“It is of more importance that we should show ourselves honest, brave, and intelligent, than that we should own all the railways and grain elevators in the world.  We have fallen heirs to the most glorious heritage a people ever received, and each one must do his part if we wish to show that the nation is worthy of its good fortune.  Here we are not ruled over by others as in the case of Europe; we rule ourselves…  When we thus rule ourselves, we have the responsibilities of sovereigns, not of subjects.  We must never exercise our rights either wickedly or thoughtlessly; we can continue to preserve them in but one possible way—by making the proper use of them."

–Teddy Roosevelt, 27, addressing an 1886 4th of July celebration crowd in Dickinson, North Dakota

My Values:

• Loyalty- Nothing says more to me than a quarterback going right back to a receiver who just dropped one (it embodies Team)
• Personal responsibility- The responsibility to do our best to carry our own weight and contribute our fair share
• Morality- Having fellow men and women for our support is a gift.  We must appreciate, respect, and protect that gift
• Duty- The obligation to FIND purpose, passionately pursue it and take challenges head-on. To Honor that duty is to have Integrity
• Curiosity- The never-ending delight in things beyond oneself that can happily and deliberately carry one through life
• Spirituality- Meditation and prayer are how we see past the superficial and mundane and find the Purpose that guides us
• Life- Life is sacred.  It begins when a fertilized egg embeds in a supportive medium.  Managing fertility until implantation is appropriate, and proper reproductive education is critical. Terminating a pregnancy is understandable in cases of rape, incest, or danger to the mother.
• Courage- “Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because it’s the quality which guarantees all the others.” –Winston Churchill

"From the circumstances of my position, I was often thrown into the society of horse racers, foxhunters, scientific and professional men, and of dignified men; and many a time I asked myself, in the enthusiastic moment of the death of a fox, the victory of a favorite horse, the issue of a question elegantly argued at the bar or in the great Council of the nation, Well, which of these kinds of reputation should I prefer?  That of a horse jockey?  A foxhunter?  An Orator?  Or the honest advocate of my country’s rights?"

–Thomas Jefferson