Another posting of various political items of interest:
1. Sen. Lindsey Graham (Rhino) asked Janet Nappy, "Is the border secure?" After she tried to redirect her statement to something else, he asked her again. She then said that this is a hard question to answer. He told her that it is a simple question that only requires a yes or no answer. So, he asked her again, "Is the border secure?" Nappy's answer, "That's not a fair question."
When Nappy was the Gov of AZ and Bush was the Pres in DC, she had the same concern (at least outwardly) as she believed taking a stance against open borders was politically savvy. Now that the border is her responsibility, she promotes an open border, has taken steps to weaken enforcement and has stopped the building of a fence.
The question was "not a fair question" only because a truthful answer would publicly be an admission of the failed federal policies. A "fair question" would have made her and BO look good and that is the only type of question the media is supposed to ask. Her problem, this time, was that it was not the media asking, but a Senator who sees an opportunity to ride a popular wave.
2. Have I told you that NY is bailing out the "off-track betting" industry? Yes, it is true!
3. Get ready for "Cap and Trade" environmental legislation. The Dems have this on the agenda and fully intend to get it into law, one way or another.
One provision in this bill - there will be a tax on newly or redeveloped parcels of land. The tax will be on the amount of rain water runoff and will be enforced by the EPA.
Another provision - beginning one year after passage, government approved and trained inspectors will come to do an inspection on your house. This will be mandatory before you will be allowed to sell your house. The inspector will rate your home for how environmental efficient it is. Your insulation, furnace, air conditioner, water heater, windows and appliances will all be graded. The home will receive an overall rating. If the rating is not up to the standard that Washington will establish, you will not be allowed to sell your home before you bring it up to these standards.
These are serious, but they are not even the most serious problems with this bill. The more serious aspects will tax businesses out of existence and place much more control over our economy in the hands of the Federal Government.
4. Do you want Puerto Rico to be the 51st state? Tomorrow, the House will vote on a bill that, if passed, would require a "yes" or "no" vote by the residents of PR. Three times in the past, PR has voted against becoming a state. This bill would change the wording so that the question will not be whether or not they want to become a state, but, will ask them to vote on whether or not they want to maintain their current status. A "no" vote could mean various things to the voters but will be accepted as a "yes" vote in DC as to PR wanting to be a state.
Why do the Dems want PR to be a state? The simple answer is "votes". The Left is confident that PR will send two more Dems to the Senate and more Dems to the House. It is all about the Left maintaining power and control.
This bill has been set up so that anyone who opposes it in Congress will be called a racist.
This is being pushed by a political party in PR who wants "statehood" and "social justice".
5. Home foreclosures in AZ, in February, amounted to one house out of every 162. Only Nevada has a higher rate.
6. BO "no new taxes" on anyone who makes less than $250,000 per year. Remember that promise made over and over again in the campaign? How about the one, "everyone who makes less than $100,000 per year will get a tax cut"?
His "tax cut" amounted to a change in the withholding tables so that the net amount in a pay check was slightly higher. As I warned at that time, that is not a tax cut, but a tax deferral. Now, the IRS has issued a warning to employees that tells them to go to their employer and increase their withholding so that they will have enough withheld to cover their tax bill.
Various new laws that have already been passed have new taxes, so his other promise has also been broken. But, BO is not through. On the table, right now, is a Value Added Tax (VAT), which is a national sales tax. The Right has considered this in the past as an alternative to the Income Tax. The Left wants the VAT in addition to the current Income Tax. Not only that, but next year everyone's Income Taxes will go up with the expiration of the Bush tax cuts.
7. AZ has a new anti-illegal immigration law that will take effect this summer. Even though no one is enforcing the law that is not in effect, yet; we are hearing of made-up examples of how Hispanics have already been victims of this new law. This law is for AZ alone, but you would not know that by the reaction across the country and from other countries. The loud voices in the media are crying foul with the same old tag, "racist". This law is so bad that three more states have announced that they want a law like this.
BO has weighed in against this law and belittled it and launched his administration against it, trying to find a way to stop it from taking effect. Why? Because BO and the others on the Left know they need the vote of illegals in order to have a better chance of winning elections. If laws like this one spread across the nation, many of the illegal aliens will go home and not be here to illegally vote.
Folks, the good ol' US of A is past being on a slippery slope, it is almost in a free-fall.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Irreconcilable Differences
Is there any divorce that would meet with God's approval? What if the two sides realized that they will never, ever get along again? Remember, God hates divorce. Marriage is a uniting of two into one. Divorce is the taking of that one and tearing it into two, again. It was never meant to be.
But, what if the irreconcilable differences were not concerning the marriage relationship? What if the divorce had to do with Left vs Right? What if the union being divided was the Union? Would God have an opinion on a national divorce? They tried this once, back in the 1860's. It resulted in the Civil War being fought over states rights (the cause of the south) and slavery (the cause of the north). After four years of killing, the Union was preserved. Since we know that God is in control, we must recognize that the outcome of the Civil War was God's will. Would we have to physically fight each other in America in order to find God's will, again?
Maybe your solution would be a healthy dose of union counseling. We could all lay our emotions on the table and just try to be more understanding and not so dogmatic in getting our own way.
Maybe a duel could solve the issue. Each side would each pick one person and these two would have a sword fight - winner takes all.
Maybe we could have an election. Oh wait, we have already been doing that and look where we are. If the right wins, the Left will claim the Right stole the election. If the Left wins, the Right will know that the Left cheated.
What do we do? Ten paces, turn and shoot? Have a drawing for a winning philosophy? Stand across a field in Virginia and shoot at each other? No matter what course we choose, the winner will claim victory and the loser will not accept the results.
"Irreconcilable differences" is just what it says, there are differences in the way each side wants to take this country that do not work together. They are mutually exclusive. They cannot exist side-by-side.
So, what do we do? Maybe it is time for the great, national experiment. Split! Go our separate ways! Part in peace and wish the best to each other. There could be the United Coastal Liberal America (UCLA) made up of Hawaii, the west coast states, the northeast states, D.C. and we will throw in New Mexico. The remainder of the states, Alaska, the mountain and central states, and the southeast states could become American States United (ASU).
This could be done without firing a shot, which would be good for UCLA as they have few states where they actually have guns. We could form trade agreements where the workers in ASU could sell to the entitlement class in UCLA. Since the UCLA population will not be manufacturing anything and all of their jobs will be government or service related, once in a while we could go on vacation to the coast and let them pamper us for a few days until we longed for the smell of freedom and went back home to ASU.
Clearly, there would be an initial population shift to get the socialists all located in UCLA and rescue the the producers, business owners, doctors, manufacturing companies, etc from the territories where they are despised. Once the settling-in was complete, let the experiment begin.
The Left could go socialist, Marxist, fascist, communist; just as far as they want. They would have no resistance and their leaders could quickly establish rulership over their masses in the lower class.
The Right could re-establish a republican form of government (rule of law), find the last known copy of the Constitution and reinstate it's principles. We may have to have a few amendments to make some minor changes that will ensure that what begins good will stay that way and not slide to the left as what happened in the former USA. As ASU will have the lovers of God, supporters of national defense, low taxes, non-union workers, limited government influence; and of course freedom; I believe we would be just fine without L.A., San Francisco, D.C., New York, etc.
ASU could actually close the borders instead of just talk about it. But, of course, we would have borders on all four sides that we would have to close. We don't want illegal aliens from California or New York trying to get in without our permission.
Let's see, would ASU have what it needs for survival?
military - check
farm, ranch land and forests - check
oil, natural gas and coal - check
air bases, naval yards, army bases - check
freedom to drill for additional sources of energy - check
hunting and fishing - check
booming economy with production jobs - check
no national debt - check
like-minded people who are willing to work for a paycheck - check
no Obama, Pelosi, Reed, Clinton - a big check
What would we be missing?
free-loader entitlement-minded goof-balls - check
high taxes - check
"Big Brother" - check
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote that irreconcilable differences can make it "necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another." He also understood that "whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends (life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness), it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles."
We love you Leftists, we just hate how you think and what you are doing. Go in peace and may the best country win.
But, what if the irreconcilable differences were not concerning the marriage relationship? What if the divorce had to do with Left vs Right? What if the union being divided was the Union? Would God have an opinion on a national divorce? They tried this once, back in the 1860's. It resulted in the Civil War being fought over states rights (the cause of the south) and slavery (the cause of the north). After four years of killing, the Union was preserved. Since we know that God is in control, we must recognize that the outcome of the Civil War was God's will. Would we have to physically fight each other in America in order to find God's will, again?
Maybe your solution would be a healthy dose of union counseling. We could all lay our emotions on the table and just try to be more understanding and not so dogmatic in getting our own way.
Maybe a duel could solve the issue. Each side would each pick one person and these two would have a sword fight - winner takes all.
Maybe we could have an election. Oh wait, we have already been doing that and look where we are. If the right wins, the Left will claim the Right stole the election. If the Left wins, the Right will know that the Left cheated.
What do we do? Ten paces, turn and shoot? Have a drawing for a winning philosophy? Stand across a field in Virginia and shoot at each other? No matter what course we choose, the winner will claim victory and the loser will not accept the results.
"Irreconcilable differences" is just what it says, there are differences in the way each side wants to take this country that do not work together. They are mutually exclusive. They cannot exist side-by-side.
So, what do we do? Maybe it is time for the great, national experiment. Split! Go our separate ways! Part in peace and wish the best to each other. There could be the United Coastal Liberal America (UCLA) made up of Hawaii, the west coast states, the northeast states, D.C. and we will throw in New Mexico. The remainder of the states, Alaska, the mountain and central states, and the southeast states could become American States United (ASU).
This could be done without firing a shot, which would be good for UCLA as they have few states where they actually have guns. We could form trade agreements where the workers in ASU could sell to the entitlement class in UCLA. Since the UCLA population will not be manufacturing anything and all of their jobs will be government or service related, once in a while we could go on vacation to the coast and let them pamper us for a few days until we longed for the smell of freedom and went back home to ASU.
Clearly, there would be an initial population shift to get the socialists all located in UCLA and rescue the the producers, business owners, doctors, manufacturing companies, etc from the territories where they are despised. Once the settling-in was complete, let the experiment begin.
The Left could go socialist, Marxist, fascist, communist; just as far as they want. They would have no resistance and their leaders could quickly establish rulership over their masses in the lower class.
The Right could re-establish a republican form of government (rule of law), find the last known copy of the Constitution and reinstate it's principles. We may have to have a few amendments to make some minor changes that will ensure that what begins good will stay that way and not slide to the left as what happened in the former USA. As ASU will have the lovers of God, supporters of national defense, low taxes, non-union workers, limited government influence; and of course freedom; I believe we would be just fine without L.A., San Francisco, D.C., New York, etc.
ASU could actually close the borders instead of just talk about it. But, of course, we would have borders on all four sides that we would have to close. We don't want illegal aliens from California or New York trying to get in without our permission.
Let's see, would ASU have what it needs for survival?
military - check
farm, ranch land and forests - check
oil, natural gas and coal - check
air bases, naval yards, army bases - check
freedom to drill for additional sources of energy - check
hunting and fishing - check
booming economy with production jobs - check
no national debt - check
like-minded people who are willing to work for a paycheck - check
no Obama, Pelosi, Reed, Clinton - a big check
What would we be missing?
free-loader entitlement-minded goof-balls - check
high taxes - check
"Big Brother" - check
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote that irreconcilable differences can make it "necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another." He also understood that "whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends (life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness), it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles."
We love you Leftists, we just hate how you think and what you are doing. Go in peace and may the best country win.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
ARIZONA
Arizona appears to be getting aggressive as they deal with some conservative, political issues.
1. This month the Governor signed into law the right for any law-abiding citizen, over the age of 21, who is not a prohibited possessor of a firearm; to carry a concealed weapon without a concealed carry permit. AZ joins only two other states with similar laws.
2. The legislature is working on a bill that would stop the federal government from interfering in the manufacture and sale of guns within the borders of AZ. This would apply to guns made in the state and then sold in the state. Interstate commerce rules would not apply, so the federal government has no right to control the sale or require checks or registration.
3. The legislature is working on a "birther bill". If it passes, before any candidate for president can be placed on the ballot in AZ, they must produce a certified copy of their birth certificate. If Obama does not do this, he would not be on the AZ ballot when he runs for re-election.
4. Presently, on the Governor's desk is an anti-illegal immigration bill. If it becomes law during the next couple days, it would require local law enforcement officers to check the immigration status of person detained for other reasons and who demonstrate reasonable cause for the inquiry. If officers do not follow this law, they can be sued by the public. The law would also establish a state law that would make someone being in AZ, illegally, guilty of trespassing and they can be arrested and charged with a crime.
5. A bill is in process to establish a constitutional right for residents of AZ to hunt and fish. This would preempt what some other states are facing where groups are fighting to stop the right to hunt and fish.
Good things happen when you have a legislature controlled by conservative Republicans and a Republican Governor.
1. This month the Governor signed into law the right for any law-abiding citizen, over the age of 21, who is not a prohibited possessor of a firearm; to carry a concealed weapon without a concealed carry permit. AZ joins only two other states with similar laws.
2. The legislature is working on a bill that would stop the federal government from interfering in the manufacture and sale of guns within the borders of AZ. This would apply to guns made in the state and then sold in the state. Interstate commerce rules would not apply, so the federal government has no right to control the sale or require checks or registration.
3. The legislature is working on a "birther bill". If it passes, before any candidate for president can be placed on the ballot in AZ, they must produce a certified copy of their birth certificate. If Obama does not do this, he would not be on the AZ ballot when he runs for re-election.
4. Presently, on the Governor's desk is an anti-illegal immigration bill. If it becomes law during the next couple days, it would require local law enforcement officers to check the immigration status of person detained for other reasons and who demonstrate reasonable cause for the inquiry. If officers do not follow this law, they can be sued by the public. The law would also establish a state law that would make someone being in AZ, illegally, guilty of trespassing and they can be arrested and charged with a crime.
5. A bill is in process to establish a constitutional right for residents of AZ to hunt and fish. This would preempt what some other states are facing where groups are fighting to stop the right to hunt and fish.
Good things happen when you have a legislature controlled by conservative Republicans and a Republican Governor.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
One Small Step for Man...
Most of us know the last half of the line, "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". These words were uttered for the whole world to hear as the first human foot stepped onto the surface of the moon.
Currently, we have a new ending for the first line, One small step for man, one giant kick in the gut by your government." For the past 14 months, we have been bombarded with non-stop attacks on a daily basis. These attacks are not from a foreign enemy, they are domestic. If they were foreign, we Americans have always been able to come together and put up a good fight, but they are not. The American way of life is under attack from other Americans who want to see "change". Instead of bringing us together, the attacks are designed to drive us apart. There is a giant chasm forming in America, between the Right and the Left. Anyone who considers himself to be a "moderate" or an "undecided" is either having to choose sides or they are being swallowed up by the black hole in the middle.
The modern political discourse has gone far beyond gentlemen's disagreements or fundamental differences in views. America is engaged in a political war. From the correspondent's vantage point, it appears that it is going to be a "winner take all" outcome.
If someone had told me that America was about to be reshaped, I would have hoped that the exercise would result in a slimmed down version of the glutton that government had become. But, no, we are getting a government who only knows how to binge. They binge on the results of the hard work of their citizens. Their appetite only increases as they devour one foe after another, take over one industry after another, and impose one tax after another. They are getting so darn fat that if there ever is a purge, hope you are on vacation in Alaska at the time - it will be ugly!
I have written about the second American Revolution (ARII). We are smack dab in the middle of it, like it our not. So far, the only thing missing is the shot heard around the world. We have the government imposing new regulations and taxes. We have the protests. We have a Tea Party. We have many Paul Reveres sounding the alarm.
The administration and congressional leadership has clearly shown that they have no intention on yielding to the will of the majority of the people or following the restrictions of the Constitution. That rules out a democracy (rule by majority) and a republic (rule by law). Where does that leave us? We have a tyrant of a President who resembles more of a dictator and ruler than a public servant of the people. We are experiencing rule by force and bribery. If you stand in the way of this guy and his cronies, they will try to run right over you. If you support this guy, you will be rewarded with a bailout.
Elections do have consequences, as we are so often reminded by Senator McCain. (I wish he would follow the lead of the Ford Maverick and go into retirement.) We have an entitlement-minded Left who has been dumbed-down to a point of believing hollow rhetoric slogans such as "hope and change" and "yes we can". We have a racist bunch of idiots whose excitement over a man is based on the color of his skin instead of the content of his character.
Folks, we are in a mess and it is getting worse by the day. If the Right does not treat this as a war for the very survival of a free America, we will lose. The Republic will be lost forever and along with it, our liberties.
We have six months to fight this war. Come November, we either send the Left home or we lose. It is "winner-take-all"!!! The future of our country hangs on this next election. During these months, there will be numerous battles. We must be ready to do what it takes to fight and win a good deal of them. Our enemy has demonstrated that they will not hold anything back-they do have the attitude that "winning is everything" and they will do whatever they have to do in order to win. If we do not take it as serious as they are, we will lose. If we on the Right split our vote, we will lose.
The pep rally is over, it's time to sing the "Fight Song"!
Currently, we have a new ending for the first line, One small step for man, one giant kick in the gut by your government." For the past 14 months, we have been bombarded with non-stop attacks on a daily basis. These attacks are not from a foreign enemy, they are domestic. If they were foreign, we Americans have always been able to come together and put up a good fight, but they are not. The American way of life is under attack from other Americans who want to see "change". Instead of bringing us together, the attacks are designed to drive us apart. There is a giant chasm forming in America, between the Right and the Left. Anyone who considers himself to be a "moderate" or an "undecided" is either having to choose sides or they are being swallowed up by the black hole in the middle.
The modern political discourse has gone far beyond gentlemen's disagreements or fundamental differences in views. America is engaged in a political war. From the correspondent's vantage point, it appears that it is going to be a "winner take all" outcome.
If someone had told me that America was about to be reshaped, I would have hoped that the exercise would result in a slimmed down version of the glutton that government had become. But, no, we are getting a government who only knows how to binge. They binge on the results of the hard work of their citizens. Their appetite only increases as they devour one foe after another, take over one industry after another, and impose one tax after another. They are getting so darn fat that if there ever is a purge, hope you are on vacation in Alaska at the time - it will be ugly!
I have written about the second American Revolution (ARII). We are smack dab in the middle of it, like it our not. So far, the only thing missing is the shot heard around the world. We have the government imposing new regulations and taxes. We have the protests. We have a Tea Party. We have many Paul Reveres sounding the alarm.
The administration and congressional leadership has clearly shown that they have no intention on yielding to the will of the majority of the people or following the restrictions of the Constitution. That rules out a democracy (rule by majority) and a republic (rule by law). Where does that leave us? We have a tyrant of a President who resembles more of a dictator and ruler than a public servant of the people. We are experiencing rule by force and bribery. If you stand in the way of this guy and his cronies, they will try to run right over you. If you support this guy, you will be rewarded with a bailout.
Elections do have consequences, as we are so often reminded by Senator McCain. (I wish he would follow the lead of the Ford Maverick and go into retirement.) We have an entitlement-minded Left who has been dumbed-down to a point of believing hollow rhetoric slogans such as "hope and change" and "yes we can". We have a racist bunch of idiots whose excitement over a man is based on the color of his skin instead of the content of his character.
Folks, we are in a mess and it is getting worse by the day. If the Right does not treat this as a war for the very survival of a free America, we will lose. The Republic will be lost forever and along with it, our liberties.
We have six months to fight this war. Come November, we either send the Left home or we lose. It is "winner-take-all"!!! The future of our country hangs on this next election. During these months, there will be numerous battles. We must be ready to do what it takes to fight and win a good deal of them. Our enemy has demonstrated that they will not hold anything back-they do have the attitude that "winning is everything" and they will do whatever they have to do in order to win. If we do not take it as serious as they are, we will lose. If we on the Right split our vote, we will lose.
The pep rally is over, it's time to sing the "Fight Song"!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Foxhole Conversions
Most of us are familiar with "foxhole conversions". As the phrase implies, these changes in attitude or devotion result from a near-death experience.
When soldiers are "dug-in", sweating and dodging bullets, laying in the mud and blood, looking death in the eye, and facing the enemy on all fronts; there is a tendency to pray. These may be men who never took the time before, even doubted that there was a real God; but, in dire circumstances, are willing to try anything. They put their face in their greasy, muddy hands and cry out, "God, if you are real, save me! If you will get me out of this alive, I will follow you."
These are desperate cries for help from the helpless. They turn to God when there is no one else who can deliver them from certain doom. A cry cracks the darkness and splinters the silence! "Help me, oh God!" They are beyond themselves and any ability, talents or wisdom that they may have relied upon in the past to get them out of this hopelessness. They do not add conditions, other than deliverance. "Save me and I will follow!" Save me, deliver me, help me oh God for I see my helplessness. I realize that I am unable to deliver the salvation I need so desperately.
"Foxhole conversions" - are they real? Do they last? Are they thought of again, once deliverance is granted?
Not all such "conversions", as the term is used, relate to a literal life and death situation. But it is a term that relates to a cry of desperation, a plea for help from a God who never seemed important before. A granted request in exchange for a promise - let's make a deal.
Not all "last minute" cries to a previously unneeded God are the typical "foxhole" type. Some actually do cry out to God, as they are near death, and see the truth in the Savior and their sincere need. Remember the thief on the cross next to Jesus. That is just about as hopeless of a situation as you will find. He did not ask for deliverance from the situation, but for salvation from his spiritual state. He was dead spiritually and would soon be physically. He knew what was just in front of him, but he wanted what was just beside him - Jesus. "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." A cry from the point of helplessness, but no bargain offered. Just a lost man in need of forgiveness, love and deliverance. There was no, "if" and "then" involved.
What happens to the benefactors of deliverance in foxholes? I would expect that with many, since God was not needed in their busy lives before, He was immediately forgotten once the threat subsided and the man realized that he was going to walk away, after all. "Wow, that was a close one! I even prayed, ha ha ha!" I would also imagine that some would lie on their back, look towards heaven and cry and cry and cry. If they let themselves, they would admit that the God of their mothers had heard and answered their feeble prayer. As they walk away, they hold in their heart a gratefulness to a living God. They do not forget and they turn to follow Him and serve him with the days given to them, back there in the mud.
Have you had a "foxhole conversion"? Did it take? Have you had a conversion at all? What does it take to be converted?
You may believe that you have never been in such a position of need as to cry out to God for deliverance. So far, you have made it pretty well on your own. You make a decision to say that prayer if you ever find yourself in a desperate situation that you cannot handle. The "prayer" is your "ace-in-the-hole". You will pull it out if you ever need it and walk away the winner.
You fool! First of all, you do not know the day or hour that death will knock on your door. You may never have the time to reach into your vest pocket and pull your ace. You may be granted just the split second to look up from the cards you have been dealt and realize your adversary is the devil. In the blink of an eye it could be too late and your eternity has been determined. Second of all, God is not mocked! He will not call your name forever. He will not operate on your schedule or be dependant on you finding a time of need.
You fool! God does not need you, you need God! You may not be in a foxhole, or facing physical death in the next hour, but you are in a desperate situation. You may not know it, but you already are helpless and hopeless. If you do not cry out to God, in sincerity, you will face Him one day as the Judge who will condemn you to eternity in hell.
You must be converted - for real! What does this mean? It means to admit your utter helplessness. It means to recognize your need for a Savior who can deliver you from a life of sin. You may respond that you are not all that bad, in fact you have been pretty darn good. God tells us there is none righteous among all the people of the earth - no, not one. No, not even you. There is only one way to heaven and it is through Jesus. You cannot earn it or deserve it. You must come to God according to His plan of salvation, and that is through the death, burial and resurrection of His Son, Jesus.
When you are ready to stop playing Russian roulette, hoping that death is more than a finger-pull away, turn to Jesus. Conversion is not a person turning to God for a "get-out-of-hell-free" card. You are not converted just because you do not want to go to the lake of fire, forever. God offers a package deal. You take it or you leave it. He will be your Savior only if He can also be your Lord. This means that you must surrender your life to God; for Him to direct, guide and use as He sees fit.
"Wow, that is expecting an awful lot from me! Do you mean that I will no longer be running my life according to what I want?" Yes, that is exactly what I mean. God will not share lordship of your life. "If I do this, what will I lose and what will I gain?" The best answer to that is found in the Bible. The Apostle Paul wrote that everything that he lost could not be compared to what he had gained in knowing and following Jesus. I admit, it is a leap of faith. You step out from the crowd and submit your life into the hands of the living God. You profess your trust in Him and you follow on the adventure of a lifetime.
Conversion is through faith, faith in God and the completed work of His Son, Jesus. "Isn't following Jesus, works?" No, following Jesus is obedience. All the works in the world will not get you saved from damnation. You believe and you obey, you follow and you find a love beyond description, a peace beyond understanding and a hope for forever. A walk with God is out of this world!
When soldiers are "dug-in", sweating and dodging bullets, laying in the mud and blood, looking death in the eye, and facing the enemy on all fronts; there is a tendency to pray. These may be men who never took the time before, even doubted that there was a real God; but, in dire circumstances, are willing to try anything. They put their face in their greasy, muddy hands and cry out, "God, if you are real, save me! If you will get me out of this alive, I will follow you."
These are desperate cries for help from the helpless. They turn to God when there is no one else who can deliver them from certain doom. A cry cracks the darkness and splinters the silence! "Help me, oh God!" They are beyond themselves and any ability, talents or wisdom that they may have relied upon in the past to get them out of this hopelessness. They do not add conditions, other than deliverance. "Save me and I will follow!" Save me, deliver me, help me oh God for I see my helplessness. I realize that I am unable to deliver the salvation I need so desperately.
"Foxhole conversions" - are they real? Do they last? Are they thought of again, once deliverance is granted?
Not all such "conversions", as the term is used, relate to a literal life and death situation. But it is a term that relates to a cry of desperation, a plea for help from a God who never seemed important before. A granted request in exchange for a promise - let's make a deal.
Not all "last minute" cries to a previously unneeded God are the typical "foxhole" type. Some actually do cry out to God, as they are near death, and see the truth in the Savior and their sincere need. Remember the thief on the cross next to Jesus. That is just about as hopeless of a situation as you will find. He did not ask for deliverance from the situation, but for salvation from his spiritual state. He was dead spiritually and would soon be physically. He knew what was just in front of him, but he wanted what was just beside him - Jesus. "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." A cry from the point of helplessness, but no bargain offered. Just a lost man in need of forgiveness, love and deliverance. There was no, "if" and "then" involved.
What happens to the benefactors of deliverance in foxholes? I would expect that with many, since God was not needed in their busy lives before, He was immediately forgotten once the threat subsided and the man realized that he was going to walk away, after all. "Wow, that was a close one! I even prayed, ha ha ha!" I would also imagine that some would lie on their back, look towards heaven and cry and cry and cry. If they let themselves, they would admit that the God of their mothers had heard and answered their feeble prayer. As they walk away, they hold in their heart a gratefulness to a living God. They do not forget and they turn to follow Him and serve him with the days given to them, back there in the mud.
Have you had a "foxhole conversion"? Did it take? Have you had a conversion at all? What does it take to be converted?
You may believe that you have never been in such a position of need as to cry out to God for deliverance. So far, you have made it pretty well on your own. You make a decision to say that prayer if you ever find yourself in a desperate situation that you cannot handle. The "prayer" is your "ace-in-the-hole". You will pull it out if you ever need it and walk away the winner.
You fool! First of all, you do not know the day or hour that death will knock on your door. You may never have the time to reach into your vest pocket and pull your ace. You may be granted just the split second to look up from the cards you have been dealt and realize your adversary is the devil. In the blink of an eye it could be too late and your eternity has been determined. Second of all, God is not mocked! He will not call your name forever. He will not operate on your schedule or be dependant on you finding a time of need.
You fool! God does not need you, you need God! You may not be in a foxhole, or facing physical death in the next hour, but you are in a desperate situation. You may not know it, but you already are helpless and hopeless. If you do not cry out to God, in sincerity, you will face Him one day as the Judge who will condemn you to eternity in hell.
You must be converted - for real! What does this mean? It means to admit your utter helplessness. It means to recognize your need for a Savior who can deliver you from a life of sin. You may respond that you are not all that bad, in fact you have been pretty darn good. God tells us there is none righteous among all the people of the earth - no, not one. No, not even you. There is only one way to heaven and it is through Jesus. You cannot earn it or deserve it. You must come to God according to His plan of salvation, and that is through the death, burial and resurrection of His Son, Jesus.
When you are ready to stop playing Russian roulette, hoping that death is more than a finger-pull away, turn to Jesus. Conversion is not a person turning to God for a "get-out-of-hell-free" card. You are not converted just because you do not want to go to the lake of fire, forever. God offers a package deal. You take it or you leave it. He will be your Savior only if He can also be your Lord. This means that you must surrender your life to God; for Him to direct, guide and use as He sees fit.
"Wow, that is expecting an awful lot from me! Do you mean that I will no longer be running my life according to what I want?" Yes, that is exactly what I mean. God will not share lordship of your life. "If I do this, what will I lose and what will I gain?" The best answer to that is found in the Bible. The Apostle Paul wrote that everything that he lost could not be compared to what he had gained in knowing and following Jesus. I admit, it is a leap of faith. You step out from the crowd and submit your life into the hands of the living God. You profess your trust in Him and you follow on the adventure of a lifetime.
Conversion is through faith, faith in God and the completed work of His Son, Jesus. "Isn't following Jesus, works?" No, following Jesus is obedience. All the works in the world will not get you saved from damnation. You believe and you obey, you follow and you find a love beyond description, a peace beyond understanding and a hope for forever. A walk with God is out of this world!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Are You in the Game? Part Two
This is the second part to "Are You in the Game or on the Sidelines?"
Having given you a day to think about the question, I now ask another; what does it mean, to me, to be in the game?
Is Jesus calling us to live in a cave and eat wild honey, like John the Baptist? Are we on the sidelines if we are not on a course to being killed for our profession of faith? What am I expected to do or how am I expected to live in order to be "in the game"?
The answer is probably different for each of us. For most of us though; no, God is not demanding that you move into a wilderness and wear animal skins for clothing as you stand in a river and shout to those on the sidelines. Most believers and true followers of Jesus will not be martyred for their belief.
Being in "the game" is no game at all. It is a way of living. It is a life change, a shuffling of our priority list. A believer sees the world through different eyes. So, to begin with, who is a believer? This is a person who turns to Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Many who would call themselves believers have only signed up for the Savior part. They have held onto the lordship portion of their lives. Jesus is not divisible! Either you come to Him according to His rules or you have not come to Him at all. When He says, deny yourself, follow me, believe in me; these are not suggestions.
We cannot serve God and idols at the same time. When we want to be "saved" but we want to go on living just as before, we hold ourselves up as our own idol. I cannot put me as my top priority and be serving God at the same time - it does not work that way. I cannot live for my job, hobby, recreation, etc.; spending all my time and energy on these and claim that Jesus is the Lord of my life.
We are told in the Bible that God has assigned various gifts and ministries in the Body of Christ, which we are members. Paul tells us in Corinthians that each believer has a function in the Body and we each need to be performing the duties of that function. If we do not do our part, the Body will not function as well, as a whole. I may just be the skin under the toenail, but if have a splinter in my life, the Body will limp. What Paul is trying to teach us is not just some interesting idea, it is a blueprint of how the Church is supposed to operate in the world. We, each one of us, really does have a part to play and a responsibility to fulfill.
Arrange your priorities according to the instruction God has given us. God must be first. Others must be next. In fact others just might fill up the rest of your list. But where do "I" fit in? Honestly, you may not be on your list. Remember, "deny yourself"? Wow, that is not fair, what about my needs? Believe me, you can stop worrying about your needs because God cares for you. God will make you someone else's "other". When we each function properly, it all works out.
Being "in the game" is a condition of the heart and attitude. Our heart must be set upon pleasing God and our attitude arranges our priorities so that we are no longer selfish-minded. When a believer has these areas in order, he will be pliable in God's hands. God will use us exactly how and where He wants. We will be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and conscious that the words coming out of our mouths are not based on our wisdom. It will be a beautiful thing to behold!
An old saying fits here real well, "Let go and let God!"
Having given you a day to think about the question, I now ask another; what does it mean, to me, to be in the game?
Is Jesus calling us to live in a cave and eat wild honey, like John the Baptist? Are we on the sidelines if we are not on a course to being killed for our profession of faith? What am I expected to do or how am I expected to live in order to be "in the game"?
The answer is probably different for each of us. For most of us though; no, God is not demanding that you move into a wilderness and wear animal skins for clothing as you stand in a river and shout to those on the sidelines. Most believers and true followers of Jesus will not be martyred for their belief.
Being in "the game" is no game at all. It is a way of living. It is a life change, a shuffling of our priority list. A believer sees the world through different eyes. So, to begin with, who is a believer? This is a person who turns to Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Many who would call themselves believers have only signed up for the Savior part. They have held onto the lordship portion of their lives. Jesus is not divisible! Either you come to Him according to His rules or you have not come to Him at all. When He says, deny yourself, follow me, believe in me; these are not suggestions.
We cannot serve God and idols at the same time. When we want to be "saved" but we want to go on living just as before, we hold ourselves up as our own idol. I cannot put me as my top priority and be serving God at the same time - it does not work that way. I cannot live for my job, hobby, recreation, etc.; spending all my time and energy on these and claim that Jesus is the Lord of my life.
We are told in the Bible that God has assigned various gifts and ministries in the Body of Christ, which we are members. Paul tells us in Corinthians that each believer has a function in the Body and we each need to be performing the duties of that function. If we do not do our part, the Body will not function as well, as a whole. I may just be the skin under the toenail, but if have a splinter in my life, the Body will limp. What Paul is trying to teach us is not just some interesting idea, it is a blueprint of how the Church is supposed to operate in the world. We, each one of us, really does have a part to play and a responsibility to fulfill.
Arrange your priorities according to the instruction God has given us. God must be first. Others must be next. In fact others just might fill up the rest of your list. But where do "I" fit in? Honestly, you may not be on your list. Remember, "deny yourself"? Wow, that is not fair, what about my needs? Believe me, you can stop worrying about your needs because God cares for you. God will make you someone else's "other". When we each function properly, it all works out.
Being "in the game" is a condition of the heart and attitude. Our heart must be set upon pleasing God and our attitude arranges our priorities so that we are no longer selfish-minded. When a believer has these areas in order, he will be pliable in God's hands. God will use us exactly how and where He wants. We will be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and conscious that the words coming out of our mouths are not based on our wisdom. It will be a beautiful thing to behold!
An old saying fits here real well, "Let go and let God!"
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Are You in the Game or on the Sidelines?
Have you ever been deeply involved playing in a ball game (for me, this is a hypothetical situation) and happened to notice someone watching, but only half-heartedly? Have you ever been at the scene of an emergency and witnessed others taking a quick look as they go on their way, but not stopping to see if they can help? Or maybe, you have been in the stands for an exciting game but the people right in front of you are more concerned with cotton candy and waving at the TV camera every time someone tells them to on their cell phone.
Maybe for you, the "game" is something serious. It might be your work and a crisis that is engulfing all of your time and emotions. It might be the drama that encircles your family. Maybe it is politics and the current situation in America. Some of us are making choices and drawing lines in multiple situations at the same time, being pulled in opposite directions by uncompromising forces.
Whatever the situation, either you find yourself involved or watching. Either you are participating or you are a casual observer.
What about the spiritual realm? Where do you find yourself? Are you in the game or on the sidelines? Regardless of any emergency, crisis, battle or game that you may find yourself involved in, when it comes to Christianity, are you a casual observer?
I would imagine that most of us would want to respond that we are in the game - not on the sidelines, when it comes to following Jesus. But, are we really? Remember, there is only one set of standards to which we will be measured, and that is God's, not mine or yours. How do we honestly measure up to what Jesus has required of His followers?
Would those who are closest to us and know us the very best - the real part of our lives, testify that we are truly a follower of Jesus? In this calling there is no one who will fake-it into eternity with God. There is no more serious of a situation that we will ever face than what we do towards heaven or hell.
What did Jesus require? We must love him more than our immediate family members. We must forsake ourselves and follow Him. We must take up our cross, daily. If we follow Him, we will suffer persecution.
These are not popular and honestly, they are not very appealing. Who in their right mind would take one step forward and volunteer for this duty?
Remember how Jesus talked about John the Baptist? Jesus said that there was no greater man than John. So, what was John's life like? He lived in a cave in the desert. He ate what he could find. He wasn't married, had no kids, no home, no job, no income, no car, no nice clothes, no soft bed. He was despised by the religious leaders, arrested and had his head cut off.
The disciples who earlier believed that they would be in positions of power when Jesus became the King of Israel, suffered persecution and death.
Why would anyone sign up for this? There is only one reason. They have fallen in love with Jesus and they are willing to follow Him and obey Him. Logically, you would have to be a fool; but this is not based on logic. This is an act of faith. Some will mock you for making a drastic change in your life based on faith. The world will consider you a fool.
So, which is it? Is the follower of Jesus wise or foolish? It depends on the picture you see. If you see this life as the big picture, a follower of Jesus would have to be a fool. But, if you see eternity as the big picture, you would have to be a fool to not follow Jesus. This life is very temporary, it comes and then goes like a gust of wind. As the sun rises at dawn and soon sets at dusk, a life passes by and is over.
We are caught up in making the unimportant, important and ignoring the essential as if there will always be another time to follow and obey. We have life backwards. This present life is not the ultimate experience, something that must be enjoyed to the fullest and an opportunity to get the most out of it while we still can. This life is not something that is so valuable that we must do all that we can to stretch it out as long as possible. This life is "boot camp" or a testing ground. This life is not what is most important. That is what the followers of Jesus learned and what John the Baptist understood.
If we suffer here and now, so be it! We have our eyes set just beyond the horizon. We should be watching and ready for the imminent return of our Lord. We should be living in a manner that we would expect to hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant". Right now, in your life and responsibilities, what is your priority? Would Jesus say that about you?
In true Christianity, there are no casual observers. You are in the game or on the sidelines. Where are you? It is better to die for something than to live for nothing!
Maybe for you, the "game" is something serious. It might be your work and a crisis that is engulfing all of your time and emotions. It might be the drama that encircles your family. Maybe it is politics and the current situation in America. Some of us are making choices and drawing lines in multiple situations at the same time, being pulled in opposite directions by uncompromising forces.
Whatever the situation, either you find yourself involved or watching. Either you are participating or you are a casual observer.
What about the spiritual realm? Where do you find yourself? Are you in the game or on the sidelines? Regardless of any emergency, crisis, battle or game that you may find yourself involved in, when it comes to Christianity, are you a casual observer?
I would imagine that most of us would want to respond that we are in the game - not on the sidelines, when it comes to following Jesus. But, are we really? Remember, there is only one set of standards to which we will be measured, and that is God's, not mine or yours. How do we honestly measure up to what Jesus has required of His followers?
Would those who are closest to us and know us the very best - the real part of our lives, testify that we are truly a follower of Jesus? In this calling there is no one who will fake-it into eternity with God. There is no more serious of a situation that we will ever face than what we do towards heaven or hell.
What did Jesus require? We must love him more than our immediate family members. We must forsake ourselves and follow Him. We must take up our cross, daily. If we follow Him, we will suffer persecution.
These are not popular and honestly, they are not very appealing. Who in their right mind would take one step forward and volunteer for this duty?
Remember how Jesus talked about John the Baptist? Jesus said that there was no greater man than John. So, what was John's life like? He lived in a cave in the desert. He ate what he could find. He wasn't married, had no kids, no home, no job, no income, no car, no nice clothes, no soft bed. He was despised by the religious leaders, arrested and had his head cut off.
The disciples who earlier believed that they would be in positions of power when Jesus became the King of Israel, suffered persecution and death.
Why would anyone sign up for this? There is only one reason. They have fallen in love with Jesus and they are willing to follow Him and obey Him. Logically, you would have to be a fool; but this is not based on logic. This is an act of faith. Some will mock you for making a drastic change in your life based on faith. The world will consider you a fool.
So, which is it? Is the follower of Jesus wise or foolish? It depends on the picture you see. If you see this life as the big picture, a follower of Jesus would have to be a fool. But, if you see eternity as the big picture, you would have to be a fool to not follow Jesus. This life is very temporary, it comes and then goes like a gust of wind. As the sun rises at dawn and soon sets at dusk, a life passes by and is over.
We are caught up in making the unimportant, important and ignoring the essential as if there will always be another time to follow and obey. We have life backwards. This present life is not the ultimate experience, something that must be enjoyed to the fullest and an opportunity to get the most out of it while we still can. This life is not something that is so valuable that we must do all that we can to stretch it out as long as possible. This life is "boot camp" or a testing ground. This life is not what is most important. That is what the followers of Jesus learned and what John the Baptist understood.
If we suffer here and now, so be it! We have our eyes set just beyond the horizon. We should be watching and ready for the imminent return of our Lord. We should be living in a manner that we would expect to hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant". Right now, in your life and responsibilities, what is your priority? Would Jesus say that about you?
In true Christianity, there are no casual observers. You are in the game or on the sidelines. Where are you? It is better to die for something than to live for nothing!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Testing...1...2...BANG!
The security of our nation is constantly being "tested" for weaknesses and vulnerabilities by our enemies. One of the areas where there have been obvious tests has been our airlines.
Over the past few years, there were numerous incidents where one to several people have done something concerning an airline or a specific flight that is clearly a test. Typically, when the news story first hits the media, we get bits and pieces, without details such as names, race, nationalities, etc. Eventually, we hear a name or nationality and almost every single time, the name and country of orgion are Arabic. We finally learn that the person(s) responsible for the scare is Muslim.
The USA is very tolerant of diversity. We accept just about anyone from just about anywhere. We do not ask your religion as a condition for entry. We do not investigate each traveler's background or acquaintances before we grant them a visa. Occasionally, someone will attract attention and warrant further questioning, but typically, they are then released to go about their business in our country.
This tolerance has been taken to extremes over the past few decades. Our country has taken on the position of political correctness (PC). Now, we are almost afraid to single out the person for questioning who fits the profile of just about every single terrorist that has attacked us. We don't want to be labeled a "racist", or even worse, be sued for discrimination (racial or religious). So, our airport security (TSA) will "wand" the white grandmother and pass, without hesitation, the young Arab male who has no luggage, bought his one-way ticket with cash and is nervously praying out loud to Allah as he walks onto the plane.
As our PC is viewed as a weakness by radical extremists, they have been taking advantage of our "randomness" in airport security measures. Arab men and women are sent to test the boundaries of what is allowable, see how far they can move the line in the shifting sand, discover the reactions to and consequences for their behavior; all without actually breaking any serious laws. That way, once they have been questioned and released, they are positioned to file a law suit for punitive damages for their "humiliation" and for being victims of discrimination.
We have had Arab women who refuse to be subject to a thorough airport screening, due to religious beliefs. They wear the loose clothing that covers all but their eyes and hands and expect to be allowed past security without scrutiny. We have Arab men who refuse to remove their head pieces as they pass security. We have men of normal size requesting seat belt extensions for no apparent reason. We have Arab men, as a group, praying loudly in Arabic prior to entering the plane; then taking seats throughout the plane and shouting Muslim phrases. The list goes on and on. They act in a way that is intended to draw attention, it succeeds and makes people nervous, they finally push things to a point where they are questioned. TSA and the FBI find no laws were broken and they are released. The exercise has gained our enemy valuable information about our vulnerabilities.
This past week, we had our most recent test. When I first heard the news story, it was without names, etc. One of my first thoughts, was whether or not this man is a Muslim? A couple days later, more details were available and we find out he is Arabic and from an Arab nation.
It turns out that his man is a young diplomat from an Arab nation. The incident happened as he was flying to Colorado to visit another Arab who is in prison after pleading guilty to aiding Al Quada. Our suspect drew attention by being in the airplane bathroom and there being smoke coming from that bathroom. When the attendants got the door open and he came out, he had a smirk on his face and joked that he was in there lighting his shoes. He had been smoking. As most of you know, smoking is not allowed on an airliner. He was questioned and released due to him being a diplomat from a foreign country. Diplomats have immunity from prosecution for crimes.
This story made me wonder if diplomats are subject to airport security measures, so I sent Homeland Security an email asking them about that and about someone getting matches or a lighter on the plane. Today, I did get a response. It was generic, did not address the question about diplomats, but gave me the standard answer as to matches and lighters are allowed under certain conditions.
What did the Arabs learn? They know that they can label some young Arab male as a diplomat and he can just about get away with anything on a plane.
What did we learn? I learned that we are even weaker than expected, more PC than we can survive, and not smart enough to make changes to our rules to compensate for the exposed vulnerabilities just discovered. The USA, TSA and Homeland Security probably did not learn anything.
Happy flying the friendly skies!
Over the past few years, there were numerous incidents where one to several people have done something concerning an airline or a specific flight that is clearly a test. Typically, when the news story first hits the media, we get bits and pieces, without details such as names, race, nationalities, etc. Eventually, we hear a name or nationality and almost every single time, the name and country of orgion are Arabic. We finally learn that the person(s) responsible for the scare is Muslim.
The USA is very tolerant of diversity. We accept just about anyone from just about anywhere. We do not ask your religion as a condition for entry. We do not investigate each traveler's background or acquaintances before we grant them a visa. Occasionally, someone will attract attention and warrant further questioning, but typically, they are then released to go about their business in our country.
This tolerance has been taken to extremes over the past few decades. Our country has taken on the position of political correctness (PC). Now, we are almost afraid to single out the person for questioning who fits the profile of just about every single terrorist that has attacked us. We don't want to be labeled a "racist", or even worse, be sued for discrimination (racial or religious). So, our airport security (TSA) will "wand" the white grandmother and pass, without hesitation, the young Arab male who has no luggage, bought his one-way ticket with cash and is nervously praying out loud to Allah as he walks onto the plane.
As our PC is viewed as a weakness by radical extremists, they have been taking advantage of our "randomness" in airport security measures. Arab men and women are sent to test the boundaries of what is allowable, see how far they can move the line in the shifting sand, discover the reactions to and consequences for their behavior; all without actually breaking any serious laws. That way, once they have been questioned and released, they are positioned to file a law suit for punitive damages for their "humiliation" and for being victims of discrimination.
We have had Arab women who refuse to be subject to a thorough airport screening, due to religious beliefs. They wear the loose clothing that covers all but their eyes and hands and expect to be allowed past security without scrutiny. We have Arab men who refuse to remove their head pieces as they pass security. We have men of normal size requesting seat belt extensions for no apparent reason. We have Arab men, as a group, praying loudly in Arabic prior to entering the plane; then taking seats throughout the plane and shouting Muslim phrases. The list goes on and on. They act in a way that is intended to draw attention, it succeeds and makes people nervous, they finally push things to a point where they are questioned. TSA and the FBI find no laws were broken and they are released. The exercise has gained our enemy valuable information about our vulnerabilities.
This past week, we had our most recent test. When I first heard the news story, it was without names, etc. One of my first thoughts, was whether or not this man is a Muslim? A couple days later, more details were available and we find out he is Arabic and from an Arab nation.
It turns out that his man is a young diplomat from an Arab nation. The incident happened as he was flying to Colorado to visit another Arab who is in prison after pleading guilty to aiding Al Quada. Our suspect drew attention by being in the airplane bathroom and there being smoke coming from that bathroom. When the attendants got the door open and he came out, he had a smirk on his face and joked that he was in there lighting his shoes. He had been smoking. As most of you know, smoking is not allowed on an airliner. He was questioned and released due to him being a diplomat from a foreign country. Diplomats have immunity from prosecution for crimes.
This story made me wonder if diplomats are subject to airport security measures, so I sent Homeland Security an email asking them about that and about someone getting matches or a lighter on the plane. Today, I did get a response. It was generic, did not address the question about diplomats, but gave me the standard answer as to matches and lighters are allowed under certain conditions.
What did the Arabs learn? They know that they can label some young Arab male as a diplomat and he can just about get away with anything on a plane.
What did we learn? I learned that we are even weaker than expected, more PC than we can survive, and not smart enough to make changes to our rules to compensate for the exposed vulnerabilities just discovered. The USA, TSA and Homeland Security probably did not learn anything.
Happy flying the friendly skies!
War Journal - April 10, 1945
4/10/1945
Thursday
#38 - Mission today to Checkoslavakia - bridge near the town of Altenburg. It was destroyed. Bombing results have been so good lately that they only sent four flights of us out yesterday. We got the bridge! It was the first time B-26's ever hit that country.
Thursday
#38 - Mission today to Checkoslavakia - bridge near the town of Altenburg. It was destroyed. Bombing results have been so good lately that they only sent four flights of us out yesterday. We got the bridge! It was the first time B-26's ever hit that country.
War Journal - April 9, 1945
4/9/1945
Wednesday
Unloaded box cars all day and moved to our new quarters in the old chateau. Quarters are pretty crowded now. Lots of work to do.
Wednesday
Unloaded box cars all day and moved to our new quarters in the old chateau. Quarters are pretty crowded now. Lots of work to do.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
War Journal - April 8, 1945
4/8/1945
Tuesday
#37 - First mission from new field today to small town about ten miles east of Hanover. Seems like all of Germany is burning over that way. Oil fires gave us a 60 mile smoke screen to come out over. Visual mission - light flak - good results. 7 Superiors - 2 Excellents.
Tuesday
#37 - First mission from new field today to small town about ten miles east of Hanover. Seems like all of Germany is burning over that way. Oil fires gave us a 60 mile smoke screen to come out over. Visual mission - light flak - good results. 7 Superiors - 2 Excellents.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
The Dumpster
There has been too much going on lately to be able to place it all in another episode of "The Garbage Can", so this time I rented a dumpster.
1. The US and Russia have just entered into a new nuclear arms reduction treaty. BO agreed to limit our weapons far below current levels and also restrict our means of delivering those weapons. Hillarious Clinton (HC) was more than likely in charge of our major give-away negotiations.
We have also made an announcement from the BO administration (BOA). HC said that the US is declaring that we will no longer consider using nuclear weapons against any country that does not also possess the ability to use them on us. In other words, we are announcing to the world that if any of the countries or terrorists from their countries detonate a weapon of mass destruction that is non-nuclear in nature, we will restrict our response. What did we get in return for such a concession? Nothing, absolutely nothing!
The result is that we have just accepted a weakened position of national defense while informing our enemies that if they attack us in certain ways, our response will be minimized.
2. Terry Goddard, the Attorney General of Arizona, has just resigned to enter the race for Governor. As typical cRats do, in his first official speech as a candidate, he proclaimed that he would tax us more. But, also as taxers do, he let us know that he will tax the rich. He laid out a couple examples: tax country club memberships and tax elective cosmetic surgery. cRats believe that the general population will not oppose taxes that do not directly affect them. The problem is that they are usually right in their assumption.
Why are we like that? Can't we see that a right lost to one segment of our population is a whittling away at all our our rights? When they tax "the rich", it affects all of us in a negative way. When they prohibit "assault rifles", it limits our Second Amendment rights. You might be thinking that it is fine with you if they do this because, "Who would really 'need' to own an assault rifle?" If that is your thought, you are missing the point. The Constitution lays out certain rights that We the People have, that the government is not allowed to take away from us. The bureaucrats know that if they cut off a very small portion of one of our rights, one that means nothing to the large majority of us, that we will not complain. Then they will come back and tell us that we cannot carry a handgun. This affects more of us, but maybe not you, so you do not complain. You drink the Koolaid and believe that this move will make us safer. As you have lost your ability of critical thinking, you do not realize that criminals will not obey a ban on handguns, only the "law-abiding" citizens will turn in their pistols. This, in turn, makes the "good guys" vulnerable to the "bad guys", who are now more aggressive because they can be pretty sure the victim is unarmed. A stealing of even a small part of one of our rights is a full-frontal attack on all of We the People.
3. The BOA has announced a punitive fine on Toyota of $60,000,000. This, they say, is due to Toyota not giving the BOA proper notice of a possible acceleration problem with their cars.
Is this a spanking that is meant for their own good or are there ulterior motives? First of all, it takes away from a successful company and gives to the BOA a large chunk of change. Second, it hurts Toyota, who competes with GM and Chrysler, who are both government owned and controlled.
4. AZ just followed the example of Montana. We passed a gun law that tells the Federal government to "butt-out". We are claiming that the Feds have no right to legislate or regulate the manufacture or sale of weapons made in Arizona and sold within our state.
We also have in the legislative process a bill that would allow the carrying of a concealed weapon without a special permit, as long as other laws are not forbidding you from having that weapon.
5. Hairy Reed just responded, when asked why the government passed healthcare against the wishes of the people; that now that we have it as a law, most people like it. It was just a "loud minority" who opposed the bill.
I always thought that when you had more than half, that was called a majority, not a minority... Well, I must be wrong, because he is Hairy, not me.
6. As soon as Congress left D.C. for the Easter break (side note: why is it that only students and politicians get Easter/Spring breaks?), BO made 15 "recess appointments". (There it is again! Politicians and school kids get recess.) Two of these appointments, which will not have to be confirmed by the Senate (which the cRats control and BO still was wary about trying to get confirmation for some of his radical friends) are to the National Labor Relations Board. Both of these guys are pro-union and they oppose the employees having a right to a "secret ballot".
The national Chamber of Commerce issued a warning to businesses, stating that we better get ready and prepare ourselves for a period of time where it will be harder for US companies to compete.
7. Obamacare has a provision that if an insurance company raises its premiums, they will not be able to go onto the public exchange. From my understanding, the public exchange is where the insurance companies are supposed to compete for our business.
8. Obamacare has a new tax, effective with the 2009 tax year. This provision will tax health insurance companies a total of $6,700,000,000 each year.
So, for an insurance company, what are your choices? You can pay your share of the tax and raise premiums to cover the added cost, making health insurance more expensive for the public and at the same time limiting your access to new business through the public exchange; or, you can try to absorb the tax and let it eat away at your profits and eventually put you out of business.
9. "Tax Freedom Day" for 2010 is expected to average around the end of May. This is the date that it is estimated the average worker in America has reached in order for his wages to equal his taxes for the year.
10. Can you explain this one for me? Palin is campaigning for McCain against Hayworth!
In closing, remember, they were at war with us but we were not at war with them. We are playing catch-up! We have to fight twice as hard! We cannot afford to take spring break or have recess! Too much is at stake!
1. The US and Russia have just entered into a new nuclear arms reduction treaty. BO agreed to limit our weapons far below current levels and also restrict our means of delivering those weapons. Hillarious Clinton (HC) was more than likely in charge of our major give-away negotiations.
We have also made an announcement from the BO administration (BOA). HC said that the US is declaring that we will no longer consider using nuclear weapons against any country that does not also possess the ability to use them on us. In other words, we are announcing to the world that if any of the countries or terrorists from their countries detonate a weapon of mass destruction that is non-nuclear in nature, we will restrict our response. What did we get in return for such a concession? Nothing, absolutely nothing!
The result is that we have just accepted a weakened position of national defense while informing our enemies that if they attack us in certain ways, our response will be minimized.
2. Terry Goddard, the Attorney General of Arizona, has just resigned to enter the race for Governor. As typical cRats do, in his first official speech as a candidate, he proclaimed that he would tax us more. But, also as taxers do, he let us know that he will tax the rich. He laid out a couple examples: tax country club memberships and tax elective cosmetic surgery. cRats believe that the general population will not oppose taxes that do not directly affect them. The problem is that they are usually right in their assumption.
Why are we like that? Can't we see that a right lost to one segment of our population is a whittling away at all our our rights? When they tax "the rich", it affects all of us in a negative way. When they prohibit "assault rifles", it limits our Second Amendment rights. You might be thinking that it is fine with you if they do this because, "Who would really 'need' to own an assault rifle?" If that is your thought, you are missing the point. The Constitution lays out certain rights that We the People have, that the government is not allowed to take away from us. The bureaucrats know that if they cut off a very small portion of one of our rights, one that means nothing to the large majority of us, that we will not complain. Then they will come back and tell us that we cannot carry a handgun. This affects more of us, but maybe not you, so you do not complain. You drink the Koolaid and believe that this move will make us safer. As you have lost your ability of critical thinking, you do not realize that criminals will not obey a ban on handguns, only the "law-abiding" citizens will turn in their pistols. This, in turn, makes the "good guys" vulnerable to the "bad guys", who are now more aggressive because they can be pretty sure the victim is unarmed. A stealing of even a small part of one of our rights is a full-frontal attack on all of We the People.
3. The BOA has announced a punitive fine on Toyota of $60,000,000. This, they say, is due to Toyota not giving the BOA proper notice of a possible acceleration problem with their cars.
Is this a spanking that is meant for their own good or are there ulterior motives? First of all, it takes away from a successful company and gives to the BOA a large chunk of change. Second, it hurts Toyota, who competes with GM and Chrysler, who are both government owned and controlled.
4. AZ just followed the example of Montana. We passed a gun law that tells the Federal government to "butt-out". We are claiming that the Feds have no right to legislate or regulate the manufacture or sale of weapons made in Arizona and sold within our state.
We also have in the legislative process a bill that would allow the carrying of a concealed weapon without a special permit, as long as other laws are not forbidding you from having that weapon.
5. Hairy Reed just responded, when asked why the government passed healthcare against the wishes of the people; that now that we have it as a law, most people like it. It was just a "loud minority" who opposed the bill.
I always thought that when you had more than half, that was called a majority, not a minority... Well, I must be wrong, because he is Hairy, not me.
6. As soon as Congress left D.C. for the Easter break (side note: why is it that only students and politicians get Easter/Spring breaks?), BO made 15 "recess appointments". (There it is again! Politicians and school kids get recess.) Two of these appointments, which will not have to be confirmed by the Senate (which the cRats control and BO still was wary about trying to get confirmation for some of his radical friends) are to the National Labor Relations Board. Both of these guys are pro-union and they oppose the employees having a right to a "secret ballot".
The national Chamber of Commerce issued a warning to businesses, stating that we better get ready and prepare ourselves for a period of time where it will be harder for US companies to compete.
7. Obamacare has a provision that if an insurance company raises its premiums, they will not be able to go onto the public exchange. From my understanding, the public exchange is where the insurance companies are supposed to compete for our business.
8. Obamacare has a new tax, effective with the 2009 tax year. This provision will tax health insurance companies a total of $6,700,000,000 each year.
So, for an insurance company, what are your choices? You can pay your share of the tax and raise premiums to cover the added cost, making health insurance more expensive for the public and at the same time limiting your access to new business through the public exchange; or, you can try to absorb the tax and let it eat away at your profits and eventually put you out of business.
9. "Tax Freedom Day" for 2010 is expected to average around the end of May. This is the date that it is estimated the average worker in America has reached in order for his wages to equal his taxes for the year.
10. Can you explain this one for me? Palin is campaigning for McCain against Hayworth!
In closing, remember, they were at war with us but we were not at war with them. We are playing catch-up! We have to fight twice as hard! We cannot afford to take spring break or have recess! Too much is at stake!
War Journal - April 6, 1945
4/6/1945
Sunday
Moved to A-89 today by plane. We are living in 449th area until our place is fixed up.
Sunday
Moved to A-89 today by plane. We are living in 449th area until our place is fixed up.
War Journal - April 4, 1945
4/4/1945
Friday
Made shuttle run to new field - A-89 this afternoon to haul supplies. Field looks pretty good but we are going to live about 5 miles away.
Friday
Made shuttle run to new field - A-89 this afternoon to haul supplies. Field looks pretty good but we are going to live about 5 miles away.
War Journal - April 2, 1945
4/2/1945
Wednesday
Weather holding us down continually now. Pappas, Pehr & Renchkovsky left for the flak home today on the Riveria. We are drawing 3-wks PX Rations tomorrow so guess we will be moving within a week to Belgium.
Wednesday
Weather holding us down continually now. Pappas, Pehr & Renchkovsky left for the flak home today on the Riveria. We are drawing 3-wks PX Rations tomorrow so guess we will be moving within a week to Belgium.
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