freely made without any affiliations with the candidates.

Find out who we see as Leaders in our mission's Principals

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Blessings of Liberty's 2024 Primary Endorsements Announcement

Blessings of Liberty is proud to share that November has been proclaimed Parental Appreciation Month by Tulare County Board of Supervisors.This monumental achievement reflects the dedicated efforts of Blessings of Liberty in pursuit to advancing core values in Faith, Family, Freedom, particularly in addressing the pivotal issue of safeguarding and supporting families. At the County Board of Supervisor's meeting on November 28th, 2023 we were honored to receive the Proclamation, signed by all five county Supervisors.<a href="https://www.ourblessingsofliberty.org/assets/parentalrights/Tulare_County_Parental%20Appreciation%20Month%20PROC.pdf">Click here to read the Proclamation PDF.</a>If you are interested you can also view the 5 minute speech about Blessings of Liberty and thanking the county Supervisors for their leadership. The Supervisors also provided positive comments in their support for Families. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xXFzn69ZLI&amp;t=334s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xXFzn69ZLI&amp;t=334s</a><img src="https://blessingscontent.s3.amazonaws.com/Tulare_County_Parental_Appreciation_Month_PROC_9be7697a8a.jpg" alt="Tulare_County_Parental Appreciation Month PROC.jpg">

Tulare County is leading the Nation in support of Parents & Families.

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2023 November Parental Appreciation Month Proclaimed by Tulare County Board of Supervisors

The Leadership of Blessings of Liberty is thrilled to unveil our Parental Rights Proclamation and announce its official proclamation within the City of Porterville, California.This momentous occasion serves as a testament to the enduring principles of the American Constitution, affirming unequivocally that Parents retain the unassailable right to nurture their children without facing discrimination or interference from the Government. Our unwavering dedication is centered on safeguarding the cornerstone of our society: the sacred institution of the family. We firmly assert that parents are endowed with the privilege to raise their children in alignment with their personal beliefs. This stance is not only deeply rooted in our core values but is also supported by well-established legal precedents.Within the United States, the highest court has unequivocally affirmed that parents possess an innate right to guide the upbringing of their children in their own distinctive manner. This prerogative is shielded by various clauses within our Constitution, notably including the First, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments.This intrinsic right finds not only its embodiment within the Constitution but also resonates harmoniously with the teachings of the holy Bible. We uphold the conviction that the family is the bedrock upon which our society is built, a divine establishment. Consequently, when the Constitution's Preamble pledges to "secure the Blessings of Liberty and our Posterity," it inherently refers to the family unit.We express our gratitude for the opportunity to play a pivotal role in reinstating fundamental rights and safeguarding the family. We extend our thanks to Councilmember Raymond Beltran and Greg Meister for their unwavering support in endorsing this proclamation. It is indeed regrettable that other council members have chosen not to sign the proclamation, thereby declining to endorse a right that is not only deeply cherished by our nation but also by every resident of Porterville. The family unit forms the very foundation of our city. Every individual possesses a family, with the vast majority being part of a nuclear family structure at home. This essence of family is integral to life itself, and through this proclaimed right, we affirm our commitment to protect the family from external forces that seek to disrupt it. The fabric of the family has united us since time immemorial, and it continues to do so today.Our unwavering conviction propels Blessings of Liberty to actively champion Parental Rights. Our inaugural sponsorship of the Parental Rights proclamation serves as a resolute testimony to our unyielding commitment, and we eagerly anticipate further advocacy aimed at preserving the sanctity of the family.To read the proclamation in PDF, <a href="https://www.ourblessingsofliberty.org/assets/parentalrights/Parental%20Rights%20Proclamation.pdf">click here</a>.<a href="https://www.ourblessingsofliberty.org/parentalrights/">Click here</a> to visit our dedicated page for Parental Rights. &nbsp;

Porterville has proclaimed the Constitutional Doctrine of Parental Rights

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Blessings of Liberty Sponsors A Proclamation of Parental Rights in City of Porterville, CA

We are thrilled to announce the release of our News and Liberty Chronicles publications! Since its inception just over a year ago, Blessings of Liberty has been diligently enhancing its platform, and with these publications, supporters and like-minded individuals can stay informed, be apprised of local issues, augment their comprehension of the principles of the American Constitution, keep up with Blessings of Liberty's actions, read opinion pieces in Liberty Chronicles, and join a network of engaged individuals.The <a href="/news">News</a> segment of the website will be the primary gateway for official announcements, statements, event notices, and platform updates from Blessings of Liberty.<a href="/libertychronicles">Liberty Chronicles</a> will serve as a medium that empowers members and partners of Blessings of Liberty to communicate their issues and viewpoints with our network of liberty enthusiasts.As Blessings of Liberty continues to extend its platform, it remains committed to keeping We The People at the core of it— just as the Framers intended for our Republic. That's why we urge you to connect with us so that we can collaborate in creating something extraordinary.We trust that you will discover these sections to be invaluable and informative. We are constantly developing and expanding our website to achieve our objectives, so please make sure to visit regularly for further updates on our programs.Faith, Family, Freedom

News

The time to stand up is now.