Coming to Terms

It is not in the best interest of some people to get along and/or agree with those with whom one might be in competition. It really does not matter to some if their opponents are absolutely correct. What really matters is that one get paid, one not lose face, be humbled or not appear to be knowledgeable. I think Upton Sinclair understood the concept. “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on not understanding it.” Upton Sinclair

The Majority Of Enslaved People

There are approximately 30 million enslaved people in the world. The majority of enslaved people dwell in India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Russia, Thailand, Democratic Republic Of The Congo, Myanmar and Bangladesh. These ten countries account for 76% of the total of enslaved people.

Comedy That Measures Freedom

The last phrase of the quote by Eric Idle is what really grabs my attention. In a free society, talent, cleverness and humor should not be restricted. It should be protected by law. Obviously, accusations, safety, and total defamation of character need to be considered. However, freedom is freedom, and in the marketplace of ideas, much should be allowed. Comedy has a special place in our society, and yes, one of its functions is to "measure freedom." The following is a quote by Eric Idle, regarding this subject. "At least one way of measuring the freedom of any society is the amount of comedy that is permitted, and clearly a healthy society permits more satirical comment than a repressive, so that if comedy is to function in some way as a safety release then it must obviously deal with these taboo areas. This is part of the responsibility we accord our licensed jesters, that nothing be excused the searching light of comedy. If anything can survive the probe of humour it is clearly of value, and conversely all groups who claim immunity from laughter are claiming special privileges which should not be granted." Eric Idle (1943- ) British Comedian

Another Jefferson quote

Shall man be allowed to govern himself? Apparently this has been a question for a long time. Thomas Jefferson thought that it was an issue throughout all history. "The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite." Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), US Founding Father, drafted the Declaration of Independence, 3rd US President

Life Begins At Conception

One of the most interesting and truthful anti-abortion placards I have ever seen was "Life begins at conception and ends at Planned Parenthood." Well......How many millions of abortions has Planned Parenthood helped facilitate? It is tragic. Yes, tragic. The ending of human life is tragic.

Abortion Is Grotesque

Abortion is grotesque. And I do not think anyone will ever convince me otherwise. All of the rhetoric, all of the sophistry, all of the euphemisms in the world will not convince me. Abortion is what it is. It is the termination of a developing human life. Not even the silver-tongued oratory of our president will convince me otherwise. This is a portion of a speech he made recently: "We reaffirm our steadfast commitment to protecting a woman's access to safe, affordable health care and her constitutional right to privacy, including the right to reproductive freedom." "Safe, affordable health care?" This is pure sophistry. Why don't you call it what it is? It is called killing babies. And it is wrong. Why don't you ask the developing child if he/she wants to live? What do you think his/her answer would be? What would our answer have been? Look where we are. They did not even have a chance. And there will be more. It is an atrocity. It is grotesque. Is it not the American Holocaust?

God's Greatest Gift

I am firmly convinced that the Bible is God's greatest gift to the human race. It is what makes us civil. It is what makes us greater than all of the animals. No literature has ever been so controversial, because no literature has brought so much good. "The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scripture ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. All the miseries and evil men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible." Noah Webster (1758-1843) American patriot and scholar, author of the first dictionary of American English usage (1806) and the author of the 1828 edition of the dictionary that bears his name. 1833

My Letter To Washington Post

This is a letter I wrote today to the Washington Post regarding the actions of Mark Herring, Attorney General of the State of Virginia, who recently chose to support same-sex marriage. "I do not have a 'religion.' I have faith in God and His eternal Word. My faith teaches me to not murder people. My faith teaches me not to steal, lie, commit adultery, fornicate or kidnap and/or beat people up My faith teaches me to be kind and respectful to others. My faith teaches me to not say unkind words to others and to not be a gossiper. My faith teaches me, and millions of others many good things. The Word of God has influenced legislation in this nation for centuries. The Word of God is perfect. Human beings are not. Nations are not. Governments are not. Bureaucrats are not. Politicians are not. This is why we need the Word of God. Attorney General Mark Herring is not being heroic. He is being deceived by people with an agenda that is contrary to the Word of God. To me, this is serious business. I am fully aware that we live under a government that is called a "republic." There is no "danger" of it ever becoming a theocracy. Those who visit Washington DC may wonder about that, considering all of the references to the Word of God on its monuments. This would truly be a long comment if I quoted all of the presidents in respect to the Bible. I will only quote two. "In this book (the Bible) will be found the solution of all the problems of the world." Calvin Coolidge, thirtieth President of the United States. Do certain political activists really think that most Americans will just ignore and/or do away with the moral guidelines of its founders and past leaders? What did George Washington say about it? "It is impossible to govern a nation without the Bible." I will end my words by saying this: Do away with the Bible......do away with freedom. If you do not think that it is happening already, take a look around. And please remember that governments are not the only 'freedom snatchers.'"

The Rainbow, Genesis 9:9-16

The one and only almighty God is holy. He is pure, perfect and totally flawless. He can do no wrong. He cannot lie. He is eternal, omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. He is full of love, mercy and truth. The rainbow is a symbol of the covenant He has made with the human race, through His holy Word. When I see the rainbow, I am reminded that this is what it represents. To me, it represents no political movement or misdirected efforts for any particular social change. It is God's covenant. I realize that people or political interest groups are free to choose their symbols. This is what freedom is about. Freedom is also about believing the Word of God and its purposes. Here is Genesis 9:9-16. (The New American Standard Version) "9 Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. 11 I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; 13 I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. 14 It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, 15 and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

Kid Gavilan

He was a great boxer. Kid Gavilan started his boxing career in 1943, at age 17, in his native Cuba. By 1948, he decided to stay in the United States. By that time, he already had 26 wins. He defeated some of the best welterweights in the world, such as Ike Williams, Tommy Bell and Tony Pellone. He won the welterweight title in 1951. He finally retired in 1958. He had a career record of 106 wins.....27 by knockout. He had 30 losses and 6 draws. He fought his entire career without ever being knocked out or knocked down. In 1966 he was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame. He passed away in 2003 at the age of 77. I had the privilege of watching him box when I was a kid.

The FFRF Scares The Chancellor

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) recently had its way at the University of Wisconsin Extension. It has coerced the UW Extension chancellor to remove all Gideon Bibles from their guest rooms. All Bibles were removed By December 1, 2013. How pathetic, and truly sad. Do you not see the correlation between taking away the Word of God and taking away freedom? What has been done does not represent freedom. If you do not want to read the Bible do not read it. If you do not want to buy and drink the booze in the hotel room don't do it. If you do not want to watch television, do not turn it on. If you do not want to use the phone don't use it. Now a resident does not have the freedom to say yes or no to reading the Bible. Is it not out of view when in the room? Is it obligatory to read it? Does it pose a danger inside the room? Those responsible for removing the Gideon Bibles are blind. They do not understand what they are doing. The main thing they are doing is taking away freedom. Incidently, "And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." Freedom is being denied to those who are not allowed to say yes or no.

Jefferson's Letter To Benjamin Rush

Thomas Jefferson was a brilliant man. He is considered a founding father of the United States. He drafted the Declaration of Independence. He was the 3rd United States President. Much has been said of his faith, or lack thereof. He has been called an atheist, deist and agnostic. What did he say? He called himself a Christian. The following letter written by him to Benjamin Rush in April of 1803 (another founding father) should remove any doubt regarding his faith in Jesus. "My views on Christianity are the result of a life of inquiry & reflection, and very different from that anti-Christian system imputed to me by those who know nothing of my opinions. To the corruptions of Christianity I am indeed opposed; but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian, in the only sense he wished any one to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all others; ascribing to himself every human excellence; and believing he never claimed any other." Thomas Jefferson

A Letter To Mona Charin

On Tuesday January 14, 2014, in a newsletter entitled GOP USA. Mona Charin wrote an article about a woman who became a transgendered man at the age of 18 and decided to give birth to a child during her mid twenties. She wanted to give birth while being a man. Mona Charin did not agree with the actions of this "man." Neither do I. To me, the whole scenario is absurd. "Our Crazed Sexuality Standards" is the name of the article by Charin. The letter below is my response to the article. "Outstanding article, Mona. Truly, this issue is not about politics, left wing, right wing, conservative, liberal and so on. It is about common sense, truth, reality and order of nature. What is......is. And yes, sometimes one is not able to create his/her own reality, it has already been done. When one has been "dealt some cards," one does not throw the cards back to the dealer or get a Sharpie and proceed to convert a 3 of clubs into an ace of spades. You play the cards "you are dealt" in life, and make the best of it without resorting to insanity."

Freedom Creates Happiness

Here I go again. I am talking about freedom......again. It is so important to have freedom. Freedom opens doors. It allows for invention, innovation, improvement, new experiences and good times. It allows business to thrive and for people to pursue their aspirations. Freedom creates happiness. Charles Alan Murray stated it pretty clearly. "We believe that human happiness requires freedom and that freedom requires limited government." (Charles Alan Murray)

Happiness, Freedom, Peace of Mind

I am totally convinced that selfishness deprives one of being a happy person. To be able to do something for someone else that brings them happiness, freedom and peace of mind is a reward in itself. The following quote reflects this point of view. "There is a mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life: happiness, freedom, and peace of mind are always attained by giving them to someone else." Peyton Conway March (1864-1955) US Army General of WWI

Welcome 2014

It is going to be a great year. Just you wait. It will be a great year if we make it a great year. "Stand up for right, join in the fight, be a soldier for righteousness." Have a good time. Work hard and smart. Study. Pray. Get some exercise. Have some fun. Be good to your family. If it is obvious to you that you need to burn a bridge, go ahead and burn it. If it is obvious to you that you need to rebuild or build a bridge, go ahead and do it. Talk to people. Share the good news. Don't keep it to yourself. Don't be afraid of anyone. Tell them about the hope that dwells inside of you. Have a good time. Celebrate! It is party time! So.....where is the party? In your heart man, in your heart!