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Private Property Encourages ViolenceFree - Abraham Lincoln

"Property is the fruit of labor...property is desirable...is a positive good in the world. That some should be rich shows that others may become rich, and hence is just encouragement to industry and enterprise. Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another; but let him labor diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built." The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln edited by Roy P. Basler, Volume VII, "Reply to New York Workingmen's Democratic Republican Association" (March 21, 1864), pp. 259-260.

The Worst Winter Storm to Hit Arizona in 17 years: Please Don’t Forget the Animals

The huge winter storm slamming Arizona, causing flooding, property loss, and evacuations, prompted Governor Jan Brewer to declare a state of emergency for the entire state. Damage can be seen everywhere – roads, homes, fences, rising water. 
While public safety is always a priority, just under the radar are hundreds of animals that are lost and confused.  Please help us care for these companion and farmed animals.  SWIVL will make every effort to reunite each animal with their family or provide sanctuary.  No animal will be turned away.  Click here to make a tax deductible donation.  All contributions go directly to the animals.

Not One Cent

Not one cent from Saudi Arabia.  One of the richest countries in the world has not given one cent to help the people of Haiti.  Who has?  Israel.  Israeli search teams were among the first on the scene to find and rescue Haitians buried in the rubble.  Israelis set up the first fully operational field hospital to treat the wounded.  An Israeli medical team delivered a healthy baby boy in the midst of the death and destruction – the young mother decided to name the boy “Israel” in honor of those who saved him.   

January Book of the Month - "Rescuing Sprite" by Mark R. Levin

Each month SWIVL showcases a book that exemplifies the spirit of ViolenceFree.  For the month of January 2010 is a love story of joy, hope, sadness, and renewal - Rescuing Sprite, by Mark R. Levin. 

The human and animal connection is one that begins when we are very small and lasts for a life time.  Most of us can remember with love and affection the companion animals that were part of our family when we were small.  Whether we are socialized or it’s in our DNA, the bond we feel for nonhuman animals is powerful and everlasting. So too, is the sadness and personal loss we feel when we lose our companion friends. Rescuing Sprite, by Mark R. Levin, is a story that describes the essence of relationships that live with us all our lives.  It is both a love story and a description of hope and renewal.  Equally important, this is a story of family and friendship that gently confirms the importance of love and compassion to the human condition.

Bella Gives Us a lot to Talk About

How about a film that promotes the importance of the family, a strong work ethic, and a sense of compassion based on friendship, respect, and responsibility. Bella is a film that shows how life can dramatically change in a single moment - the blink of an eye - and how we make our own second chances. Bella shows us that while there may be violence all around us our world is not a violent place. The potential for ViolenceFree always exists. This is a film that weaves multiple and subtle themes of love, loss, and friendship into a story which tell us that we might forget our dreams, but they never forget us.

　

Confronting the Reality of Homegrown Jihadist Terror in 2009

Given the raw number of terrorist plots throughout the year, it shouldn't come as a surprise that 2009 is ending with an attempt to blow a commercial airliner out of the sky.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's failed bombing plot stands out in part because it appears to be designed and launched from abroad.

In 2009, homegrown American Islamist terror became impossible to ignore. Two fatal attacks on the U.S. military – one killing an Army recruiter, the other a mass murder of soldiers; an intercepted plot considered the biggest domestic threat since 9/11 and a series of conspiracies to blow up synagogues, office buildings and other targets made 2009 the year homegrown American Islamist terror became a clear, serious threat.  Continue reading.

Miracle Mom and Baby

Tracy Hermanstorfer, 33, was getting prepped for childbirth at the hospital and her 37-year-old husband, Mike Hermanstorfer, was by her side when she began to feel sleepy.  Shortly thereafter, Tracy went into cardiac arrest, according to Dr. Stephanie Martin, a maternal fetal medicine specialist at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She had no signs of life. No heartbeat, no blood pressure, she wasn't breathing, said Dr Martin.    

Pandemonium erupted as doctors and nurses tried to revive Tracy with chest compressions and a breathing tube, but nothing worked.  Mike was holding his wife’s hand when he realized she was gone.   

Doctors told Mr. Hermanstorfer, We're going to take your son out now. We have been unable to revive her and we're going to take your son out, Mike recalled.  After the Cesarean section, some of the hospital team rushed his wife to the operating room while the others attended to the child, named Coltyn.  Hospital officials handed Coltyn to his father – he was lifeless.  The doctors went to work on Coltyn as his father held him, and soon he began to breath.

His life began in my hands, Mr. Hermanstorfer said. That's a feeling like none other. Life actually began in the palm of my hands.

Dr Martin said Tracy Hermanstorfer's pulse returned even before she was wheeled out of the room and into surgery. She estimates Mrs. Hermanstorfer had no heartbeat for about four minutes.

After their miraculous recovery, both mother and baby Coltyn, appear healthy with no signs of problems, Dr Martin said.

Mr. Hermanstorfer credits the hand of God.  We are both believers ... but this right here, even a nonbeliever - you explain to me how this happened. There is no other explanation, he said.

Asked about divine intervention, Dr Martin said, Wherever I can get the help, I'll take it.

169 Arrested in Texas Cockfight Raid

FORT WORTH, Texas —  About 169 people have been arrested in a cockfight raid northwest of Fort Worth.

Authorities said sheriff's deputies also seized 114 roosters Saturday near Poolville in north Parker County. Sheriff Larry Fowler said Child Protective Services workers also took custody of 10 to 15 children ages 7 to 15.

Fowler says drugs and cash were seized and dead and injured roosters were found. He says the raid site had been under surveillance for two weeks.

The sheriff says those arrested will be charged with a gambling offense, and that organized crime charges may be considered against some.  Continue reading.

SWIVL Comment: If you kill or torture an animal you should go to jail for a very long time.  If you kill or torture an animal, the time served should not include television, books, sports, etc.  Too often judges and district attorneys do not see the connection between animal cruelty, child abuse and domestic violence.  Families must join together as a viable force to protect the values and beliefs of ViolenceFree.

Government, Children, & Our Families

Below are a few key factors to be considered as we begin to develop an overall framework for protecting our children.  Please be sure to add your comments and ideas below.

1. Government protects society through the protection of its children.
2. The first-line of defense for our children is their family.
3. Government should play a minimal role in the parenting and socialization process of children.
4. The family is a self-generating, self-reinforcing unit.
5. Families need to be recognized for the contributions they make to society and the impact they have on the political, economic, and social welfare of our country.
6. Parents are the individuals that help create the personal capacity and resilience children need for success.
7. By allowing politicians and government bureaucrats to assume greater and greater parental responsibility, the role of the family is diminished.

Man Charged With Dragging Stolen Dog to Death at Colorado National Monument

FRUITA, Colo. —  National Park Service rangers on Thursday arrested a Grand Junction man accused of dragging a dog to its death in Colorado National Monument.

Federal prosecutors charged Steven Clay Romero, 37, with animal cruelty , a felony.

His arrest came a day after a German Shepherd-Blue Heeler mix was found with a rope around its neck along Rim Rock Drive, the main road through the park in western Colorado.

Rangers said the dog, named Buddy, was stolen by others from downtown Delta on Tuesday. The dog was tied to a pickup truck and dragged for about 2 miles up the steep and winding road, rangers said.  Click here for more.