This may come as news to some of you, but I am engaged!
I know that you are all wishing me well.
As you will read in my previous posting, our leadership is taking us down the road; first to socialism, then to communism. We are riding a runaway train and the brakes do not appear to be working.
Reagan was able to bring an end to Cold War I. Now America is fighting for it's very survival, as it has always been known, and we are engaged in Cold War II. The first Cold War was fought between nations with the goal being the spreading of or stopping the spread of Communism, depending on which side you were on. Cold War II is heating up and instead of the fight for freedom being against the USSR, it is against the USSA. The battle is within our own borders and the prize is the future of America. The difference has to do with whether Americans will live in freedom, experiencing liberty, enjoying rights, and practicing self-government; or, if there will be a ruling class having unlimited power and control over the working class.
What in the world does this have to do with being engaged?
I am engaged! I am engaged in the fight for freedom. I am engaged in the fight for liberty to be enjoyed by my kids and grandkids. Cold War II has not called for the taking up of arms, but the enemy is afraid that it might come to that and for that reason, they are trying to disarm Americans. The enemy has an agenda for the rest of us that they know we will not like. They want us defenseless and unable to fight back. Before it ever comes to the consideration of that, we must get engaged in the battle of ideals, values and principles.
It is time to study and learn, to speak and teach, and to spread the philosophy of liberty to the next generations so that they will realize what is happening to them. "Liberty lost, is Liberty lost forever." Waiting to fight back is not an option. Now is the time for action.
The flag for this battle rests in the hands of Conservatives. It will not be won by Republicans as they have surrendered too much control to Moderates. It is being fought against Liberals, who have hijacked the Democratic Party. If we depend on moderate iCan'ts to fight this battle for us, we will lose. They are too worried about getting re-elected and have put their emphasis on gaining the votes of the "undecideds".
That shows the danger of trusting the iCan'ts with this battle. They feel that the most important thing is to try to win over the vote of undecided individuals. "Undecided" means that they do not care, will probably not vote, do not have a clue as to what is going on, and are basically and totally un-engaged. At the same time the iCan'ts cater to dis-engaged masses, they take Conservatives for granted.
It is time to change things! Status quo is not an option. Watching and waiting to see what happens next is not an option. Either you care about America and are patriotic or you don't and aren't. The "don't and aren't's" join the ranks of the enemy. You can tell that the Left sees the Right as the only obstacle to total victory, in the way that people on the Right are always in their cross hairs.
I am engaged! Will you be engaged to me and with me?
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Compassion or Compulsion
Most of us have heard the term, "compassionate conservative". In a political debate, being labeled as compassionate has to be a good thing. When that term is tied to Conservatives, Liberals are not happy. Radical Liberals want the masses to believe that they are the truly compassionate people or leaders. They want the people to see conservatives as greedy capitalists.
They remind me of the Taliban building hospitals in Afghanistan. Was it that the Taliban had hearts full of compassion or was this outward deed prompted by some ulterior motive? I believe the answer has been revealed since the hospitals were built. We now have news reports of the Taliban attacking the Afghan people and slaughtering them. What was their motive in acting compassionate? It was to gain allegiance from the people. It was a way of getting the public to support their leadership. It was motivated by the desire for power over the people. The motive was power and control through giving the appearance of being compassionate!
In this country, cRats are constantly pounding their chests and patting themselves on the back as a way of showing the masses that they are the only ones who really care about them and their needs. They talk a good talk, but what is their walk? Look at the results. The cRats have been pushing social programs as the cure all to "social injustice" for at least 80 years. FDR launched our country into massive social programs as an attempt to get the country out of the Great Depression. Did it work? No. WWII and the jobs it necessitated brought the US out of the pits of depression and made us a manufacturing giant and world power. LBJ pushed new social programs through that we are still dealing with. cRats like to take credit for doing good deeds as they launch one social program after another. BO is busy with his obsession to nationalize our health care system, which could end up becoming the most expensive and massive social program in our nation's history. BO is open about his intentions. He told Joe the plumber that the goal is to "spread the wealth around". What does that mean? It can only mean, take from those who have and give to those who have not. That is the Liberal definition of compassion.
By coincidence, it was also Karl Marx's view, which we call Marxism. He had a philosophy of, "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need". Marx is the main writer of "The Communist Manifesto" and he is credited as being the man whose ideas became the foundation for modern communism. He believed, that just as capitalism replaced feudalism, socialism will replace capitalism and socialism will transition into communism.
Let's examine the compassion of the Left. In recent past, as politicians ran for various offices and made public their tax returns, it has been shown that in most cases, the iCans gave much more to charity than the cRats. Let's also consider the results of the various social programs that the Left bragged about being the cure of all social injustice. In spite of the billions poured into these programs, we still have the poor, we now have a larger portion of the population dependent upon these social programs, and, hence depending on the government for the meeting of their needs. We have class envy at the same time we have a large segment of our population that have given up personal responsibility for public funding.
The Left, Liberal, cRats talk compassion but have developed large groups of people who have an "entitlement mentality". The Left is good at pushing new social programs on the American people and the redistribution of wealth. They believe this is compassion.
I do not believe this is compassion. It is compulsion! Compassion is a strong desire to help reduce suffering, a deep feeling of sympathy, an attitude of the heart, and it is a self-motivated desire to do something to help. Compulsion is a coercion, a forceful use of power to pressure people to perform an act that is contrary to the people's will.
The Left use compulsion as a way to take from those who have, by way of the law and taxes, and distribute other's wealth to those who have not. They do not have compassion. If they did, they would take their own personal wealth and give to those in need. That is not what they do, they take other's personal wealth and give it away and take credit for the generosity. They use other's people money as a tool to create for themselves a majority of people who look to them as their need-meeters. The motive is not compassion, but power and control!
As we watch the Left, in their compassionate ways, change our country from a Capitalist system to a Socialist system, we will observe the laying of the foundation for Communism in the U.S.A. If this is ever going to be stopped, it must be stopped NOW!
Read the following and see if any look familiar:
1. Abolish of private property,
2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax,
3. Abolition of rights to inheritance,
4. Confiscation of the property of rebels,
5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the State,
6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State,
7. Factories and instruments of production being owned by the State,
8. Equal liability of all to labour,
9. Equitable distribution of the population over the country,
10. Free education of all children in the public school system.
These are the ten conditions for the transition to Communism laid out in "The Communist Manifesto" by Marx.
We have generations of children being dumbed-down and indoctrinated and not taught the real history of our great nation, in the public schools. Over the past year or two, we have watched major portions of our financial and manufactured sectors being taken over by the government. We have the State in control of credit. We have recently heard the BO wants the government to take control of the Internet, for our own protection. We have a graduated income tax.
Folks, we are being marched down the path that leads to Communism! If the patriotic, conservative Americans who believe in the Constitution and agree with our Founding Fathers method of setting up this nation do not take back control of the government, really soon, it will be too late. The Left has had an agenda for a long time and with BO and cRat control of Congress, they presently have the opportunity to push that agenda upon the public. As they have expressed, a crisis is an opportunity to take advantage of, and they are.
Remember, they were at war with us but we were not at war with them. We need to get engaged!
They remind me of the Taliban building hospitals in Afghanistan. Was it that the Taliban had hearts full of compassion or was this outward deed prompted by some ulterior motive? I believe the answer has been revealed since the hospitals were built. We now have news reports of the Taliban attacking the Afghan people and slaughtering them. What was their motive in acting compassionate? It was to gain allegiance from the people. It was a way of getting the public to support their leadership. It was motivated by the desire for power over the people. The motive was power and control through giving the appearance of being compassionate!
In this country, cRats are constantly pounding their chests and patting themselves on the back as a way of showing the masses that they are the only ones who really care about them and their needs. They talk a good talk, but what is their walk? Look at the results. The cRats have been pushing social programs as the cure all to "social injustice" for at least 80 years. FDR launched our country into massive social programs as an attempt to get the country out of the Great Depression. Did it work? No. WWII and the jobs it necessitated brought the US out of the pits of depression and made us a manufacturing giant and world power. LBJ pushed new social programs through that we are still dealing with. cRats like to take credit for doing good deeds as they launch one social program after another. BO is busy with his obsession to nationalize our health care system, which could end up becoming the most expensive and massive social program in our nation's history. BO is open about his intentions. He told Joe the plumber that the goal is to "spread the wealth around". What does that mean? It can only mean, take from those who have and give to those who have not. That is the Liberal definition of compassion.
By coincidence, it was also Karl Marx's view, which we call Marxism. He had a philosophy of, "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need". Marx is the main writer of "The Communist Manifesto" and he is credited as being the man whose ideas became the foundation for modern communism. He believed, that just as capitalism replaced feudalism, socialism will replace capitalism and socialism will transition into communism.
Let's examine the compassion of the Left. In recent past, as politicians ran for various offices and made public their tax returns, it has been shown that in most cases, the iCans gave much more to charity than the cRats. Let's also consider the results of the various social programs that the Left bragged about being the cure of all social injustice. In spite of the billions poured into these programs, we still have the poor, we now have a larger portion of the population dependent upon these social programs, and, hence depending on the government for the meeting of their needs. We have class envy at the same time we have a large segment of our population that have given up personal responsibility for public funding.
The Left, Liberal, cRats talk compassion but have developed large groups of people who have an "entitlement mentality". The Left is good at pushing new social programs on the American people and the redistribution of wealth. They believe this is compassion.
I do not believe this is compassion. It is compulsion! Compassion is a strong desire to help reduce suffering, a deep feeling of sympathy, an attitude of the heart, and it is a self-motivated desire to do something to help. Compulsion is a coercion, a forceful use of power to pressure people to perform an act that is contrary to the people's will.
The Left use compulsion as a way to take from those who have, by way of the law and taxes, and distribute other's wealth to those who have not. They do not have compassion. If they did, they would take their own personal wealth and give to those in need. That is not what they do, they take other's personal wealth and give it away and take credit for the generosity. They use other's people money as a tool to create for themselves a majority of people who look to them as their need-meeters. The motive is not compassion, but power and control!
As we watch the Left, in their compassionate ways, change our country from a Capitalist system to a Socialist system, we will observe the laying of the foundation for Communism in the U.S.A. If this is ever going to be stopped, it must be stopped NOW!
Read the following and see if any look familiar:
1. Abolish of private property,
2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax,
3. Abolition of rights to inheritance,
4. Confiscation of the property of rebels,
5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the State,
6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State,
7. Factories and instruments of production being owned by the State,
8. Equal liability of all to labour,
9. Equitable distribution of the population over the country,
10. Free education of all children in the public school system.
These are the ten conditions for the transition to Communism laid out in "The Communist Manifesto" by Marx.
We have generations of children being dumbed-down and indoctrinated and not taught the real history of our great nation, in the public schools. Over the past year or two, we have watched major portions of our financial and manufactured sectors being taken over by the government. We have the State in control of credit. We have recently heard the BO wants the government to take control of the Internet, for our own protection. We have a graduated income tax.
Folks, we are being marched down the path that leads to Communism! If the patriotic, conservative Americans who believe in the Constitution and agree with our Founding Fathers method of setting up this nation do not take back control of the government, really soon, it will be too late. The Left has had an agenda for a long time and with BO and cRat control of Congress, they presently have the opportunity to push that agenda upon the public. As they have expressed, a crisis is an opportunity to take advantage of, and they are.
Remember, they were at war with us but we were not at war with them. We need to get engaged!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Destiny
Do you believe in destiny? Do you believe in the idea that there is that "one and only" for you? Do you believe in finding the "true love" of your life? Is there one "miss right" or "mister right" for you somewhere? Do you believe that you have found, already, the only one meant for you?
If you answered "yes", then I would have to assume that you also believe in Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. In those fairy tales, the damsel in distress was rescued by her true love, the one and only hero that could sweep her off of her feet, or kiss her back to life.
(If you are getting concerned about where this might be going, be patient and read on.)
God, in the Bible, tells the husband to love your own wife. He does not say that He hopes that the husband loves his wife or that He wants the husband to feel love for his wife. He commands the husband to love his wife (period). We husbands seem to notice real quick that the wife is commanded to submit to the husband. She is not told to feel submitous toward her husband. It has nothing to do with feelings. The same is true as relates to the husband. What God tells us has nothing to do with feelings or emotions. You cannot command someone to have a feeling or feel and emotion, you command them to take an action.
What about "falling in love", or for that matter, "falling out of love"? Those phrases are tossed around as if we had nothing to do with the event, it just happened to us. We were there minding our own business and all of a sudden, we fell in love. Or, we were happily married and the next thing we knew, we had fallen out of love - we were just innocent bystanders who are now asking, "How could this happen to us?"
You may be thinking, "What about the feeling I get in my heart when she comes near? Isn't that the feeling of love?" There definitely is an emotional side of the love relationship, but it is not correctly labeled as "love". It may be attraction, affection, affliction, attention, etc. It may be an emotion that resulted because of the love - feeling secure, wanted, desired, etc.
Love is a choice or a decision. In the marriage relationship, this decision is a commandment. In other places in the Bible, God tells us to love our neighbors. Clearly, He is not intending us to have the same emotions toward our neighbors as we have toward our spouse. He is commanding us to act in a manner that demonstrates love toward others. In marriage, God expects us to act and express and live in a way that demonstrates love to our spouse. This is lived out in many ways: showing preference to her over myself, protecting her, making her feel secure, showing a longing and attraction for her only, being affectionate and intimate, sharing private matters only with her, doing my best to make her feel she is most important to me, telling her that I love her, etc. Living a life of love also involves not doing things to discredit her confidence in your love for her. You do not give her reason to doubt that you are continually choosing to love her.
Love is a choice, a choice we make each day. Love is meant to be a way of life. If you are falling in love, it is because you made that choice. If you feel you are falling out of love, it is because you made that choice. If your relationship is not what it used to be or what you want it to be, check your own life. Where might you have made decisions or have taken actions that resulted in your pulling away.
Choose love! Live according to that choice. Emotions and feelings will follow the decision you make. When someone makes a decision to pull away from a relationship, even ever-so-slightly, the corresponding emotions will follow. On the other hand, when we choose love and make the effort to demonstrate that decision, the corresponding emotions will follow.
Commitment, too, is a choice.
So, is there a "one and only", somewhere out there in the wide world and you only hope that someday you will find the only one who would be right for you? I do not believe so. I believe that God made us with the capacity to love others. For sure, there are those we are attracted to and those we are not, but to choose someone to love is just that - it is a choice.
Remember, love, as used here, is a verb - an action verb, similar to: run the race, fight the good fight, win the prize - love your wife - hold her hand, hug her more, listen intently, keep her safe.
I also just ran across an article that demonstrates action in love: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/28/twenty-years-ago-one-hit-changed-two-lives-forever/?icid=mainhtmlws-sb-ndl1link1http%3A%2F%2Fncaafootball.fanhouse.com%2F2009%2F10%2F28%2Ftwenty-years-ago-one-hit-changed-two-lives-forever%2F
If you answered "yes", then I would have to assume that you also believe in Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. In those fairy tales, the damsel in distress was rescued by her true love, the one and only hero that could sweep her off of her feet, or kiss her back to life.
(If you are getting concerned about where this might be going, be patient and read on.)
God, in the Bible, tells the husband to love your own wife. He does not say that He hopes that the husband loves his wife or that He wants the husband to feel love for his wife. He commands the husband to love his wife (period). We husbands seem to notice real quick that the wife is commanded to submit to the husband. She is not told to feel submitous toward her husband. It has nothing to do with feelings. The same is true as relates to the husband. What God tells us has nothing to do with feelings or emotions. You cannot command someone to have a feeling or feel and emotion, you command them to take an action.
What about "falling in love", or for that matter, "falling out of love"? Those phrases are tossed around as if we had nothing to do with the event, it just happened to us. We were there minding our own business and all of a sudden, we fell in love. Or, we were happily married and the next thing we knew, we had fallen out of love - we were just innocent bystanders who are now asking, "How could this happen to us?"
You may be thinking, "What about the feeling I get in my heart when she comes near? Isn't that the feeling of love?" There definitely is an emotional side of the love relationship, but it is not correctly labeled as "love". It may be attraction, affection, affliction, attention, etc. It may be an emotion that resulted because of the love - feeling secure, wanted, desired, etc.
Love is a choice or a decision. In the marriage relationship, this decision is a commandment. In other places in the Bible, God tells us to love our neighbors. Clearly, He is not intending us to have the same emotions toward our neighbors as we have toward our spouse. He is commanding us to act in a manner that demonstrates love toward others. In marriage, God expects us to act and express and live in a way that demonstrates love to our spouse. This is lived out in many ways: showing preference to her over myself, protecting her, making her feel secure, showing a longing and attraction for her only, being affectionate and intimate, sharing private matters only with her, doing my best to make her feel she is most important to me, telling her that I love her, etc. Living a life of love also involves not doing things to discredit her confidence in your love for her. You do not give her reason to doubt that you are continually choosing to love her.
Love is a choice, a choice we make each day. Love is meant to be a way of life. If you are falling in love, it is because you made that choice. If you feel you are falling out of love, it is because you made that choice. If your relationship is not what it used to be or what you want it to be, check your own life. Where might you have made decisions or have taken actions that resulted in your pulling away.
Choose love! Live according to that choice. Emotions and feelings will follow the decision you make. When someone makes a decision to pull away from a relationship, even ever-so-slightly, the corresponding emotions will follow. On the other hand, when we choose love and make the effort to demonstrate that decision, the corresponding emotions will follow.
Commitment, too, is a choice.
So, is there a "one and only", somewhere out there in the wide world and you only hope that someday you will find the only one who would be right for you? I do not believe so. I believe that God made us with the capacity to love others. For sure, there are those we are attracted to and those we are not, but to choose someone to love is just that - it is a choice.
Remember, love, as used here, is a verb - an action verb, similar to: run the race, fight the good fight, win the prize - love your wife - hold her hand, hug her more, listen intently, keep her safe.
I also just ran across an article that demonstrates action in love: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/28/twenty-years-ago-one-hit-changed-two-lives-forever/?icid=mainhtmlws-sb-ndl1link1http%3A%2F%2Fncaafootball.fanhouse.com%2F2009%2F10%2F28%2Ftwenty-years-ago-one-hit-changed-two-lives-forever%2F
War Journal - Oct. 30, 1944
30-Oct
Monday
My squadron was off ops yesterday & today. Went to church yesterday & washed a family sized washing. Hauled firewood this morning & flew a training mission this afternoon.
Monday
My squadron was off ops yesterday & today. Went to church yesterday & washed a family sized washing. Hauled firewood this morning & flew a training mission this afternoon.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Pay Czar
Just a quick question, since Obama's pay czar has set out to cut, by up to 90%, the salaries of top executives of major corporations, where some level of government funding has taken place; do you think we could get him to also cut Obama's pay also? BO is an executive, there is government funding involved, the administration is making a mess of things, he is not a good leader, etc. If he were the head of one of these corporations, he would be taking a major pay cut.
War Journal - Oct. 28, 1944
28-Oct
Saturday
We were briefed the 13th time to bomb the same target but as before the weather closed in before we could get off the ground.
Saturday
We were briefed the 13th time to bomb the same target but as before the weather closed in before we could get off the ground.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Pandemic???
Clearly, I am not a health care professional, I am just a skeptic about our government. When you have administration officials and national leaders telling us that a crisis is something to take advantage of and to never waste a good crisis, it leaves me a little suspicious when we hear that there is a new crisis-of-the-week.
A year ago, we responded to the earth-shaking crisis that had to be dealt with by passing TARP (troubled asset relief program). We got not help with troubled assets, but we went in further debt as a nation so that various Wall Street businesses could be given billions of our dollars.
As soon as Obama took office, we had to pass Stimulus 1 to solve the immediate doom and keep a worldwide economic collapse from happening. It passed and what we got was more money for favorite businesses, ACORN, a promise unemployment would not go over 8%, etc. We did not get the results we were promised and the money was wasted.
Our government is in the mode of having one crisis after another that only they can solve for us, making us all dependant upon them for our daily living.
Now, I am just wondering about the current "crisis", the H1N1 (swine flu) pending pandemic. Again, I am not anything other than a citizen who does not trust our current government and am suspicious of just about everything they tell us right now. So, I paid attention to some of the facts that are published about the flu.
As of last July, the government states that they stopped counting swine flu cases as it was already over one million. So, let's assume, as of now, there may be over two million cases in the U.S. so far. It was announced, as of 10/23/2009, there had been 1,000 deaths due to swine flu and that about 100 of these were children (around 10%).
That equals a death rate of .0005% for all cases and for children, .00005%. Not to take any of the deaths lightly, especially when it is a young person, are these rates equal to the high level of panic that we are being fed? Have you noticed that the emphasis, which will tug on our emotional strings, is about how this flu attacks children more than others? If a child is someone up to age 18 and their deaths account for 10% of total deaths, that would mean that for each of the other 18 year age group ranges, they are dying at a rate higher than 10%. If this were not so, it would take people living to be over 180 years old in order to average other age groups at less than 10%.
According to sources on the Internet, a typical flu season in the U.S. takes 30,000-50,000 lives. So, I am just wondering out loud, is there some reason that this swine flu is a more serious threat than any other flu? So, far, the statistics do not appear to be pointing out that that is the case.
My skepticism causes me to question if there is a motive to promote the swine flu as a major health crisis looming just over the horizon? Is it just big brother trying, again, to convince us that we cannot survive another day without total dependence upon them to save us?
I yield the floor to those more knowledgeable on this subject...
A year ago, we responded to the earth-shaking crisis that had to be dealt with by passing TARP (troubled asset relief program). We got not help with troubled assets, but we went in further debt as a nation so that various Wall Street businesses could be given billions of our dollars.
As soon as Obama took office, we had to pass Stimulus 1 to solve the immediate doom and keep a worldwide economic collapse from happening. It passed and what we got was more money for favorite businesses, ACORN, a promise unemployment would not go over 8%, etc. We did not get the results we were promised and the money was wasted.
Our government is in the mode of having one crisis after another that only they can solve for us, making us all dependant upon them for our daily living.
Now, I am just wondering about the current "crisis", the H1N1 (swine flu) pending pandemic. Again, I am not anything other than a citizen who does not trust our current government and am suspicious of just about everything they tell us right now. So, I paid attention to some of the facts that are published about the flu.
As of last July, the government states that they stopped counting swine flu cases as it was already over one million. So, let's assume, as of now, there may be over two million cases in the U.S. so far. It was announced, as of 10/23/2009, there had been 1,000 deaths due to swine flu and that about 100 of these were children (around 10%).
That equals a death rate of .0005% for all cases and for children, .00005%. Not to take any of the deaths lightly, especially when it is a young person, are these rates equal to the high level of panic that we are being fed? Have you noticed that the emphasis, which will tug on our emotional strings, is about how this flu attacks children more than others? If a child is someone up to age 18 and their deaths account for 10% of total deaths, that would mean that for each of the other 18 year age group ranges, they are dying at a rate higher than 10%. If this were not so, it would take people living to be over 180 years old in order to average other age groups at less than 10%.
According to sources on the Internet, a typical flu season in the U.S. takes 30,000-50,000 lives. So, I am just wondering out loud, is there some reason that this swine flu is a more serious threat than any other flu? So, far, the statistics do not appear to be pointing out that that is the case.
My skepticism causes me to question if there is a motive to promote the swine flu as a major health crisis looming just over the horizon? Is it just big brother trying, again, to convince us that we cannot survive another day without total dependence upon them to save us?
I yield the floor to those more knowledgeable on this subject...
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble!
Do you remember, just a few years ago, when we kept hearing the constant drumbeat of, “The housing bubble is going to burst!”? As demand for housing escalated, prices soared, causing investors to enter the picture, which caused higher demand, resulting in more price increases. As government pushed lenders to make loans to people who would normally not qualify, more demand was created and more upward pressure on prices again resulted.
This picture of the national housing situation, beginning in late 2004 and lasting into 2006, is what was referred to as the “housing bubble”. By a bubble, they were referring to home prices inflating at unsustainable rates. The chorus was loud and the warning came in the form of surround sound. Every direction you turned, someone was echoing the dire prediction of a burst to the bubble.
Well, one way or another, the prediction came true. We are still suffering the effects of the “burst”. In my area, housing prices are about at the level they were in 2004, prior to the run-up in home values. The consequences have been devastating to the national economy, state and local economies, and personal and family financial situations. Many families have lost their homes. Many have lost life savings that were invested in the homes, and the fallout is not over, yet.
The housing bubble and its eventual burst were not the only things that have led us to our present economical mess. Along the same time as the housing bubble, Wall Street experienced its own bubble and burst. Some of this was tied to the housing collapse and some was not. Some was tied to crooked companies and business leaders. Some was tied to Washington and the things they did and things they did not do. The result of the combination of these various acts was the Dow falling by around 50%. So, the people who did not have their savings tied up in their homes, but were invested in the stock market, were not exempt from the effects of a bursting bubble. Whether investments were in basic plans or in large retirement plans, such as IRA’s and 401k’s; they basically all suffered tremendous losses.
In some areas of the country, the real estate market has begun to stabilize. We have all watched the Dow climb back part of the way and even surpass the magic 10,000 level. All is well!!! We are back, baby!!!
Whoa! Hold on partner! Not so fast! Just when you thought is was safe to go back into the water, I believe I see another bubble. “What”, you ask, “are you talking about? We have not heard warnings about another bubble to watch out for?”
What caused the housing bubble? It was housing prices propped up by unrealistic, unsustainable and artificial stimulus. What burst bubble is on the horizon? It is an economic bubble, a bubble in the economy that is temporarily giving a false sense of security. You say that you have no false sense of security. What I see is an economy that is being propped up by unrealistic, unsustainable and artificial stimulus.
Our government has been busy, for the past 18 months, providing rescue packages to one company after another corporation. Why, because they were deemed to be “too big to fail.” We have been fed a constant line of pending, total, economic collapse if the government does not come to the rescue over and over again.
So what have we got for a couple trillion dollars in stimulus? We have propped up failing corporations. Many of these are still in financial trouble. We have opened the door for one business after another to come to Washington with their hands out. We have rewarded bad business policy, some criminal practices, many very bad investment decisions and reckless spending. We still have failing banks and now have a failing FDIC. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were taken over by the government and now FHA is looking like it will also need a bailout.
Washington keeps pumping billions into deep and dark holes, hoping that it will provide the light needed for them to see their way out of trouble. (This is if you believe that the money is actually going to save businesses. It is very possible that much of the money that we, the taxpayers, are being forced to come up with, is buying votes and allegiances from Democratic cronies so that the Democrats in power will remain there.) We had TARP (troubled asset relief program) which after being passed, had the money diverted away from actually buying troubled assets. We had the immediate crisis that gave us Stimulus 1 within the first few days of Obama’s administration. With little to show for the $780 billion dollars (plus the cost of the 9,000 earmarks added to the bill), we now hear of the need for Stimulus 2. We have the government taking over banks, left and right. Our government now owns major shares in GM and Chrysler. We have a vested interest in numerous financial institutions. They are trying to take control of our health care industry.
Still, the economy is in the tank and unemployment continues to rise each month. Thousands continue to lose their homes each month and/or face bankruptcy. We are being fed the talking points that the economy is turning around, the recession is over, it is a jobless recovery (whatever that is supposed to be), etc. To the government and media, more bad news is always “unexpected” and there is no good news.
Our frail economy and likewise the stock market, are not only vulnerable to the next “unexpected” event to take place, but are only as good as they are due to government stimulus infusions. They can only keep pumping more and more into the bubble for a limited amount of time. As weak as the bubble is, it is still an artificial bubble. It must and will pop at some point. When that happens, our fragile economy will take another major blow and collapse to some degree.
We hear that the housing market is beginning to improve – maybe the beginning of the end of their major troubles. But, I also read that the commercial real estate market is collapsing just as the residential market did. As this unfolds over the next year, more misery will hit the banks, investors and Wall Street. This is just one of the situations facing us that can trigger the bursting of the economy bubble.
Folks, we are not out of the woods, yet. This economy is on life-support. Wall Street has a pace maker with a weak battery. The banks are dropping like autumn leaves. Something, soon, will trigger the bursting of this bubble. It is inevitable because the hot air causing the bright horizon is fake. It is not dependable, lasting or sturdy. Get ready to take another hit!
Until we as a nation, businesses and individually face the music and let the “too big to fail”, fail; we will not get past these problems. Investment involves risk. We cannot continue to reward and prop up those who made horrible investment decisions. They must be left to face the consequences of their actions. If we will not allow failure, there will be no avenue for success. Investment risk must involve the chance for loss. Bankaids will only cover the sore for so long. At some point, the infection will cause permanent damage if not properly treated.
This picture of the national housing situation, beginning in late 2004 and lasting into 2006, is what was referred to as the “housing bubble”. By a bubble, they were referring to home prices inflating at unsustainable rates. The chorus was loud and the warning came in the form of surround sound. Every direction you turned, someone was echoing the dire prediction of a burst to the bubble.
Well, one way or another, the prediction came true. We are still suffering the effects of the “burst”. In my area, housing prices are about at the level they were in 2004, prior to the run-up in home values. The consequences have been devastating to the national economy, state and local economies, and personal and family financial situations. Many families have lost their homes. Many have lost life savings that were invested in the homes, and the fallout is not over, yet.
The housing bubble and its eventual burst were not the only things that have led us to our present economical mess. Along the same time as the housing bubble, Wall Street experienced its own bubble and burst. Some of this was tied to the housing collapse and some was not. Some was tied to crooked companies and business leaders. Some was tied to Washington and the things they did and things they did not do. The result of the combination of these various acts was the Dow falling by around 50%. So, the people who did not have their savings tied up in their homes, but were invested in the stock market, were not exempt from the effects of a bursting bubble. Whether investments were in basic plans or in large retirement plans, such as IRA’s and 401k’s; they basically all suffered tremendous losses.
In some areas of the country, the real estate market has begun to stabilize. We have all watched the Dow climb back part of the way and even surpass the magic 10,000 level. All is well!!! We are back, baby!!!
Whoa! Hold on partner! Not so fast! Just when you thought is was safe to go back into the water, I believe I see another bubble. “What”, you ask, “are you talking about? We have not heard warnings about another bubble to watch out for?”
What caused the housing bubble? It was housing prices propped up by unrealistic, unsustainable and artificial stimulus. What burst bubble is on the horizon? It is an economic bubble, a bubble in the economy that is temporarily giving a false sense of security. You say that you have no false sense of security. What I see is an economy that is being propped up by unrealistic, unsustainable and artificial stimulus.
Our government has been busy, for the past 18 months, providing rescue packages to one company after another corporation. Why, because they were deemed to be “too big to fail.” We have been fed a constant line of pending, total, economic collapse if the government does not come to the rescue over and over again.
So what have we got for a couple trillion dollars in stimulus? We have propped up failing corporations. Many of these are still in financial trouble. We have opened the door for one business after another to come to Washington with their hands out. We have rewarded bad business policy, some criminal practices, many very bad investment decisions and reckless spending. We still have failing banks and now have a failing FDIC. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were taken over by the government and now FHA is looking like it will also need a bailout.
Washington keeps pumping billions into deep and dark holes, hoping that it will provide the light needed for them to see their way out of trouble. (This is if you believe that the money is actually going to save businesses. It is very possible that much of the money that we, the taxpayers, are being forced to come up with, is buying votes and allegiances from Democratic cronies so that the Democrats in power will remain there.) We had TARP (troubled asset relief program) which after being passed, had the money diverted away from actually buying troubled assets. We had the immediate crisis that gave us Stimulus 1 within the first few days of Obama’s administration. With little to show for the $780 billion dollars (plus the cost of the 9,000 earmarks added to the bill), we now hear of the need for Stimulus 2. We have the government taking over banks, left and right. Our government now owns major shares in GM and Chrysler. We have a vested interest in numerous financial institutions. They are trying to take control of our health care industry.
Still, the economy is in the tank and unemployment continues to rise each month. Thousands continue to lose their homes each month and/or face bankruptcy. We are being fed the talking points that the economy is turning around, the recession is over, it is a jobless recovery (whatever that is supposed to be), etc. To the government and media, more bad news is always “unexpected” and there is no good news.
Our frail economy and likewise the stock market, are not only vulnerable to the next “unexpected” event to take place, but are only as good as they are due to government stimulus infusions. They can only keep pumping more and more into the bubble for a limited amount of time. As weak as the bubble is, it is still an artificial bubble. It must and will pop at some point. When that happens, our fragile economy will take another major blow and collapse to some degree.
We hear that the housing market is beginning to improve – maybe the beginning of the end of their major troubles. But, I also read that the commercial real estate market is collapsing just as the residential market did. As this unfolds over the next year, more misery will hit the banks, investors and Wall Street. This is just one of the situations facing us that can trigger the bursting of the economy bubble.
Folks, we are not out of the woods, yet. This economy is on life-support. Wall Street has a pace maker with a weak battery. The banks are dropping like autumn leaves. Something, soon, will trigger the bursting of this bubble. It is inevitable because the hot air causing the bright horizon is fake. It is not dependable, lasting or sturdy. Get ready to take another hit!
Until we as a nation, businesses and individually face the music and let the “too big to fail”, fail; we will not get past these problems. Investment involves risk. We cannot continue to reward and prop up those who made horrible investment decisions. They must be left to face the consequences of their actions. If we will not allow failure, there will be no avenue for success. Investment risk must involve the chance for loss. Bankaids will only cover the sore for so long. At some point, the infection will cause permanent damage if not properly treated.
War Journal - Oct. 26, 1944
26-Oct
Thursday
Not much happened lately. We have been on alert every day for two weeks without pulling a mission. The sun has not been out in a full week. We have worked hard every day building floor & walls for our tent. Went into town yesterday to buy lighting fixtures for it - so now we are pretty comfortable. The French expect it to snow here soon. A Lt. was killed here yesterday by a booby trap. Our first casualty by that method. For the past four days we have had air raid warnings but so far no bombs have dropped. It may be different if the weather ever clears.
Thursday
Not much happened lately. We have been on alert every day for two weeks without pulling a mission. The sun has not been out in a full week. We have worked hard every day building floor & walls for our tent. Went into town yesterday to buy lighting fixtures for it - so now we are pretty comfortable. The French expect it to snow here soon. A Lt. was killed here yesterday by a booby trap. Our first casualty by that method. For the past four days we have had air raid warnings but so far no bombs have dropped. It may be different if the weather ever clears.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Barama
“They Call Hot Air Barama”
By: Mike Foil
(To the tune of “They Call the Wind Mariah”)
In the West, we have a name
For liars and Osama.
Osama is the devil man,
We call hot air Barama.
Oh no, Barama gives another speech,
Wild promises start a’flying,
Barama spreads your wealth around,
Terrorists stop a’dying.
Barama, Barama, we call hot air Barama
Barama, Barama, we call hot air Barama
Now before we heard Barama’s name,
The Dems were all a’twitter.
They had a magic man-child,
Who still needs a babysitter.
Oh, but then one day he gave a speech,
He read a teleprompter.
They stood and cheered, laughed and waved
For this community organizer.
Barama, Barama, we call hot air Barama
Barama, Barama, we call hot air Barama
I know we have a name for Joe,
Dirty Harry and Queen Nancy,
But when you’re taxed and beat down,
There ain’t better words than angry.
You see these lost and dumbed-down men,
Who want a star to follow.
“Barama, make another speech,
Your words we all will swallow.”
Oh Barama, Oh Barama,
We call hot air Barama,
Barama, Oh Barama,
Why not make another speech,
We call hot air Barama.
By: Mike Foil
(To the tune of “They Call the Wind Mariah”)
In the West, we have a name
For liars and Osama.
Osama is the devil man,
We call hot air Barama.
Oh no, Barama gives another speech,
Wild promises start a’flying,
Barama spreads your wealth around,
Terrorists stop a’dying.
Barama, Barama, we call hot air Barama
Barama, Barama, we call hot air Barama
Now before we heard Barama’s name,
The Dems were all a’twitter.
They had a magic man-child,
Who still needs a babysitter.
Oh, but then one day he gave a speech,
He read a teleprompter.
They stood and cheered, laughed and waved
For this community organizer.
Barama, Barama, we call hot air Barama
Barama, Barama, we call hot air Barama
I know we have a name for Joe,
Dirty Harry and Queen Nancy,
But when you’re taxed and beat down,
There ain’t better words than angry.
You see these lost and dumbed-down men,
Who want a star to follow.
“Barama, make another speech,
Your words we all will swallow.”
Oh Barama, Oh Barama,
We call hot air Barama,
Barama, Oh Barama,
Why not make another speech,
We call hot air Barama.
Your Window
“YOUR WINDOW”
By: Mike Foil
When I look into your window
When you are not aware
As you feel all alone
I always find you there
As I search out your being
Finding secrets deep within
I can see where you are
I can tell where you’ve been
As I notice little details
The ones you do not see
I find all your goodness
That backs your love for me
I also see the deep hurts
That left a lasting scar
They tried to defeat you
But made you who you are
As I look into your window
I see the pieces of the whole
I see the love of God
In the window of the soul
By: Mike Foil
When I look into your window
When you are not aware
As you feel all alone
I always find you there
As I search out your being
Finding secrets deep within
I can see where you are
I can tell where you’ve been
As I notice little details
The ones you do not see
I find all your goodness
That backs your love for me
I also see the deep hurts
That left a lasting scar
They tried to defeat you
But made you who you are
As I look into your window
I see the pieces of the whole
I see the love of God
In the window of the soul
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Iraqi Honor Hit-And-Run
Today, in Peoria, Arizona, there was an attempted "honor" killing.
A 48 year old, Iraqi man ran his car over his 20 year old daughter and her friend (the mother of the daughter's boy friend - who has a name that sounds Arabic). The two women were in a parking lot when hit by the dad's car. He fled the scene and the police are searching for him.
The dad had been threatening the daughter recently because he believes the daughter is too westernized and not keeping Islamic values.
The daughter is clinging to life at this time and the other woman will be okay.
This begs the question, why bring your family here if you hate America so much that you are willing to kill your daughter if she begins to act like the people where you brought her?
Another question, how in the world can this be called a "honor killing"? To do this, you have to be a scumbag!
A 48 year old, Iraqi man ran his car over his 20 year old daughter and her friend (the mother of the daughter's boy friend - who has a name that sounds Arabic). The two women were in a parking lot when hit by the dad's car. He fled the scene and the police are searching for him.
The dad had been threatening the daughter recently because he believes the daughter is too westernized and not keeping Islamic values.
The daughter is clinging to life at this time and the other woman will be okay.
This begs the question, why bring your family here if you hate America so much that you are willing to kill your daughter if she begins to act like the people where you brought her?
Another question, how in the world can this be called a "honor killing"? To do this, you have to be a scumbag!
Monday, October 19, 2009
War Journal - Oct. 20, 1944
20-Oct
Friday
Got our first PX rations yesterday. It is still raining intermittently. A 40 MPH gale was expected here tonight but so far has not arrived. Our tent will blow away probably just when I get to sleeping good. We carried lumber all day trying to get enough to build floor & side walls to our tent. We are off ops for the next two days.
Friday
Got our first PX rations yesterday. It is still raining intermittently. A 40 MPH gale was expected here tonight but so far has not arrived. Our tent will blow away probably just when I get to sleeping good. We carried lumber all day trying to get enough to build floor & side walls to our tent. We are off ops for the next two days.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
63 and Counting
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October 19th is Mom and Dad's 63rd anniversary.
From Sandee and I, Happy Anniversary! Thanks for setting the bar high and establishing a living example of marriage, love and service. We love and appreciate both of you will all of our hearts.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
The Reverend Mister Black
For some of you, the title will spark memories. For the rest of you, the rest of the story -
When Ron was in college and I was in high school, Mom and Dad decided to do a family vacation that would bring all of us together for something special. They rented a houseboat on Lake Powell for about a week. It was a good sized boat but not so big that there were beds for all of us. We also towed a small row boat with small engine for exploring some side canyons.
As we planned for the trip, Dad told the older kids that they needed to earn some money to buy their own sleeping bags. So, I saved some money from my summer job and bought a nice, new sleeping bag.
When we took off from Wahweep Marina it was decided that some of us would sleep under the open stars, on the roof of the cabin. We swam, did a little fishing, some sight seeing and exploring on the trip.
When we found a place to stop for the night, we anchored off of a small beach. After eating, we were all sitting around on the roof. For some reason, I was asked to sing "The Reverend Mister Black". Being the shy guy that I am, but also realizing that when I do that song, it is an exact reproduction of the original, I finally agreed. As I got a few words into the song, everyone began laughing. Naturally, not wanting to be rude, I stopped. Eventually, they stopped laughing and started telling me to continue. Did they think I was a fool? Yes! After considerable pleading, I began again. Same result. They laughed even harder and I stopped again. I began to wonder if they really wanted to hear the song. But, when they all finally stopped laughing, they assured me that they did want me to keep singing and they promised to not laugh again. Being a trusting soul and not wanting to spoil the whole trip for them, I began again to sing for the third time.
Were they respectful? No, same song, same result. This time, I began catching onto their evil scheme. They laughed so hard that the Park Patrol was summoned by other boaters up the lake and into Utah. Well, maybe not Park Patrol, but it was loud and long, very long. Being much the wiser, I refused to sing it again.
After watching stars and having a good time, it was time to get setup for the night. We climbed down and got our sleeping bags and took them back onto the roof. I rolled out my nice new bag, the one the rest were all envious about. I then went back down to get something else. Just when I climbed back to the roof, a gust of wind came along and blew my sleeping bag off and into the lake. Some believe it was because I had a reputation for being frugal, but the real reason I jumped off of the roof and into the lake, in the dark, when I could barely swim; was because I was loyal. Yes, loyal to the bag that was planning on serving my needs and keeping me warm. As the bag drifted away from the boat, I swam after it, grabbing ahold. Someone grabbed a light and someone else threw me a life preserver.
As I am here now, you can safely assume I and my bag were rescued. By the next night the bag was dry and I used that same bag for many years after that.
One of the next evenings, after we had dropped anchor in a small cove and were settling in for the evening, we heard a speed boat zip past us from a fairly close distance. Since it was dark, it caught our attention and as we listened. We heard it run ashore on the far side of the cove. Ron and I got in our small boat and went to check on the occupants. If I remember it right, it was a man and two women, all of which were drunk. They were not hurt and we were able to drag their boat back into the water, where they climbed back in - thanked us and told us how strong we were - and took off again.
On the trip, we saw Rainbow Bridge, before water was in the canyon as far as the arch. We had a great time and established some lasting memories.
When Ron was in college and I was in high school, Mom and Dad decided to do a family vacation that would bring all of us together for something special. They rented a houseboat on Lake Powell for about a week. It was a good sized boat but not so big that there were beds for all of us. We also towed a small row boat with small engine for exploring some side canyons.
As we planned for the trip, Dad told the older kids that they needed to earn some money to buy their own sleeping bags. So, I saved some money from my summer job and bought a nice, new sleeping bag.
When we took off from Wahweep Marina it was decided that some of us would sleep under the open stars, on the roof of the cabin. We swam, did a little fishing, some sight seeing and exploring on the trip.
When we found a place to stop for the night, we anchored off of a small beach. After eating, we were all sitting around on the roof. For some reason, I was asked to sing "The Reverend Mister Black". Being the shy guy that I am, but also realizing that when I do that song, it is an exact reproduction of the original, I finally agreed. As I got a few words into the song, everyone began laughing. Naturally, not wanting to be rude, I stopped. Eventually, they stopped laughing and started telling me to continue. Did they think I was a fool? Yes! After considerable pleading, I began again. Same result. They laughed even harder and I stopped again. I began to wonder if they really wanted to hear the song. But, when they all finally stopped laughing, they assured me that they did want me to keep singing and they promised to not laugh again. Being a trusting soul and not wanting to spoil the whole trip for them, I began again to sing for the third time.
Were they respectful? No, same song, same result. This time, I began catching onto their evil scheme. They laughed so hard that the Park Patrol was summoned by other boaters up the lake and into Utah. Well, maybe not Park Patrol, but it was loud and long, very long. Being much the wiser, I refused to sing it again.
After watching stars and having a good time, it was time to get setup for the night. We climbed down and got our sleeping bags and took them back onto the roof. I rolled out my nice new bag, the one the rest were all envious about. I then went back down to get something else. Just when I climbed back to the roof, a gust of wind came along and blew my sleeping bag off and into the lake. Some believe it was because I had a reputation for being frugal, but the real reason I jumped off of the roof and into the lake, in the dark, when I could barely swim; was because I was loyal. Yes, loyal to the bag that was planning on serving my needs and keeping me warm. As the bag drifted away from the boat, I swam after it, grabbing ahold. Someone grabbed a light and someone else threw me a life preserver.
As I am here now, you can safely assume I and my bag were rescued. By the next night the bag was dry and I used that same bag for many years after that.
One of the next evenings, after we had dropped anchor in a small cove and were settling in for the evening, we heard a speed boat zip past us from a fairly close distance. Since it was dark, it caught our attention and as we listened. We heard it run ashore on the far side of the cove. Ron and I got in our small boat and went to check on the occupants. If I remember it right, it was a man and two women, all of which were drunk. They were not hurt and we were able to drag their boat back into the water, where they climbed back in - thanked us and told us how strong we were - and took off again.
On the trip, we saw Rainbow Bridge, before water was in the canyon as far as the arch. We had a great time and established some lasting memories.
War Journal - Oct. 18, 1944
18-Oct
Wednesday
It has rained almost continually for a week now so no missions could be pulled. I was on guard duty last night again. There was a driving wind & rain all night. Went into Beauvais tonight with Pehr & Strange to get saw & hammer to build our tent up. Ate supper in a French Hotel even though it is still forbidden. The meal was not too good but eating at a table made the food good. I sold two packs of my cigarettes @ 50f each. The Frenchmen thought they got a bargain & I felt like a heel for taking their money - but I took it anyway! Our entire crew is on alert again but the weather is still terrible.
Wednesday
It has rained almost continually for a week now so no missions could be pulled. I was on guard duty last night again. There was a driving wind & rain all night. Went into Beauvais tonight with Pehr & Strange to get saw & hammer to build our tent up. Ate supper in a French Hotel even though it is still forbidden. The meal was not too good but eating at a table made the food good. I sold two packs of my cigarettes @ 50f each. The Frenchmen thought they got a bargain & I felt like a heel for taking their money - but I took it anyway! Our entire crew is on alert again but the weather is still terrible.
Friday, October 16, 2009
How Pathetic Are We?
As you all know, BO won the Noble Peace Prize. Our dear X-Pres. Carter could not stay home and had to say something about the award. Carter said, "I don't know anyone more qualified to receive the award."
This week we have learned that three of the five on the committee who picked BO were against the selection, but were forced to submit to the leader's wishes. One opposed due to believing that BO has trouble keeping his promises. Two others opposed based on BO has not done anything, yet.
Yet, Carter is convinced that BO is the best of the best this country has to offer. No, wait, not just this country, the whole world! Are we blessed to have such a great leader, or what? Everyone stop what you are doing and bow down toward Washington.
Carter raised a concern in my mind. If BO is the best of the best, how pathetic are the rest of us? This guy, who is a smooth talker (when he is reading from a teleprompter), who has the gift of gab and the ego the size of Mt. Rushmore; has done nothing good. So, that tells the rest of us that we are really losers.
When you think about it, Carter is right, with King BO, we are all losers.
This week we have learned that three of the five on the committee who picked BO were against the selection, but were forced to submit to the leader's wishes. One opposed due to believing that BO has trouble keeping his promises. Two others opposed based on BO has not done anything, yet.
Yet, Carter is convinced that BO is the best of the best this country has to offer. No, wait, not just this country, the whole world! Are we blessed to have such a great leader, or what? Everyone stop what you are doing and bow down toward Washington.
Carter raised a concern in my mind. If BO is the best of the best, how pathetic are the rest of us? This guy, who is a smooth talker (when he is reading from a teleprompter), who has the gift of gab and the ego the size of Mt. Rushmore; has done nothing good. So, that tells the rest of us that we are really losers.
When you think about it, Carter is right, with King BO, we are all losers.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
War Journal - Oct. 15, 1944
15-Oct
Sunday
Was on alert today. Started on a mission to bomb railroad bridges but weather closed in so tight it was called off. Spent the afternoon hauling & chopping wood in the rain. We have plenty mud here now!
Sunday
Was on alert today. Started on a mission to bomb railroad bridges but weather closed in so tight it was called off. Spent the afternoon hauling & chopping wood in the rain. We have plenty mud here now!
Untouchable BO
Previously, I have written about how the Left will attack you if you criticize BO. You will be called a racist and who knows what else. They want to make it very clear that this guy is not to be messed with. If you cross the line, there will be consequences. They play hardball!
Well, my limited experience at hardball, in Little League, showed me one thing, a small target is hard to hit. When you come to bat and you only stand about 2'6", how big of a strike zone do you think that makes? It's about the size of a flattened shoe box. It served me well, I was walked both times I came to bat. (What does this have to do with criticizing BO? I have no idea. I don't plan these out ahead of time. My fingers just follow where ever my mind wonders.)
Story told, now back to the subject. I was just reading the local paper that came out yesterday, Payson Roundup. There is a letter to the editor that caught my attention and I thought you might enjoy reading this heart-warming opinion. It is titled, "Exciting news" and was written by a Mr. Pittman. He starts out expressing his excitement over BO winning the Nobel Peace Prize. The second paragraph tells us that it is a sign that the world has confidence in him, just as did the American voters, by a margin of 9 million votes.
But it is the third paragraph that is most enjoyable: "Only an unpatriotic, treasonous, unrepentant traitor would attempt to deny or diminish such an honor for our country and its leader."
He forgot, "racist".
Folks, we are not dealing with opponents with all of their marbles. It seems that in his mind, there is no room for any opinion other than his. It sounds like he wanted to praise BO but at the same time did not want anyone to write back with an opposition to what he had said. So, try to categorize them before they open their mouth. Hang a label on anyone who writes to the contrary. Bully through intimidation.
Well, my limited experience at hardball, in Little League, showed me one thing, a small target is hard to hit. When you come to bat and you only stand about 2'6", how big of a strike zone do you think that makes? It's about the size of a flattened shoe box. It served me well, I was walked both times I came to bat. (What does this have to do with criticizing BO? I have no idea. I don't plan these out ahead of time. My fingers just follow where ever my mind wonders.)
Story told, now back to the subject. I was just reading the local paper that came out yesterday, Payson Roundup. There is a letter to the editor that caught my attention and I thought you might enjoy reading this heart-warming opinion. It is titled, "Exciting news" and was written by a Mr. Pittman. He starts out expressing his excitement over BO winning the Nobel Peace Prize. The second paragraph tells us that it is a sign that the world has confidence in him, just as did the American voters, by a margin of 9 million votes.
But it is the third paragraph that is most enjoyable: "Only an unpatriotic, treasonous, unrepentant traitor would attempt to deny or diminish such an honor for our country and its leader."
He forgot, "racist".
Folks, we are not dealing with opponents with all of their marbles. It seems that in his mind, there is no room for any opinion other than his. It sounds like he wanted to praise BO but at the same time did not want anyone to write back with an opposition to what he had said. So, try to categorize them before they open their mouth. Hang a label on anyone who writes to the contrary. Bully through intimidation.
Monday, October 12, 2009
What is Truth?
Absolute Truth vs. Relative Truth –
Relative Truth or Relativism is the belief that everyone has their own version of what is true. Truth is relative to the situation or community or one’s own experiences. Relative truth comes down to placing our opinion in a position of ultimate authority. What we think about something is what we believe to be true.
When each has his own opinion – each will be the judge of what is true. The result is a complete lack of logical order. Confusion follows and the people are left with no set guidelines of truth and falsehood, of right and wrong.
Absolute Truth is the belief that there are certain truths that are true all of the time. They are not dependent upon anyone’s opinion or judgment. They do not change from one community to another, in different situations and they are not based on our experiences.
Absolute Truth is the ultimate truth. It should be what we mean when we say that something is the truth. Any claim that falls short of that ends up being opinion.
Where do we find relative truth? Just about everywhere. We speak as though we are or have authority to declare truth. Politicians are constantly making statements that they want us to accept as true, but they themselves know are not. Professors speak as though their words are truth but they turn out to be indoctrination. The smartest among us are held up as authorities and experts and we tend to listen to them to find truth.
Relativism is all around us. Most of the statements men make as being truth are just opinion. Their arguments can be torn apart and their truth will change as knowledge increases or circumstances vary.
Where do we find absolute truth? The answer lies in the same answer to another question, “Is there absolute truth?” Yes, there is truth that is absolute. It is true no matter what else may change. It has always been true, it is true today and it will always be so. It is not based on anyone’s belief or agreement or opinion. It is TRUE – period! Where is it found? It is found in God and His Word. God is the ultimate source of truth. God does not lie and He does not act based on His opinions. He is right 100% of the time, every time, all the time, each time. It has always been that way and it always will be.
Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?”
Jesus claimed, “I am the way, the truth and the life…”
That is what it boils down to. If you are searching for truth, you will not find it apart from Jesus. It is not in yoga, meditation, universities, philosophies, or wise men. It is not even in Rush Limbaugh or me. Real truth, which is actually the only truth, is found in God, the God of the Bible.
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. John 1: 14, 17
Relative Truth or Relativism is the belief that everyone has their own version of what is true. Truth is relative to the situation or community or one’s own experiences. Relative truth comes down to placing our opinion in a position of ultimate authority. What we think about something is what we believe to be true.
When each has his own opinion – each will be the judge of what is true. The result is a complete lack of logical order. Confusion follows and the people are left with no set guidelines of truth and falsehood, of right and wrong.
Absolute Truth is the belief that there are certain truths that are true all of the time. They are not dependent upon anyone’s opinion or judgment. They do not change from one community to another, in different situations and they are not based on our experiences.
Absolute Truth is the ultimate truth. It should be what we mean when we say that something is the truth. Any claim that falls short of that ends up being opinion.
Where do we find relative truth? Just about everywhere. We speak as though we are or have authority to declare truth. Politicians are constantly making statements that they want us to accept as true, but they themselves know are not. Professors speak as though their words are truth but they turn out to be indoctrination. The smartest among us are held up as authorities and experts and we tend to listen to them to find truth.
Relativism is all around us. Most of the statements men make as being truth are just opinion. Their arguments can be torn apart and their truth will change as knowledge increases or circumstances vary.
Where do we find absolute truth? The answer lies in the same answer to another question, “Is there absolute truth?” Yes, there is truth that is absolute. It is true no matter what else may change. It has always been true, it is true today and it will always be so. It is not based on anyone’s belief or agreement or opinion. It is TRUE – period! Where is it found? It is found in God and His Word. God is the ultimate source of truth. God does not lie and He does not act based on His opinions. He is right 100% of the time, every time, all the time, each time. It has always been that way and it always will be.
Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?”
Jesus claimed, “I am the way, the truth and the life…”
That is what it boils down to. If you are searching for truth, you will not find it apart from Jesus. It is not in yoga, meditation, universities, philosophies, or wise men. It is not even in Rush Limbaugh or me. Real truth, which is actually the only truth, is found in God, the God of the Bible.
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. John 1: 14, 17
War Journal - Oct. 13, 1944
13-Oct
Friday
Had a couple of training classes today - cut firewood and washed all my dirty clothes - dating back to Ireland. Made pictures washing clothes today. Feel extra good tonight! Received seventeen letters and two PKP tonight. My spirits have been a little low lately but this fixes everything up fine. We have dim electric lights in our tents now. "A" Flight went to Paris today on a two-day pass. Since I am in "D" Flight it will be 4 weeks before I can get a pass.
Friday
Had a couple of training classes today - cut firewood and washed all my dirty clothes - dating back to Ireland. Made pictures washing clothes today. Feel extra good tonight! Received seventeen letters and two PKP tonight. My spirits have been a little low lately but this fixes everything up fine. We have dim electric lights in our tents now. "A" Flight went to Paris today on a two-day pass. Since I am in "D" Flight it will be 4 weeks before I can get a pass.
Economic Good News
Even though this statement, heard today on the radio, was about Arizona; I am sure the rest of you will recognize that it also applies to the local economy where you live.
The good news, according to this lady: "We are getting bad, not as fast."
Now I feel better!
The good news, according to this lady: "We are getting bad, not as fast."
Now I feel better!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The Trojan Horse
According to Wikipedia: "A 'Trojan Horse' has come to mean any trick that causes a target to invite a foe into a securely protected bastion or place."
Book II of Virgil's Aeneid covers the siege of Troy, and includes these lines spoken by Laocoon:
"Do not trust the horse, Trojans! Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks, even bringing gifts."
This is where the saying "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts" came from.
The story goes that the Greek army grew tired of the siege for the city of Troy. They built a large wooden horse and Greek soldiers hid in the horse. When the Trojan army thought the Greek army had left, they pulled the horse within the gates of the city as a victory trophy. While they partied and slept, the Greek soldiers climbed out of the wooden horse and opened the gates to the rest of the army, who then conquered the Trojans and captured the city.
Are there any modern examples of Trojan Horses? Well, maybe not as far as a wooden horse is concerned, but there are numerous examples of this kind of trick being used in politics in this country.
"Hope and Change" was a Trojan Horse. "Choice and Competition" is a Trojan Horse being used on us right now. "The Fairness Doctrine", "No tax increases except on the rich", "Spread the wealth around", "Health care reform", "Stimulus bills" are all Trojan Horses. The effort to ban guns is a Trojan Horse. "Pro-Choice" is a Trojan Horse. "Ethnic cleansing" was a Trojan Horse.
Here we are trying to restore and protect America in the form it was founded. We have an enemy who wants to "remake or reshape" America. They are very adept at using pleasing sounding terms and labels in order to hide their true agenda. When we let our guard down, they sneak right in, under our noses, and take control of another part of the country, society, economy, and our lives.
Folks, we are at war with an enemy who does not love this country. They have a very definite agenda to change, forever, our nation. They laid in wait, outside the gate for years while they planned and prepared for just the right minute when the guard was down, the gate opened and they were wheeled right into the seat of control. Troy is in the process of being conquered! We cannot afford to be asleep or partying. Diligence is a must and the vision of the great USA is the goal.
We need a modern Laocoon to speak out with a loud voice and warn the sleeping public before it is too late. Do not trust the Liberals, even when they appear to be bringing gifts!
Remember, they were at war with us but we were not at war with them.
Book II of Virgil's Aeneid covers the siege of Troy, and includes these lines spoken by Laocoon:
"Do not trust the horse, Trojans! Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks, even bringing gifts."
This is where the saying "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts" came from.
The story goes that the Greek army grew tired of the siege for the city of Troy. They built a large wooden horse and Greek soldiers hid in the horse. When the Trojan army thought the Greek army had left, they pulled the horse within the gates of the city as a victory trophy. While they partied and slept, the Greek soldiers climbed out of the wooden horse and opened the gates to the rest of the army, who then conquered the Trojans and captured the city.
Are there any modern examples of Trojan Horses? Well, maybe not as far as a wooden horse is concerned, but there are numerous examples of this kind of trick being used in politics in this country.
"Hope and Change" was a Trojan Horse. "Choice and Competition" is a Trojan Horse being used on us right now. "The Fairness Doctrine", "No tax increases except on the rich", "Spread the wealth around", "Health care reform", "Stimulus bills" are all Trojan Horses. The effort to ban guns is a Trojan Horse. "Pro-Choice" is a Trojan Horse. "Ethnic cleansing" was a Trojan Horse.
Here we are trying to restore and protect America in the form it was founded. We have an enemy who wants to "remake or reshape" America. They are very adept at using pleasing sounding terms and labels in order to hide their true agenda. When we let our guard down, they sneak right in, under our noses, and take control of another part of the country, society, economy, and our lives.
Folks, we are at war with an enemy who does not love this country. They have a very definite agenda to change, forever, our nation. They laid in wait, outside the gate for years while they planned and prepared for just the right minute when the guard was down, the gate opened and they were wheeled right into the seat of control. Troy is in the process of being conquered! We cannot afford to be asleep or partying. Diligence is a must and the vision of the great USA is the goal.
We need a modern Laocoon to speak out with a loud voice and warn the sleeping public before it is too late. Do not trust the Liberals, even when they appear to be bringing gifts!
Remember, they were at war with us but we were not at war with them.
War Journal - Oct. 12, 1944
12-Oct
Thursday
We are on alert again - our entire crew together for the first time. Go off ops tonight so guess it will be a couple of days before we go on a mission. Was on detail digging a sewer system today. This AC is hard work.
Thursday
We are on alert again - our entire crew together for the first time. Go off ops tonight so guess it will be a couple of days before we go on a mission. Was on detail digging a sewer system today. This AC is hard work.
Modern Day Columbus Day
(This is the third of three postings having to do with Columbus Day. It might make more sense to read them in order written - third, second, first as posted on this blog.)
What is being taught in schools, now, about Columbus? How do the children celebrate the day? I remember coloring papers with a ship drawn on it. I remember being told how this brave man fought to convince the Queen to sponsor a voyage across the Atlantic. I remember being taught that Christopher Columbus discovered America. I was told that he almost had a mutiny because his crews thought they might fall off of the edge of the world, but he convinced them to go a little further.
What is being taught today:
In the kindergarten class taught by Jeff Kolowith in Tampa, Florida; the kids were told about how Columbus did not know where he was and that he was "very, very mean, very bossy."
Some schools no longer celebrate Columbus Day - Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles and Seattle.
According to a news story by AOL, "(M)any teachers are trying to present a more balanced perspective...and the suffering of indigenous populations."
According to James Dracht (Texas A&M College), you do not hear terms like "Columbus discovered America". Why? "Because how could he discover America if there were already people living here?"
I do not remember ever being taught that no one was here prior to Columbus or that he was the first human to touch American soil. No one ever said that or meant that and that is not what is meant by discovering America. I would expect that these same people who are rewriting our history have no trouble crediting Leif Ericson for the discovery of America (see next blog). Anything and anyone but what we have been taught. They have to tear down the man!
The AOL story, "In Texas, students start learning in the fifth grade about the 'Columbian Exchange' - which consisted not only of gold, crops and goods shipped back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean, but diseases carried by settlers that decimated native populations."
Let me see if I understand this teaching, correctly. The Europeans, mainly Columbus, schemed and carried out a plan to rape America of all of its goods in exchange for giving them diseases.
Again in the AOL story, a school in McDonald, PA had fourth-graders put Columbus on trial and charged him with "misrepresenting the Spanish crown and thievery." The ten-year-olds found him guilty and sentenced him to life in prison.
Let me see if I understand this correctly. A bunch of kids came up with this lesson plan all on their own without some teacher directing them in this attack on American history. These kids decided, without the mis-direction of the teacher, to charge Columbus with crimes.
A lady in Florida ran a survey of teachers to examine what materials were used to teach about Columbus. She concluded that many were "inaccurate - and sometimes outright demeaning - depictions of the native Taino population."
Let me see if I understand this correctly. Is it Columbus Day or Taino Day?
Again, from AOL - the same Kracht from Texas A&M, "The indigenous population was kind of waiting expectantly, almost with smiles on their faces. 'I wonder what his guy is bringing us?' Well, he's bringing us smallpox, for one thing, and none of us are going to live very long." He says that our multiculturalism has led more to study the cruelties suffered by the Taino people.
A New Jersey school forced some students to stand in a cafeteria and not be allowed to eat while others teased and intimidated the ones standing. This was so they would better understand the suffering that the people endured because of Columbus.
Remember, these are the same teachers who find reason to praise men like Castro.
Our history is being rewritten by the left-wing, radical, liberal wackos. Since these same people are now in control of much of the public education system in the America founded by Columbus, they are indoctrinating the next generation to be anti-America.
What is being taught in schools, now, about Columbus? How do the children celebrate the day? I remember coloring papers with a ship drawn on it. I remember being told how this brave man fought to convince the Queen to sponsor a voyage across the Atlantic. I remember being taught that Christopher Columbus discovered America. I was told that he almost had a mutiny because his crews thought they might fall off of the edge of the world, but he convinced them to go a little further.
What is being taught today:
In the kindergarten class taught by Jeff Kolowith in Tampa, Florida; the kids were told about how Columbus did not know where he was and that he was "very, very mean, very bossy."
Some schools no longer celebrate Columbus Day - Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles and Seattle.
According to a news story by AOL, "(M)any teachers are trying to present a more balanced perspective...and the suffering of indigenous populations."
According to James Dracht (Texas A&M College), you do not hear terms like "Columbus discovered America". Why? "Because how could he discover America if there were already people living here?"
I do not remember ever being taught that no one was here prior to Columbus or that he was the first human to touch American soil. No one ever said that or meant that and that is not what is meant by discovering America. I would expect that these same people who are rewriting our history have no trouble crediting Leif Ericson for the discovery of America (see next blog). Anything and anyone but what we have been taught. They have to tear down the man!
The AOL story, "In Texas, students start learning in the fifth grade about the 'Columbian Exchange' - which consisted not only of gold, crops and goods shipped back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean, but diseases carried by settlers that decimated native populations."
Let me see if I understand this teaching, correctly. The Europeans, mainly Columbus, schemed and carried out a plan to rape America of all of its goods in exchange for giving them diseases.
Again in the AOL story, a school in McDonald, PA had fourth-graders put Columbus on trial and charged him with "misrepresenting the Spanish crown and thievery." The ten-year-olds found him guilty and sentenced him to life in prison.
Let me see if I understand this correctly. A bunch of kids came up with this lesson plan all on their own without some teacher directing them in this attack on American history. These kids decided, without the mis-direction of the teacher, to charge Columbus with crimes.
A lady in Florida ran a survey of teachers to examine what materials were used to teach about Columbus. She concluded that many were "inaccurate - and sometimes outright demeaning - depictions of the native Taino population."
Let me see if I understand this correctly. Is it Columbus Day or Taino Day?
Again, from AOL - the same Kracht from Texas A&M, "The indigenous population was kind of waiting expectantly, almost with smiles on their faces. 'I wonder what his guy is bringing us?' Well, he's bringing us smallpox, for one thing, and none of us are going to live very long." He says that our multiculturalism has led more to study the cruelties suffered by the Taino people.
A New Jersey school forced some students to stand in a cafeteria and not be allowed to eat while others teased and intimidated the ones standing. This was so they would better understand the suffering that the people endured because of Columbus.
Remember, these are the same teachers who find reason to praise men like Castro.
Our history is being rewritten by the left-wing, radical, liberal wackos. Since these same people are now in control of much of the public education system in the America founded by Columbus, they are indoctrinating the next generation to be anti-America.
Leif Ericson
In observance of Columbus Day, it would not be complete without full disclosure.
For centuries we were told that Columbus was the first to discover America. Recently, we keep hearing how we should not celebrate Columbus Day or the man because he was not the first. So, what changed?
In 1960, archaeologists discovered the ruins of a settlement in L'Anse aux Meadows. This is located on the north tip of the large island of Newfoundland, off of eastern Canada. The artifacts found at the site were similar to those used by the Norsemen and consistent with the period of around 1000 AD. Evidence suggests that the people were not there very long before abandoning the settlement.
The Norsemen, or Norse (meaning people from the North), were first from the area of Scandinavia in Northern Europe. The are credited with establishing settlements in Iceland and Greenland. The term "Vikings" refers to the same group of people.
There are some Norse-Icelandic sagas that describe the exploration and attempted settlement, to the west, of a colony in 1003 AD. Evidently, this was led by a man named Leif Ericson. In the saga, the settlement was named Vinland.
It is not certain that Vinland is the same settlement found in Newfoundland or that Leif Ericson was the leader who established that settlement, but that appears to be the story that has gained widespread acceptance.
The main point that people use this to make is that someone was here (the Americas) pre-Columbian (besides the natives).
So, even if this is all true, and it appears that it is, why is this used as a reason to discredit Columbus? Why put him down because someone got to northeast Canada 500 years prior? When they got there, they did not do much and then left. Whatever they found and learned, it was mostly forgotten.
So, we can admit, even though Columbus was not the "very first" European to set foot on any area of the Americas, he was the one who made a difference. He was the one who started something that changed the rest of history. He was the one who made Europe aware of these new continents. So, if not technically correct; it is practically correct, he is the discoverer of America.
For centuries we were told that Columbus was the first to discover America. Recently, we keep hearing how we should not celebrate Columbus Day or the man because he was not the first. So, what changed?
In 1960, archaeologists discovered the ruins of a settlement in L'Anse aux Meadows. This is located on the north tip of the large island of Newfoundland, off of eastern Canada. The artifacts found at the site were similar to those used by the Norsemen and consistent with the period of around 1000 AD. Evidence suggests that the people were not there very long before abandoning the settlement.
The Norsemen, or Norse (meaning people from the North), were first from the area of Scandinavia in Northern Europe. The are credited with establishing settlements in Iceland and Greenland. The term "Vikings" refers to the same group of people.
There are some Norse-Icelandic sagas that describe the exploration and attempted settlement, to the west, of a colony in 1003 AD. Evidently, this was led by a man named Leif Ericson. In the saga, the settlement was named Vinland.
It is not certain that Vinland is the same settlement found in Newfoundland or that Leif Ericson was the leader who established that settlement, but that appears to be the story that has gained widespread acceptance.
The main point that people use this to make is that someone was here (the Americas) pre-Columbian (besides the natives).
So, even if this is all true, and it appears that it is, why is this used as a reason to discredit Columbus? Why put him down because someone got to northeast Canada 500 years prior? When they got there, they did not do much and then left. Whatever they found and learned, it was mostly forgotten.
So, we can admit, even though Columbus was not the "very first" European to set foot on any area of the Americas, he was the one who made a difference. He was the one who started something that changed the rest of history. He was the one who made Europe aware of these new continents. So, if not technically correct; it is practically correct, he is the discoverer of America.
Columbus
"In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue..."That is how the story and teaching of Columbus began when I was in school.
The following is a map Columbus drew in 1490.
Christopher Columbus (1451 - 1506), was born in Italy, was a Roman Catholic. His occupation of maritime explorer for the Crown of Castile evolved after several short voyages around Europe.He tried for years to convince various monarchs that he could establish a trade route with The Indies (southeast Asia) and have direct access to the spice trade. After being turned down, several times, finally King Ferdinand helped convince Queen Isabella of Spain that they should help sponsor the voyage. Columbus entered a contract with them as to what he would get if he found any new islands, etc. One of Columbus' sons later wrote that they agreed because they really did not believe he would make it back.
He left Europe on August 3, 1492 with three ships (Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria) and sailed to the Canary Islands where he restocked, leaving there on September 6, 1492. Around five weeks later, land was first spotted on October 12, 1492; which by coincidence happens to be the same date we set aside as "Columbus Day". Although he believed that he had reached the Indies (and named the people based on that), he was in the Caribbean. He was in the area until leaving to return with only the two smallest of the ships, after the Santa Maria had run aground. He left some men to establish a settlement in what is now Haiti. He took some natives back with him, though most died before getting to Europe. He arrived back to Europe on March 3, 1493.
He was to make three more voyages across the Atlantic (1493, 1498 and 1502). Spain and Portugal backed out of the contract with Columbus and actually had him arrested for awhile in 1500. After his death, some family kept the issue in court for many years. He never reached North America but visited several islands in the Caribbean and one time made it to Central America.
As to the story of him being one of the first to think the Earth was round, well, that does not appear to be true. There is historical evidence of others believing that for centuries prior to Columbus. What he did think is that the circumference of the Earth was smaller than others believed and he thought he could sail west from Europe to Asia while others believed it was too far. He was wrong and they were right, but his error resulted in the discovery of America.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
The Worst of Both Worlds
I am confused. When I have heard about other countries with a national healthcare program, they talk about medical services being free - "free health care for the citizens". The results are logically: reduced quality, rationing, long waits, etc. But, they talk about the service being free, once you do get it.
I hear discussion that BO and the other Libs are trying to get us a system like these other countries have. So, my bewilderment has to do with this; if Obamacare is like what Canada or England has and the citizens have free health care, what is the talk about a "public option"? From what I understand, the public option that BO wants is supposed to be and will probably begin as a Government run insurance plan to "compete" with those greedy, private insurance companies that just want to make a profit. If they are competing as an optional insurance company, that means they will be charging for it, just like the low-life insurance companies.
If the whole system is designed around the public option, which it probably will be, then insurance will become mandatory (or you will be fined for not having a government approved plan). If insurance is mandatory, then you are paying for medical care - it will not be free! How is that different from what we now have where people who do not want to pay for medical bills themselves, buy insurance (unless you are here illegally and then you just go to the emergency room for your free health care).
We are about to get the worst of both worlds! Our medical system, which just about everyone believes is the best in the world, is about to be taken over by the government. And if that is not bad enough, our system will not be free like we are being led to believe.
I hear discussion that BO and the other Libs are trying to get us a system like these other countries have. So, my bewilderment has to do with this; if Obamacare is like what Canada or England has and the citizens have free health care, what is the talk about a "public option"? From what I understand, the public option that BO wants is supposed to be and will probably begin as a Government run insurance plan to "compete" with those greedy, private insurance companies that just want to make a profit. If they are competing as an optional insurance company, that means they will be charging for it, just like the low-life insurance companies.
If the whole system is designed around the public option, which it probably will be, then insurance will become mandatory (or you will be fined for not having a government approved plan). If insurance is mandatory, then you are paying for medical care - it will not be free! How is that different from what we now have where people who do not want to pay for medical bills themselves, buy insurance (unless you are here illegally and then you just go to the emergency room for your free health care).
We are about to get the worst of both worlds! Our medical system, which just about everyone believes is the best in the world, is about to be taken over by the government. And if that is not bad enough, our system will not be free like we are being led to believe.
Moderates
What is a Moderate? Isn't it someone who has not picked a side, someone who does not belong on either team? They just cannot quite decide where they stand on major issues affecting our nation and have not quite figured out if they have a moral compass to follow. This same type of people we call, "middle-of-the-road", "straddling the fence", "lukewarm", the great "undecideds".
How can someone be neutral when the differences are so stark:
Christian vs Atheist
Love God vs Hate God
Good vs Evil
Conservative vs Liberal
Originalist vs Living Document
Strong Defense vs Vulnerable
Individual Responsibility vs Socialism
Limited Government vs Expanding Government
Right vs Wrong
Freedom vs Tyranny
Capitalism vs Fascism
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness vs Big Brother Government
Freedom of Speech vs Censorship
Political Servants vs Dictators
Rights and Responsibilities vs Servitude and Handouts
Pro Life vs Pro Death
Low Taxes vs High Taxes
If you happen to be a Moderate, I ask you to honestly search for truth and stand for principles. Become a critical thinker; listen, research, analyze, judge, and reach a logical conclusion.
How can someone be neutral when the differences are so stark:
Christian vs Atheist
Love God vs Hate God
Good vs Evil
Conservative vs Liberal
Originalist vs Living Document
Strong Defense vs Vulnerable
Individual Responsibility vs Socialism
Limited Government vs Expanding Government
Right vs Wrong
Freedom vs Tyranny
Capitalism vs Fascism
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness vs Big Brother Government
Freedom of Speech vs Censorship
Political Servants vs Dictators
Rights and Responsibilities vs Servitude and Handouts
Pro Life vs Pro Death
Low Taxes vs High Taxes
If you happen to be a Moderate, I ask you to honestly search for truth and stand for principles. Become a critical thinker; listen, research, analyze, judge, and reach a logical conclusion.
The Garbage Can - One More Time
Forget about how Conservatives out give Liberals from their own pockets. Forget that Liberals are free to give handouts when they take the money from you. Just remember what some of our good friends in Hollywood had to say on the subject: "Hollywood has the best moral compass because it has compassion."
During the past fiscal year for the Federal Government, our congress approved bills with 10,160 earmarks.
Iran announced that if anyone does anything, "We will kill the heart of Israel." Don't mistake that promised threat as admission of their program for nuclear weapons. Remember, their nuclear program is just for energy purposes.
The FTC announced that they intend to add controls of editorial content on blogs on the Internet. They seem to think that this is an area that lacks their personal oversight and they tend to fix that oversight.
The official unemployment numbers are in and they continue to rise, most recently at 9.8%. I would imagine that within a couple months, it will pass 10%. One of every ten people who want a job cannot find one. These statistics are not counting the thousands who have given up looking or the ones who are not filing for unemployment claims.
Good news, the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) has put a price tag on Obamacare. For the next decade they expect the cost to be only 837 BILLION DOLLARS. Our dear leaders in DC, on the left, were happy about that number and have actually made the claim that spending that amount on top of everything else they are doing (remember 10,160 earmarks we have to pay for) "will actually cause the deficit to decrease." Yes, they really did make that claim!
On the same subject, the CBO typically understates these types of estimates. Prescription drug coverage for Medicare was supposed to cost around $400,000,000 per year. Well, once we got it the cost seemed to double.
Awhile back, BO stated that he had partnered with God in matters of life and death. If you remember, I had a somewhat negative reaction to that claim. Now, after further consideration, I may have to say that I just might have misspoke. Yep, maybe I over-reacted. Where I went wrong was in one capital letter. You see, now that I think about it, I think he was referring to god, not God. The god of this world.
During the past fiscal year for the Federal Government, our congress approved bills with 10,160 earmarks.
Iran announced that if anyone does anything, "We will kill the heart of Israel." Don't mistake that promised threat as admission of their program for nuclear weapons. Remember, their nuclear program is just for energy purposes.
The FTC announced that they intend to add controls of editorial content on blogs on the Internet. They seem to think that this is an area that lacks their personal oversight and they tend to fix that oversight.
The official unemployment numbers are in and they continue to rise, most recently at 9.8%. I would imagine that within a couple months, it will pass 10%. One of every ten people who want a job cannot find one. These statistics are not counting the thousands who have given up looking or the ones who are not filing for unemployment claims.
Good news, the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) has put a price tag on Obamacare. For the next decade they expect the cost to be only 837 BILLION DOLLARS. Our dear leaders in DC, on the left, were happy about that number and have actually made the claim that spending that amount on top of everything else they are doing (remember 10,160 earmarks we have to pay for) "will actually cause the deficit to decrease." Yes, they really did make that claim!
On the same subject, the CBO typically understates these types of estimates. Prescription drug coverage for Medicare was supposed to cost around $400,000,000 per year. Well, once we got it the cost seemed to double.
Awhile back, BO stated that he had partnered with God in matters of life and death. If you remember, I had a somewhat negative reaction to that claim. Now, after further consideration, I may have to say that I just might have misspoke. Yep, maybe I over-reacted. Where I went wrong was in one capital letter. You see, now that I think about it, I think he was referring to god, not God. The god of this world.
War Journal - Oct. 11, 1944
11-Oct
Wednesday
Had an easy day today. Worked in my tent all morning - went to a Belgian labor camp the Germans had near here in the afternoon to get shower equipment out of it. We have a limited amount of water from our local system now. Spent the night building a foot locker out of German bomb boxes left near here.
Wednesday
Had an easy day today. Worked in my tent all morning - went to a Belgian labor camp the Germans had near here in the afternoon to get shower equipment out of it. We have a limited amount of water from our local system now. Spent the night building a foot locker out of German bomb boxes left near here.
Update to War Journal - Sept. 23, 1944
The following is an update to the War Journal posting for September 23, 1944. This was added as a comment to that posting but I thought you might miss it if not shown here also. This was Dad's first mission and his only mission from England, prior to moving to France.
During a recent visit to Show Low, Dad added some information about this mission I had not heard before.
They flew over Germany and ended up in a thunder cloud, where they lost visibility. The plane that Dad was in lost control and went into a spin. With no frame of reference to get bearings, the pilot could not get control of the plane as it spun-out. When it finally came out of the bottom of the cloud, he was able to see the ground and gain control of the plane. This is how his plane lost formation and became isolated over Germany. The others turned around and went home. His pilot kept them just above tree tops and went a round-about way of returning to England in order to not be flying where they might be expected to be.
During a recent visit to Show Low, Dad added some information about this mission I had not heard before.
They flew over Germany and ended up in a thunder cloud, where they lost visibility. The plane that Dad was in lost control and went into a spin. With no frame of reference to get bearings, the pilot could not get control of the plane as it spun-out. When it finally came out of the bottom of the cloud, he was able to see the ground and gain control of the plane. This is how his plane lost formation and became isolated over Germany. The others turned around and went home. His pilot kept them just above tree tops and went a round-about way of returning to England in order to not be flying where they might be expected to be.
War Journal - Oct. 10, 1944
10-Oct
Tuesday
Slept until noon after coming off guard duty at 0700 hours. Spent this afternoon in Beauvias. Two truck loads of us were taken in to get a bath - my first real bath since leaving England. Had a lot of fun in town too. The French are very friendly & it is a riot when we try to converse with them. They like it as much as we do. Cut the hair of Borst & Kuslueh tonight. Getting where I can do a pretty good job.
Tuesday
Slept until noon after coming off guard duty at 0700 hours. Spent this afternoon in Beauvias. Two truck loads of us were taken in to get a bath - my first real bath since leaving England. Had a lot of fun in town too. The French are very friendly & it is a riot when we try to converse with them. They like it as much as we do. Cut the hair of Borst & Kuslueh tonight. Getting where I can do a pretty good job.
Friday, October 9, 2009
The Man Child
Well, BO gave his acceptance speech for the Noble Peace Prize. In his speech, forget about how many times he said "I", he goes on to say that it is not about him.
Excuse me, I have to go puke!
Excuse me, I have to go puke!
Rules of Engagement
Our soldiers are "fighting with one arm tied behind our backs". Our king-commander-in-chief has announced (publicly) that he is restricting our soldiers to new "rules-of-engagement". Since the Nobel Peace Prize wiener, I mean winner, does not want to feel any responsibility for collateral damage in the war, he has limited how our fighting men and women can respond to being under attack.
Now, when our brave soldiers receive incoming fire, before they can fire back, they must first determine exactly where the fire came from, determine who fired, make sure that there are no "innocent" civilians in the vicinity of the enemy; and then maybe they can return fire.
The enemy sees this as a weakness and they are more than willing to take advantage of this limitation on us fighting back. All we have done is tell the enemy that all they have to do is shoot at us from the middle of a group of people, or from a residence, and we will not fight back.
Remember in Iraq, when the enemy took refuge in Mosques. We had rules to not fire on a Mosque, so that is exactly where the enemy would stay. They would shoot at us with no fear of being attacked.
This is how to lose a war. This reminds me of how our President and other politicians limited our soldiers in Vietnam. For some reason, we do not do what it takes to win. We limit our fighters with rules so that we can gain respect and favor with the rest of the liberal world. Our enemy has no rules of limitation - they fight to win. They do what it takes to be victorious.
A few years ago, I asked Dad about how the Japanese were ruthless in WWII; how they attacked Pearl Harbor without declaring war, first; about how they were brutal to prisoners, etc. I expected him to say something condemning about the way they fought. Instead, his response was, "They fought to win." I am sure that neither he nor I would think we should be like the Japs or Nazis in WWII, but we do need to remember how to fight, as we did in WWII.
Would that great group of people be referred to as "the greatest generation" if they had been forced to conduct a war with the rules we now use? I do not think so, because the war would have been lost with those restrictions. We hold in high regard those who fought in WWII because they were brave, did the dirty work, and they won! We never would have defeated Germany if we could not bomb the fatherland for fear of killing other than enemy soldiers. In order to defeat Japan, we were willing and preparing to invade Japan and fight and kill civilians. We never would have dropped the atomic bombs under today's rules of engagement.
This leads me to wonder (not really) whether we would use like-kind retaliation if we, on our own land, were attacked with weapons of mass destruction? If a nuclear missile were to hit one of our cities and we knew who sent it, would we use a similar missile to attack back? Under this administration's rules, we would not. After all, we cannot blame the people who live in an evil country for the evil that comes from that country. BO would tell us to "grin and bear it". This, in turn, would get BO nominated for his second Nobel Peace Prize, and get a lot of us dead.
Now, when our brave soldiers receive incoming fire, before they can fire back, they must first determine exactly where the fire came from, determine who fired, make sure that there are no "innocent" civilians in the vicinity of the enemy; and then maybe they can return fire.
The enemy sees this as a weakness and they are more than willing to take advantage of this limitation on us fighting back. All we have done is tell the enemy that all they have to do is shoot at us from the middle of a group of people, or from a residence, and we will not fight back.
Remember in Iraq, when the enemy took refuge in Mosques. We had rules to not fire on a Mosque, so that is exactly where the enemy would stay. They would shoot at us with no fear of being attacked.
This is how to lose a war. This reminds me of how our President and other politicians limited our soldiers in Vietnam. For some reason, we do not do what it takes to win. We limit our fighters with rules so that we can gain respect and favor with the rest of the liberal world. Our enemy has no rules of limitation - they fight to win. They do what it takes to be victorious.
A few years ago, I asked Dad about how the Japanese were ruthless in WWII; how they attacked Pearl Harbor without declaring war, first; about how they were brutal to prisoners, etc. I expected him to say something condemning about the way they fought. Instead, his response was, "They fought to win." I am sure that neither he nor I would think we should be like the Japs or Nazis in WWII, but we do need to remember how to fight, as we did in WWII.
Would that great group of people be referred to as "the greatest generation" if they had been forced to conduct a war with the rules we now use? I do not think so, because the war would have been lost with those restrictions. We hold in high regard those who fought in WWII because they were brave, did the dirty work, and they won! We never would have defeated Germany if we could not bomb the fatherland for fear of killing other than enemy soldiers. In order to defeat Japan, we were willing and preparing to invade Japan and fight and kill civilians. We never would have dropped the atomic bombs under today's rules of engagement.
This leads me to wonder (not really) whether we would use like-kind retaliation if we, on our own land, were attacked with weapons of mass destruction? If a nuclear missile were to hit one of our cities and we knew who sent it, would we use a similar missile to attack back? Under this administration's rules, we would not. After all, we cannot blame the people who live in an evil country for the evil that comes from that country. BO would tell us to "grin and bear it". This, in turn, would get BO nominated for his second Nobel Peace Prize, and get a lot of us dead.
War Journal - Oct. 9, 1944
9-Oct
Monday
Made my second mission today. Dropped four 1000# Demos on a bridge on a superhighway east of Aachen. Bombed by Pathfinder with 10/10 clouds. P47 Fighter escort - No enemy opposition even though considerable fighters was expected. I was air sick the entire trip - 3 hours - The mental depression while in that state is terrible. It is a continued conscious effort to remain in a turret & alert while sick. If it doesn't get better soon something will have to be done. I was not very nervous or scared on this mission. Stood guard duty all night - and it was a long night after that mission.
Monday
Made my second mission today. Dropped four 1000# Demos on a bridge on a superhighway east of Aachen. Bombed by Pathfinder with 10/10 clouds. P47 Fighter escort - No enemy opposition even though considerable fighters was expected. I was air sick the entire trip - 3 hours - The mental depression while in that state is terrible. It is a continued conscious effort to remain in a turret & alert while sick. If it doesn't get better soon something will have to be done. I was not very nervous or scared on this mission. Stood guard duty all night - and it was a long night after that mission.
Noble Peace Prize???
Are you kidding me?
This morning, it was announced that our dear BO has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Not only is this a shock, as the man has accomplished nothing, yet; but, the deadline for nominations was only a few days after he became President. As of that time, all he had done was get elected by making empty promises of "hope" and "change".
You would think that after we all got a glimpse of what that change really meant, his name would have been dropped from the list of contenders.
It sort of shows you what the committee, who gives the award, has sunk to. BO's award follows soon after Al Gore getting the same award for his efforts to bring awareness to global warming.
Now, BO gets it for reaching out to the Muslims (all talk), promoting the reduction of nuclear weapons (all talk), and wanting to do something about climate change (all talk). Even though I disagree with what he is saying, it would be one thing if he had actually done something.
This is a great example of how Liberals get attention and rewarded for their "good intentions". They never have to produce "good results", as long as they meant well.
When national healthcare causes the bankruptcy of America, the quality of real health care goes down, the wait for real health care goes up; BO will still be praised because he meant well.
When Iran launches nuclear missiles and kills tens of thousands of people, if not more, there will be no public humiliation of BO, but a pat on the back; he meant well when he did nothing to stop the pending holocaust.
When America loses what jobs it has left, to other counties, due to our valiant fight against climate change; BO will get another award for trying, because he meant well.
When we pass another stimulus bill, full of pork and billions of dollars in wasteful spending and doling out more billions to the organizations who backed him; and then realize that all it accomplished was to extend the recession; there will be criticism of BO because he meant well.
When our Constitution becomes just words on old parchment, our liberties become part of the "good ole days", and the citizens of the great USA become full-fledged slaves to our government; BO, Queen Nancy, and the Hairy Reed will be lifted up as heroes because they meant well.
I am not sure where BO has established "peace", it was not here in this country!
This morning, it was announced that our dear BO has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Not only is this a shock, as the man has accomplished nothing, yet; but, the deadline for nominations was only a few days after he became President. As of that time, all he had done was get elected by making empty promises of "hope" and "change".
You would think that after we all got a glimpse of what that change really meant, his name would have been dropped from the list of contenders.
It sort of shows you what the committee, who gives the award, has sunk to. BO's award follows soon after Al Gore getting the same award for his efforts to bring awareness to global warming.
Now, BO gets it for reaching out to the Muslims (all talk), promoting the reduction of nuclear weapons (all talk), and wanting to do something about climate change (all talk). Even though I disagree with what he is saying, it would be one thing if he had actually done something.
This is a great example of how Liberals get attention and rewarded for their "good intentions". They never have to produce "good results", as long as they meant well.
When national healthcare causes the bankruptcy of America, the quality of real health care goes down, the wait for real health care goes up; BO will still be praised because he meant well.
When Iran launches nuclear missiles and kills tens of thousands of people, if not more, there will be no public humiliation of BO, but a pat on the back; he meant well when he did nothing to stop the pending holocaust.
When America loses what jobs it has left, to other counties, due to our valiant fight against climate change; BO will get another award for trying, because he meant well.
When we pass another stimulus bill, full of pork and billions of dollars in wasteful spending and doling out more billions to the organizations who backed him; and then realize that all it accomplished was to extend the recession; there will be criticism of BO because he meant well.
When our Constitution becomes just words on old parchment, our liberties become part of the "good ole days", and the citizens of the great USA become full-fledged slaves to our government; BO, Queen Nancy, and the Hairy Reed will be lifted up as heroes because they meant well.
I am not sure where BO has established "peace", it was not here in this country!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Blog notice
For those of you following the War Journal. I just posted again, but it was placed lower on the page. So, since I wanted to let you know where 10/7 could be found, I went ahead and added 10/8, which is also down the page. These posted according to when I added the draft entry, instead of today, when I finally posted them.
Also, just wanted to get an idea of how many are enjoying these postings. I have more photos to add as we go along.
Also, just wanted to get an idea of how many are enjoying these postings. I have more photos to add as we go along.
Compassion
I thought I would share a little poem I wrote for Sandee.
I'll hold you when it hurts,
I'll comfort when you cry,
I'll be right beside you,
Til the day that I die.
And if you need your space,
And pull your hand away,
I'll stalk you from a distance,
All along the way.
I'll hold you when it hurts,
I'll comfort when you cry,
I'll be right beside you,
Til the day that I die.
And if you need your space,
And pull your hand away,
I'll stalk you from a distance,
All along the way.
Monday, October 5, 2009
The Race Card
I don't know about you, but I do not consider myself to be racist. Yet, I continue to hear accusations leveled against those who think just like me, that they are racist.
X-Pres. Jimbo Carter recently blurted out that having an opinion that is against the healthcare reform is a clear sign that you are a racist. What? Yep, you are a racist! How does he get from point A to point B? Easy, BO is black when he wants to be, and if you disagree with him, it must be because of the half of him that is darker than you are. It cannot be that you just disagree with him and his policies. You are a bloody racist!
If you went to or supported the "tea parities" this past few months, you are a blooming racist! If you attended meetings with your representative in August, yep, if you did not support the cRats, you are a stinking racist!
It is beginning to appear that the deck is stacked against us. Of the "57 states", at least 50 of them are filled with radical, right-wing racists. I wonder if any of the cards in the cRat's deck say anything except "Racist". All I know, is they keep playing the same card over and over again.
This raises a question. Will playing the race card so much and so often, backfire on them? When they reach in their pocket and pull out the same old card, over and over again, and in most cases where it does not apply at all, will it lose it's effectiveness? Will the public tire of hearing them trump the stack with another race card? Will we all start ignoring them due to their lack of imagination?
Even more, will the election of the first zebra-striped president become, instead of a sign of little actual racism in America, an event that we all regret. Having elected a "black" president has resulted in the race card being thrown in our faces instead of them burning the deck that is not needed any longer.
If the Left does not reign in the wackos and tuck the race cards away for awhile, I believe there is a good chance it could all backfire on them. We may all get so tired of race being an accusation on a daily basis, that we learn not to set this scenario up again. We may regret having a black president so much that we will not make that mistake again.
Note to the Left: Try having a logical argument. Everyone who disagrees with you and BO is not a racist. If you cannot defend your position without playing that card, go home, shut-up and listen to some good ole' conservative talk radio. You just might learn something.
X-Pres. Jimbo Carter recently blurted out that having an opinion that is against the healthcare reform is a clear sign that you are a racist. What? Yep, you are a racist! How does he get from point A to point B? Easy, BO is black when he wants to be, and if you disagree with him, it must be because of the half of him that is darker than you are. It cannot be that you just disagree with him and his policies. You are a bloody racist!
If you went to or supported the "tea parities" this past few months, you are a blooming racist! If you attended meetings with your representative in August, yep, if you did not support the cRats, you are a stinking racist!
It is beginning to appear that the deck is stacked against us. Of the "57 states", at least 50 of them are filled with radical, right-wing racists. I wonder if any of the cards in the cRat's deck say anything except "Racist". All I know, is they keep playing the same card over and over again.
This raises a question. Will playing the race card so much and so often, backfire on them? When they reach in their pocket and pull out the same old card, over and over again, and in most cases where it does not apply at all, will it lose it's effectiveness? Will the public tire of hearing them trump the stack with another race card? Will we all start ignoring them due to their lack of imagination?
Even more, will the election of the first zebra-striped president become, instead of a sign of little actual racism in America, an event that we all regret. Having elected a "black" president has resulted in the race card being thrown in our faces instead of them burning the deck that is not needed any longer.
If the Left does not reign in the wackos and tuck the race cards away for awhile, I believe there is a good chance it could all backfire on them. We may all get so tired of race being an accusation on a daily basis, that we learn not to set this scenario up again. We may regret having a black president so much that we will not make that mistake again.
Note to the Left: Try having a logical argument. Everyone who disagrees with you and BO is not a racist. If you cannot defend your position without playing that card, go home, shut-up and listen to some good ole' conservative talk radio. You just might learn something.
Which Sister are You?
Forgetting the gender implications, which sister are you?
Are you a Mary or a Martha?
If Jesus stopped by your house for a short visit, where would you spend the time? Would you be in the kitchen preparing dinner for your guest? Would you be sitting on the floor, beside the footstool where he was resting his feet? Would you be out rounding up the neighbors? Would you be gone to the store? Where would you be found?
Not to promote laziness or irresponsibility, but there will always be chores to do. We never seem to run out of work that needs to be done, now. So remember, when you do it to the least of His children, you do it unto Him! When God places that situation right in front of you, which sister will you be?
Which brother are you? Will you be out changing His oil and checking the tires? Will you be sitting there trying to hear every word from His mouth? As He looks at you, straining to hear over the sound of clanging pans from the kitchen, He tells you, "I can take care of that for you." At first, you think He is going to silence those in the kitchen, but then you realize that those hearing problems are gone! Not only that, but that pain in your hip is gone, too.
Which one are you? Which one will you be later tonight or first thing tomorrow morning? When the dishes and laundry are calling you, when paying the bills just has to be done, when the warm bed is begging you to stay. Where will you be found? Will the TV be on or will you be on your knees? Will you have a good book in your lap or have the Good Book in your lap?
It is far too easy for me to put off sitting there and listening to Jesus. For some reason, I convince myself that this other thing needs to be done, first; then second; then third... Before I know it, Jesus is down the street talking to others and I am still there buried in chores and hardly realize He has moved on.
What would we hear if we stopped everything else and sat there listening? What has He been waiting to share with us? What is that verse that will give you peace today? How will He catch your attention when the spouse or kids have trouble getting through to you?
Maybe that's why He demands that we put him First!
Are you a Mary or a Martha?
If Jesus stopped by your house for a short visit, where would you spend the time? Would you be in the kitchen preparing dinner for your guest? Would you be sitting on the floor, beside the footstool where he was resting his feet? Would you be out rounding up the neighbors? Would you be gone to the store? Where would you be found?
Not to promote laziness or irresponsibility, but there will always be chores to do. We never seem to run out of work that needs to be done, now. So remember, when you do it to the least of His children, you do it unto Him! When God places that situation right in front of you, which sister will you be?
Which brother are you? Will you be out changing His oil and checking the tires? Will you be sitting there trying to hear every word from His mouth? As He looks at you, straining to hear over the sound of clanging pans from the kitchen, He tells you, "I can take care of that for you." At first, you think He is going to silence those in the kitchen, but then you realize that those hearing problems are gone! Not only that, but that pain in your hip is gone, too.
Which one are you? Which one will you be later tonight or first thing tomorrow morning? When the dishes and laundry are calling you, when paying the bills just has to be done, when the warm bed is begging you to stay. Where will you be found? Will the TV be on or will you be on your knees? Will you have a good book in your lap or have the Good Book in your lap?
It is far too easy for me to put off sitting there and listening to Jesus. For some reason, I convince myself that this other thing needs to be done, first; then second; then third... Before I know it, Jesus is down the street talking to others and I am still there buried in chores and hardly realize He has moved on.
What would we hear if we stopped everything else and sat there listening? What has He been waiting to share with us? What is that verse that will give you peace today? How will He catch your attention when the spouse or kids have trouble getting through to you?
Maybe that's why He demands that we put him First!
Something is Creeping Up!
You may wonder what my hand has to do with anything. Well it is not the fact that it is a hand, but the fact that it is an ageing hand. The other day, I was struck by what I saw when I really looked at my hand.It seems like it was just a few months ago that the skin on my hand was fairly smooth. Now, all of a sudden, my hand is full of wrinkles and getting brown spots. My knuckles are starting to show some bending in undesirable directions. My fingernails show the ever present sign of "the fungus". When I pull on the loose skin on the back of my hand, it sort of stands there awhile before settling back down.
How did this happen? I have always prided myself on being the only one from my high school class who has not aged! By our 50th reunion, I probably will not be able to truthfully say that anymore.
I remember turning 40. That was not that long ago. Just recently, I turned 50. As of a couple weeks ago, I am officially "turning 60" and on the countdown during this next six months.
This past weekend, Dad mentioned that he feels like he peaked, physically, around the age of 45. If that is generally true, that means I am 1/3 of the way back down the shady side. Not only that, but the more I descend, the steeper it gets and the faster I slide.
It is not just my body that seems to be ageing. I now find myself referring to people in their 40's as kids. I believe that is a sign of a mindset shift. I have begun to think about what I would be doing if I were retired. All of the choices sound good.
So, as I proceed towards the really big "6-0", maybe you will help me keep track of where I am. After all, the memory is not quite as sharp as it used to be. As next March approaches, wear black in celebration of the occasion and if you are in the neighborhood, plan on attending the surprise BD party I am throwing myself.
Boom or Bust?
Remember in 2005, when everything was going gang-busters; unemployment was very low, work was plentiful, people were shopping and buying, the economy was booming, the stock market was making people rich, home prices were rising giving people equity for the future?
It seemed that everyone was doing good with one exception, people who were not homeowners were finding it harder to buy a starter home.
What was the official response? Our government and the Feds kept telling us the "bubble" was going to burst. Did they try to stop the burst? No, they tried to cause it!
First, they controlled a situation where they lowered interest rates for mortgages to record low levels. This made it possible for people to sell and buy a larger or nicer home, or to even buy second homes. This caused demand to soar, thus causing prices to climb. The government also acted like it was a "right" that every American should be a homeowner. This helped demand to even be stronger, putting more pressure on prices. As the demand continued to grow, construction boomed to add supply, and just about everyone was doing fairly well.
Instead of slowing things down a little, our dear leaders decided to put measures in effect that would bring things to a grinding halt. Lending funds dried up, qualifying became harder, interest rates rose, construction slowed and almost stopped, sales were almost non-existent, jobs were lost, equity vanished into thin air, stocks tumbled, banks failed, foreclosures increased, etc.
The boom has turned into bust... We probably have one out of every eight workers in the country out of a job. Thousands of families have lost their homes. People are struggling to make ends meet.
This brings the logical question: Were we better off in the boom, that government succeeded in busting, or are we better off in the ensuing bust?
It seemed that everyone was doing good with one exception, people who were not homeowners were finding it harder to buy a starter home.
What was the official response? Our government and the Feds kept telling us the "bubble" was going to burst. Did they try to stop the burst? No, they tried to cause it!
First, they controlled a situation where they lowered interest rates for mortgages to record low levels. This made it possible for people to sell and buy a larger or nicer home, or to even buy second homes. This caused demand to soar, thus causing prices to climb. The government also acted like it was a "right" that every American should be a homeowner. This helped demand to even be stronger, putting more pressure on prices. As the demand continued to grow, construction boomed to add supply, and just about everyone was doing fairly well.
Instead of slowing things down a little, our dear leaders decided to put measures in effect that would bring things to a grinding halt. Lending funds dried up, qualifying became harder, interest rates rose, construction slowed and almost stopped, sales were almost non-existent, jobs were lost, equity vanished into thin air, stocks tumbled, banks failed, foreclosures increased, etc.
The boom has turned into bust... We probably have one out of every eight workers in the country out of a job. Thousands of families have lost their homes. People are struggling to make ends meet.
This brings the logical question: Were we better off in the boom, that government succeeded in busting, or are we better off in the ensuing bust?
War Journal - Oct. 8, 1944
8-Oct
Sunday
Rained all morning - no mission today. They fly a few paper missions out of here every day but that is all due to weather. They have been getting plenty opposition - both flak and fighters. Went to church in a tent this morning - I felt better for having gone. Looked over some wrecked ME109's this afternoon & hauled firewood for the mess hall.
Sunday
Rained all morning - no mission today. They fly a few paper missions out of here every day but that is all due to weather. They have been getting plenty opposition - both flak and fighters. Went to church in a tent this morning - I felt better for having gone. Looked over some wrecked ME109's this afternoon & hauled firewood for the mess hall.
War Journal - Oct. 7, 1944
7-Oct
Saturday
Back on alert today - but still raining! Plenty mud everywhere! Spent the day on the end of a shovel. The Germans did a wonderful job of destroying this field. All combat crews here pull KP-Guard duty - & work details continually unless flying - regardless of rank. A shed has been set up to eat under now - food has improved considerably & we will soon have light (rationed) & water (?). Finished the floor to our tent today. Those without floors are living & sleeping in a watery slush! A 16mm show is setup in one of the hangers - saw "White Cargo" tonight. Will be very glad when there are lights so we can read & write.
Saturday
Back on alert today - but still raining! Plenty mud everywhere! Spent the day on the end of a shovel. The Germans did a wonderful job of destroying this field. All combat crews here pull KP-Guard duty - & work details continually unless flying - regardless of rank. A shed has been set up to eat under now - food has improved considerably & we will soon have light (rationed) & water (?). Finished the floor to our tent today. Those without floors are living & sleeping in a watery slush! A 16mm show is setup in one of the hangers - saw "White Cargo" tonight. Will be very glad when there are lights so we can read & write.
War Journal - Oct. 5, 1944
Oct 5-6
Thur-Friday
Off operations both days - I spent both days on the end of a pick & shovel. Getting a lot of exercise these days. Started to make a training flight but our plane sunk in a bomb crater almost two feet in the taxi strip. Took all afternoon to get the ship out. There is not a spot here that mud is less than ankle deep. - It takes at least an hour a day to get firewood.
Thur-Friday
Off operations both days - I spent both days on the end of a pick & shovel. Getting a lot of exercise these days. Started to make a training flight but our plane sunk in a bomb crater almost two feet in the taxi strip. Took all afternoon to get the ship out. There is not a spot here that mud is less than ankle deep. - It takes at least an hour a day to get firewood.
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