December 30, 2008

Happy New Year To All


Let us not be content to wait and see what will happen, but give us the determination to make the right things HAPPEN.
~Peter Marshall

December 26, 2008

With Liberty And Justice For All


Okay.

Christmas is over, and the hustle and bustle are over for awhile.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas, filled with peace and happiness, and not too much stress.

In hopping around, from blog to blog, I found that many did, but many didn't, and some didn't bother to mention it, good or bad.

I know that there was too much uncertainty about the financial collapse, for most to really relax enough to enjoy the season.

A lot of it was not so much the concern about the lack of gifts they were able to give, but whether or not they would still have a job in the coming months, or even weeks.

I tried to get into the feeling of the true meaning of the season--that being about peace on earth, good will toward all men. I tried to think about hope, and a promise of better things to come, for all people. I tried, but I didn't succeed all that well.

There is just too much uncertainty about too many things,the main one being the welfare and well-being of our country, and its freedoms, which to me, seem to be in jeopardy.

Some have visited and read this blog, and liked it a lot, but that was as long as I was writing about insignificant, or neutral, subjects. Now, many of those same people think of me as some kind of doomsday prophet, or a closed-minded, conservative, far-right "Christianist"..and how is that for substituting a word that means a lot to a lot of people in this country? I'm just a simple woman, but I've always just thought of myself as being a Christian.

For the life of me, I cannot understand the ones spewing hatefulness toward anyone who believes in traditional moral values, and wanting the same for our country. They think that we are the ones who are being detrimental to the progress of our nation, because we don't welcome the changes which go against our very natures. One doesn't really have to be a Christian to find many of the changes offensive, because some of them go against Nature, itself.

I really can't understand anyone proclaiming to be a devout Christian being on the side of those spouting hate and irreverence toward anything and everything pertaining to God, and His precepts, to the extent that it becomes blasphemous, but I've come across a few of them, recently, doing just that.

It seems that we are fast approaching the place, where to proclaim to be a genuine Christian brings scorn, but if you choose to practice another religion, many allowances are made to assure that you are not offended, or denied your right to practice your beliefs.

A case in point, involves a Muslim woman in Douglasville, Georgia, who refused to remove her scarf at a courthouse security checkpoint:

Ga. Woman Jailed Over Head Scarf

To anyone using common sense it is understandable to be required to do that, in light of the massacre which took place in the courthouse in Atlanta, during the escape of someone being taken into court for a hearing, for which he recently received a life sentence.

Atlanta courthouse gunman avoids death sentence

You would certainly think that it would be a reasonable request, but now it looks like the rules are going to be changed, at least for certain ones.

The judge and officers trying to uphold the rules enacted to ensure safety for the people are now going to have to undergo diversity sensitivity training, after several Islamic groups, the NAACP, and the ACLU got involved:

Georgia: Police to get sensitivity training after arrest of head scarf wearer

I'm wondering if any organizations, or the ACLU will be coming to this woman's aid:

Lowe's Accused of Firing Woman Over Xmas Pin

I think I can say with certainty that it won't be the ACLU. I didn't see them trying to uphold the rights of Christians wanting to display anything to do with their faith this Christmas..did you?

In closing, I will say that when it comes to your beliefs, and the particular faith or creed to which you adhere, it is your right, and your business. I think, though, that it should be an equal opportunity thing, with the rights of everyone being fairly, and equally, enforced.

Having said that, I have a question to ask:

If you were brought before a court of law, accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Typing that last thought, made me smile. I was wondering if the answer to that question happened to be "no" would the ACLU then come to your defense?

Part of the Pledge of Allegiance says this: "One Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." In many cases it is being recited, omitting the word, 'God' and is now, "One Nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

I wonder how long before 'liberty and justice for all,' will also be dropped?

Soon, probably, because it looks like that concept is just about to become history.

December 23, 2008

Merry Christmas!

While you are gathered together with your friends and loved ones in celebration of this special Christmas season, please take a moment to remember our men and women in uniform who will not be spending this special time with the people they love.
Let's pray for their safe return to their families, and remember to give thanks for all the blessings in our own lives.
Freedom is one of the blessings we have, and it is their sacrifice which helps to assure that we keep it.
Merry Christmas!

December 20, 2008

Mary Did You Know?

This is what I really want to think about during this Christmas season. It is, after all, what it's all about. It is about hope and promise, and peace that transcends everything.

An Old Fashioned Christmas


Dear readers, I was going to post something nice and cheery to leave up for the rest of the year, but the more I tried to think of something to write, the harder it became, without sounding phoney.

It is true that I wish you all a very blessed and happy holiday, whether you call it Christmas, or Chanukah, or anything else. I really do wish you peace and happiness, and prosperity. I, really and truly, am so very thankful for all the blessings in my own life. For these blessings I give thanks to God, because I am a woman of faith, and in my own heart, I believe that all my blessings flow from Him. However, even as I say these words, I know that some will think that I am saying that He blesses some, and not others, but that is not true.

The truth is that we sometimes make bad choices, causing ourselves, and others to suffer the consequences. The Bible says that times and circumstances happen to all men.

The truth is that this is not a perfect world.

So, since I could think of nothing cheery to say, I decided to look at my old posts to see if there was something there, worthy of re-posting. Ironically, I found the following one, which I posted on this same date, so I wasn't feeling all that cheerful then, either. Also, ironically, in light of the recent financial fiasco, and all the other things currently in the news, the post seems even more apropos.

I guess, in spite of all I hoped for, things haven't changed all that much, so I present to you, again:

An Old Fashioned Christmas

I know that I have, recently, written about a wonderful memory of Christmas past, and I'm sure that most of us do have those fond memories. We long for things to be that way again, and wish that we could see through the eyes of a child again, where everything is good, and right with the world. We all long for just an old fashioned Christmas.

I have my precious memories, but now, as I write this, I just cannot get into the "spirit of Christmas" that everyone speaks of, and longs for, because try as I may, I can't get into that state of "willing suspension of disbelief"-- a semi-conscious decision in which you put aside your disbelief and accept the premise as being real for the duration of the movie you're watching, or the story you're reading--because this is real life, with real people, with real emotions, and I am acutely aware of the pain which exists all around me.

This is the time of year when people try to achieve a level of perfection, which in most cases, just does not exist. They long for the perfect life, the perfect family, perfect kids. They think of peace on earth, and good will toward all men--that does not exist, either, and I can't pretend it does, because I can't forget that there are children going to bed hungry, that there are old people who are sick, and alone, and cold because they can't pay a heating bill and a prescription bill, too.

I am aware that there are young mothers, struggling to make a living for their children, yearning for some kind of normalcy in their lives, but knowing that it is pretty much a lost cause. I am aware that there are whole families who are next to being homeless, through no fault of their own, with no way out of their hopelessness.

I am aware that people are fighting, and killing each other, for no reason other than self-gratification, and I can't forget that there are wars where people are killing and being killed for the sake of peace.

I can't pretend that all of that is not happening. I can't close my eyes to reality and pretend that this is a season when everyone is happy and satisfied, and loving his fellow man. That's how I wish it could be, but it isn't.

I am so thankful for what I have, and for anything that I am able to do to make things better for others, and I will never, ever, take that for granted.
My heartfelt wish is that all of you will have peace of mind, love in your hearts, and peace in your homes during this Christmas and Holiday Season. May it continue long after the season is past.

December 19, 2008

His Highness

The Return of the Imperial Presidency

By William Warren

As Christmas nears and millions of Americans across the country prepare to celebrate the birth of a child in a lowly manger, Barack Obama is gearing up for a celebration of his own—his imperial Inauguration. And, like all of his celebrations, his inaugural plans are rife with forced symbolism and unprecedented grandeur.

With regards to his journey to Washington, D.C. for the Inauguration, it seems the President-elect has taken note of the brouhaha the Big Three endured by deciding to forgo a jet trip on Obama Air. Rather, the junior Senator turned President will ride by train.

Before you chuckle at Mr. Obama’s meager travel selection, understand that there is always an underlying methodology in his mania for the meretricious. As expected, this is no ordinary train trip.

The President-elect’s train journey—which will take him from Philadelphia to Washington with stops in Wilmington and Baltimore in between—is meant to mirror a similar train journey made by Abraham Lincoln to his Inaugural in 1861. In a shameless effort to paint the incoming president not only as the next Lincoln, but also as the living embodiment of his legacy, Obama’s inaugural planners are pulling out all the stops. As the following USA Today excerpt reiterates:

“Philadelphia is a logical starting point, said presidential historian Richard Norton Smith, especially for the nation's first African-American president. The framers of the Constitution — all white males — ‘set in motion something that is still a work in progress,’ he said.”

And, as Emmett S. Beliveau, executive director of the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee, said regarding the overtly symbolic, multi-city trip:

"As part of the most open and accessible Inauguration in history, we hope to include as many Americans as possible who wish to participate, but can't be in Washington…These events will allow us to do that while honoring the rich history and tradition of previous inaugural journeys."

It seems Barack Obama has quite an affinity for honoring rich history—especially, of course, if it honors him in the process. For instance, Mr. Obama honored the “rich history” of the Roman emperors by addressing the masses beneath the pearly white Greek temple at the coliseum known as INVESCO field. And although his followers may have trouble recalling the specifics of that particular speech, one thing is for certain—“All Hail Obama” was a spectacle to behold.

Speaking of imperial-like ostentation, the President-elect made quite a spectacle at a recent press conference. When a particular reporter, John McCormick of the Chicago Tribune, asked Mr. Obama a reasonable question regarding the now-infamous Rod Blagojevich and the situation in Chicago, the imperial Mr. Obama became indignant and refused to allow the reporter to finish his question:

“John, let me just cut you off…because I don’t want you to waste your question. As I indicated yesterday, we’ve done a full review of this…the facts are going to be released next week, it would be inappropriate for me to comment…because, the story for example that you just talked about in your own paper, I haven’t confirmed that it was accurate and I don’t want to get into the details at this point. So, do you have another question?”

When the bold reporter refused to sit down and continued to probe the President-elect—as he dutifully should as a respectable journalist—Mr. Obama again silenced him while visibly displaying his agitation. After all, if the President-elect doesn’t want to answer a question he finds displeasing, why should he?

How very regal of you, Mr. Obama.

Unfortunately, it appears America may be in store for a return of the imperial presidency, the likes of which the nation hasn’t seen since the days of Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon.

President Nixon, who apparently saw himself as more than a just a president, saw trifling things like laws and rules as below him. As the new Frost/Nixon movie poignantly reminds us, Tricky Dick once said:

“When the president does it that means that it is not illegal.”

In the case of President Johnson, a leader who exploited unchecked power from a grieving populace, imperial presidential administrations can even lead to war.

And now Barack Obama, with his symbolic self-honoring, silencing of the press, and narcissistic overkill, is heading on a train ride to not merely an inauguration, but a coronation. You might even call it a triumphal entry.

However, as CNN’s Campbell Brown pitches a bit of royal fit regarding Mr. Obama’s demeanor at his recent press conference, she ought to take a step back and realize how the President-elect got to where he is today. The media, including Campbell Brown, helped cultivate Mr. Obama’s Emperor-like demeanor. In her monologue, Mrs. Brown claims the media’s role is “not to support President-elect Obama, but to challenge him…to do their best to hold him accountable.”

Yet, Mrs. Brown, why shouldn’t Barack Obama be offended by a slightly pointed question? He’s simply not used to them!

At virtually no time during the campaign did the mainstream media challenge Barack Obama or hold him accountable in any way. Rather, the media enthusiastically protected the former Democratic presidential nominee, giving him a get-out-of-scrutiny-free card and a whole lot of adoration. After all, who could forget:

• MSNBC’s Chris Matthews enthusing about the “thrill” running up his leg when he hears Barack Obama speak?

• Or Clair Simpson of Good Morning America gushing over Barack Obama’s “fluid poetry” and “overnight political rock star” status?

• Or PBS’s Gwen Ifill and her glowing literary tribute: “Breakthrough: Politics in the Age of Obama”

Naturally, Mr. Obama would interpret this latest journalistic negligence as a sign to reign royally. And although we should be thankful the President-elect isn’t cutting off the heads of dissidents in the style of emperors of old, his cutting off of reporters ought to be seriously worrisome for those who believe the President is to be of—not above—the people.

William Warren is a contributing editor of ALG News Bureau.

December 15, 2008

A Christmas Memory

There is something about this particular season that causes memories to be stirred, and the sense of loss to be felt more acutely.

Today would have been my precious little Mama's birthday. To say that I miss her with every fiber of my being would not convey the depth of the loss I feel at no longer having her in my life.

Mama loved Christmas, and she always tried to make it a happy time for everyone. Remembering those times, and the love and devotion of my Mama, I have decided to repost:

"A Christmas Memory"

By the mid 1800s the American Christmas tradition included much of the same customs and festivities as it does today, including tree decorating, gift-giving, Santa Claus, greeting cards, stockings by the fire, church activities and family-oriented days of feasting and fun.

Laura Ingalls Wilder, who became one of my favorite authors when I was very young, wrote about the preparations of a Christmas on the prairie. She said: "Ma was busy all day long, cooking good things for Christmas. She baked salt-rising bread and Injun bread, and Swedish crackers, and huge pan of baked beans, with salt pork and molasses." She baked vinegar pies and dried-apple pies, and filled a big jar with cookies, and she let Laura and Mary lick the cake spoon.

That very Christmas, Laura Ingalls was delighted to find a shiny new tin cup, a peppermint candy, a heart shaped cake, and a brand new penny in her stocking.

With all the movies on television now, many with the theme of Christmases gone by, I cannot but remember, with great nostalgia, the first Christmas on Sand Mountain after Mama married my stepfather. If you have read my earlier posts, you will remember that I was nine years old, and we were sharecroppers, so there wasn't a lot of money to spend on presents, but Mama tried to make it as happy as possible, by sending Daddy out to woods to chop down a nice tree for us to decorate. For decorations, we strung popcorn on thread to make garlands, and cut strips of paper to make chains to wrap around the branches, which were garnished, beautifully, with little ornaments which Daddy cut out of tin cans. Since part of our duty as sharecroppers was to pick cotton, there was plenty of that saved in old Mason jars, and it worked just fine as big globs of snow on the branches! Of course, there were no packages under the tree, but we didn't worry about that--we expected Santa to take care of that!

I remember that Mama made a cake, Daddy parched some peanuts (which we also grew) and Mama made taffy, which took few ingredients, and the best part about that was pulling the taffy! It was great fun! So much fun that we hardly noticed the cold which swept in through the large cracks in the walls, and floor--besides, we had a cozy fire in the old fireplace, and you could get warm there--one side at a time! The wind whistled around the house, and through the cracks, but there was a warmth there, that did not come from the fireplace, nor the old stove in the kitchen. It was warmth which only comes from loving, and being loved, which cannot be understood unless one has experienced it.

Daddy played his fiddle, Mama and we sang, and I danced the buck-dance that Daddy had taught me to do. That night we went to bed, we girls snuggled in one bed, the boys in another, and Daddy and Mama in their bed, in the next room, where they kept hollering, "Y'all better get to sleep, or Santa won't come!" I don't know what the dreams were of the others in the house, but I'm sure that mine must have been delightful!

The next morning, we awoke to the sounds of Mama in the kitchen, and Daddy laughing, telling us we had better jump up and see what got left there last night! Of course, we all scrambled, and there, just like the best dream in the whole world were our treasures! One of my stepsisters was the very same age as I, so we got exactly the same thing, except for the colors of the dolls' dresses, and their eyes--mine had a pink dress and brown eyes, and hers had a blue dress and blue eyes! We, also, got a "diamond" ring, which cost all of thirty-five cents, as I found out a few years later, an orange, and a box of chocolate-covered cherries! I think that Christmas was probably the best Christmas ever!

Although I have many real diamond rings now, I don't think that any could compare with the one I received that Christmas. Even as I write this, I have a lump in my throat, because I know, now, what a sacrifice that was for Mama and Daddy. To some those few little presents are of little significance, but I'm sure that they did without something to be able to give us that much. To this day, I still give to those whom I love, a box of chocolate-covered cherries for Christmas.

My precious Mama passed away six years ago, and this past week would have been her birthday. She was a treasure and a blessing to all who knew her. Her name was Sarah, which in Hebrew means "princess" and she was, in every sense of the word.

Mama, the very memory of you is a blessing to me.

December 10, 2008

Time For A Smile

I'm tired of bad news, and the stories which make me feel sad. That's why I thought it was time for a smile, and a moment of pleasure.

Here's something that made me laugh, so I thought you might enjoy it, too.

Santa and Reindeer

Be sure to check out Santa's moves, as he keeps time with the music!

December 09, 2008

There Is No Excuse...

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.

The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.

"That laundry is not very clean", she said.

"She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."

Her husband looked on, but remained silent. Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line, and said to her husband, "Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?"

The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."

And so it is with life. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.

I know you may be thinking, "Oh, what a nice sentiment..and words of wisdom to be adhered to in our own lives."

Well, it is all that, but I'm looking at it from another perspective.

It seems to me that sometimes we don't really see clearly, not because our own windows are dirty, but because we are not presented with a clear view of a thing because of the dirty windows of others.

Sometimes, what we see is not what we get. Maybe, because our windows are clean, we think that what we are looking at is clean, too-- or it may have enough clean about it, that we don't see the dirt.

This has become apparent, to me, in many ways over the past months, in watching the political scene play out, and now again, in another situation.

For years, I have thought of United Way as a very good, and noble, organization. I've always heard of all the good things it does, of all the people it helps, and when I was employed, I contributed through payroll deduction, as has my husband, with a very substantial amount--but no more, as of this week.

I've found, through only a minimal amount of research, that the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Institute, in this area, according to their own web site, is generously supported by our local chapter of United Way. To even read from the web site is sickening, so I won't dignify it by linking it here.

But wait...there's more.

Planned Parenthood is, also, generously supported by United Way. I know that many will find fault with what I am saying here, because they will say that it has helped save the lives of lots of women.

Has it?

I don't know--but I do know that it is responsible in helping to rid the world of many innocent babies. Unwanted burdens, and inconveniences to women--not necessarily threats to the lives of the mothers. Not only do they aid and abet the taking of innocent lives, even to the point of selling Abortion Gift Certificates but they, obviously, try to protect the guilty in some cases.

Go here, Planned Parenthood's Abortion Extremism,then make your own decision about what you think is right, but as for me and my house, we don't want our hard-earned money to support the very things that we find repugnant, and reprehensible.

We gave, not knowing where the money was going, nor how it would be spent--we weren't seeing the clear picture.

Now, we know, and there is no excuse.

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
James 4:17 KJV

December 03, 2008

Ahh..Cicero


The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome becomes bankrupt.

People must again learn to work, instead of living off public assistance.

Cicero, 55BC

Ahh..Cicero--if only we had nothing more than that to be concerned about in this day and time. What you speak of is nothing compared to what we are facing in this country.

Washington Post: 20,000 More U.S. Troops To Be Deployed For “Domestic Security”

I'm afraid it's going to take a lot more than human wisdom to solve this one, Cicero.

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.
{2 Tim 3:1-4 RSV}

November 28, 2008

Wolf In Sheep's Clothing


"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit. A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
Matthew 7:15-18 RSV


Wolves are used in many analogies, most of which have some kind of negative connotation, such as the wolf being at the door to denote dire financial straits, etc., and a wolf in sheep's clothing provokes an image of a dangerous, conniving, scheming, foe sneaking up on its unsuspecting prey, ready to devour it.

Presently, I think they could be seen as fraudulent politicians who usurp high government office through fraud, and then mesmerize and manipulate their adoring, trusting followers by endless lies and deception.

Hmm..I don't know about you, but when I saw this picture I was immediately reminded of a few wolves in sheep's clothing on the scene right now.

I'm not even going to name Names..I think you get the picture.

November 26, 2008

The Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving


It may be I am getting old and like too much to dwell
Upon the days of bygone years, the days I loved so well;
But thinking of them now I wish somehow that I could know
A simple old Thanksgiving Day, like those of long ago,
When all the family gathered round a table richly spread,
With little Jamie at the foot and grandpa at the head,
The youngest of us all to greet the oldest with a smile,
With mother running in and out and laughing all the while.

It may be I'm old-fashioned, but it seems to me to-day
We're too much bent on having fun to take the time to pray;
Each little family grows up with fashions of its own;
It lives within a world itself and wants to be alone.
It has its special pleasures, its circle, too, of friends;
There are no get-together days; each one his journey wends,
Pursuing what he likes the best in his particular way,
Letting the others do the same upon Thanksgiving Day.

I like the olden way the best, when relatives were glad
To meet the way they used to do when I was but a lad;
The old home was a rendezvous for all our kith and kin,
And whether living far or near they all came trooping in
With shouts of "Hello, Daddy!" as they fairly stormed the place
And made a rush for Mother, who would stop to wipe her face
Upon her gingham apron before she kissed them all,
Hugging them proudly to her breast, the grownups and the small.

Then laughter rang throughout the home, and, Oh, the jokes they told;
From Boston, Frank brought new ones, but Father sprang the old;
All afternoon we chatted, telling what we hoped to do,
The struggles we were making and the hardships we'd gone through;
We gathered round the fireside. How fast the hours would fly--
It seemed before we'd settled down 'twas time to say good-bye.
Those were the glad Thanksgivings, the old-time families knew
When relatives could still be friends and every heart was true.

~Edgar Albert Guest
1881-1959

Peace

Peace, as defined by the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary can mean many things, but the one I'm pursuing at this moment is "freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions."

It isn't easy to obtain at the moment. As I watch, day by day, the unfolding events in the political world, fear, apprehension, and uncertainty become nagging, little undercurrents, in the process of my thinking, to the point where they become oppressive.

It is not easy to be at peace when one has no confidence in the newly elected leader of our nation. Never have I felt, nor sensed in others, such a sense of foreboding.

I know that no man can offer the peace that passes understanding, so I go to the One Who is able to do that.

Here are some words that offer, to me, a sense of peace. I hope they will mean something to you, too.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. (Isaiah 32:17)

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety. (Psalms 4:8)

For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee. (Isaiah 54:10)

November 21, 2008

If


If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

~Rudyard Kipling

November 18, 2008

Think On These Things


I'll bet you're wondering what in the world this post is going to be about, right?

Well, it's not about anything, really. It's just that I am giving myself a break from thinking about the outcome of the election, and the protests against people who exercised their rights (by voting no against gay marriages,) with intimidation, threats, and pure hatred. I am mentally fatigued and emotionally drained by all the hatred that I am seeing manifested, in one way or another, against innocent people wanting nothing more than moral decency, and to be at peace with their fellow man.

The reason I posted this photo, is because I like it. It is a part of my kitchen, and it is whimsical with roosters, chickens, a painting with a country woman feeding her chickens, and a planter that looks like an old shoe, with a bird's nest full of baby birds, being fed by their Mama.

There's a bookcase with some of my very old, favorite cookbooks, and you can see the casserole dish which looks like a duck. It belonged to my Mama, and stirs some precious memories when I look at it.

Maybe, if you click on the picture you will be able to see the little Lincoln head bookends, steadying a picture of an old black couple saying grace over a meal, and a couple of small music boxes sculpted from copper.

There are a few other things there too, including a small plaque which says, "Lord, help me to remember that there is nothing that is going to happen to me today, that together you and I can't handle."

All these things bring comfort, and a sense of peace to me, so I will enjoy them, and not think about all the other stuff..at least, for now.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.~Philippians 4:8




November 15, 2008

Psalm 91



He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

November 14, 2008

Bill Ayres Talks About His Relationship With Obama




I think that I should start with the definition of "speaking with a forked tongue," according to Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms, Cambridge University Press 1998: "to make false promises or to speak in a way which is not honest."

And then I will say that this man speaks with a forked tongue.

"Really, we knew each other in a professional way."
"I did know him in the context of being on a board together."

Is he still unrepentant about his underground terrorism? Yes, because he says that despicable acts were being carried out by this country..just as they are now, so he still feels that he didn't do enough then to stop them, just as not enough is being done now.

That doesn't sound like remorse to me.

One Man, One Woman

I really like this. I know my Jewish friends will enjoy it, too.

And yep..one man, and one woman, just the way it was intended to be.

November 13, 2008

Stand By The Roads..



Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is;and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.
~Jeremiah 6:16

Seeing, and reading about what is transpiring in the wake of Prop 8, and the actions of those who are wreaking havoc against innocent church-goers, causes doubt to rise in the most optimistic soul.

It's all very confusing, because their hatred seems so misdirected. One wonders why they are not protesting outside the black churches, since a high per centage of those voting to stop gay marriages were black.

The hatred evidenced on many blogs is almost unbelievable, and it's directed at Christians, and conservatives in general. The hateful things that they continue to speak against Governor Palin is beyond despicable, and I think it is because she is a moral woman, with principles, and represents womanhood at it's finest--which really goes against the grain with them.

I don't know where it is leading, but I know that we have a genuine struggle on our hands, and it is not going to be easy to stand in the face of such evil. But stand we shall, because we do not want to lose sight of the ancient paths of goodness, where there is rest for our souls. There can be no compromise.

I have found that the greatest help in meeting any problem with decency and self-respect and whatever courage is demanded, is to know where you yourself stand. That is, to have in words what you believe and are acting from.

~William Faulkner (1897 - 1962)

November 11, 2008

Prop 8..And This Is The Reality Of It


"They also teach respect for all human life and the Biblical sanctity of marriage as an institution between one man and one woman."

I think it was this statement that affected them like the old proverbial Vampire, Dracula, being confronted with a clove of garlic, or a Cross. The big difference is that they are not going to retreat, like the Vampire in the movies..their actions will be more like the villagers who pound the stake into the heart to assure that the dreaded enemy will no longer be able to rise again.

Does that sound crazy? Well, it is crazy, but it seems that sanity has flown right out the window..quicker than that old bat in the movies.

Read about it here, and keep telling yourselves that we have nothing to fear, but fear itself.

If you really believe that...

Thank You, Veterans



You Can't Tell a Vet Just By Looking

He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carrier didn't run out of fuel.

He is the barroom loudmouth whose behavior is outweighed in the cosmic scales by four hours of unparalleled bravery near the 38th Parallel in Korea.

She is the nurse who fought against futility in Da Nang and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years.

He is the POW who left one person and came back another.

He is the drill instructor who has never been in combat, but has saved countless lives by turning no-accounts into Marines.

He is the parade-riding legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand.

He is the white-haired guy bagging groceries at the supermarket, aggravatingly slow, who helped liberate a Nazi death camp.

A vet is an ordinary and extraordinary human being — someone who offered his life's vital years in the service of his country.

He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known. We will never be able to repay the debt of gratitude we owe.


—Author Unknown—

I would like to add this:

And he is my uncle who was wounded during the Normandy Landing.

He is my father-in-law who was wounded at Iwo Jima.

He is another uncle who was stationed on board the USS Missouri and witnessed the formal signing of surrender by the Japanese.

He is my fellow blogger, Guyk, and Pat Houseworthy, and The Hermit, and many others that have become my friends through this blog.

And he is my husband, who served two tours in Viet Nam, and retired after twenty years of service to our country. (Thank you, Honey..I'm very much aware of the extreme sacrifice you made, and what you had to endure)

My heartfelt gratitude to each and everyone of you for your sacrifice that has helped to keep our nation free, and truly the home of the brave.

God bless you, and God bless the USA.

November 09, 2008

Be Happy, Don't Worry?



Oh, good grief..everytime I try to accept things the way they are, and just be happy, I come across something like this!

As I've said before, I don't profess to be a prophet, but awhile back, even before he mentioned a civilian security force, I said that if he became President, that it wouldn't be long until he would be requiring all citizens to participate in some kind of work-force. I guess I wasn't far from wrong.

Go read this, and see just how much happiness and peace of mind it brings you.

Just in case you're thinking you're too young, or even too old, rest assured that this really will be an equal opportunity endeavor.

Shades of past history..but I'm not even going to go there.

November 08, 2008

Don't Worry, Be Happy

We took our little Daschund, Precious, for a walk in the woods. She always loves it, and wanders around with not a care in the world. She sniffs out everything, unafraid of anything, and then just sits down for a little rest. She seems to blend in pretty well with her surroundings, too.

She never worries about where she is, or how she will get back home, nor if there will be anything to eat when she gets there. Why should she, when she doesn't realize she's just a dog, anyway? She's happy when she leaves home, and just as happy when she arrives home, again.

Maybe, we could all learn a lesson from Precious: Don't worry, be happy!

Precious is..well, just precious!

She just is.

November 05, 2008

Trusting That He Will Make All Things Right..

Sometimes, things happen that we don't understand, but it is said that all things happen for a reason. The outcome of this election is not what I would have wished for, and it is true that many are rejoicing, but there are many who believe that this is the beginning of a darkness unlike anything we have experienced before.

None of us know what tomorrow may bring. All that one can do now is to accept the things that we are unable to change, and to keep hoping that the things which can be changed, will be, and to pray that those in authority over our great nation will honor and respect that which is good and right, and act accordingly toward all.

May there be enough light to expell the darkness, that we may dwell together in peace and harmony.

I will not be blogging about this anymore.

I leave you with this, the Prayer of Serenity.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Amen.

This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.

Daniel 4:17 KJV

November 02, 2008

Lee Greenwood: God Bless The USA (Lyrics)

I weep as I watch, and listen to the words of this video.

Never in my entire life have I loved my country more, and never in my life have I realized how I have taken for granted all that we have here. I have never fully appreciated the freedoms that we have, until now, when we are so close to losing them. And we are very close to that, whether we want to admit it, or not.

There are men and women, right at this moment, risking life and limb, so that we may have these freedoms, while right at this moment, there are those, while in their quest for the most powerful position in the world, have tried to bring division, to cause dissatisfaction, and unrest, while making promises that cannot, possibly, be kept. There has been so much deception, and chicanery, that it is easy to see how so many could be so deluded, and it seems that delusion has covered the land.

In mere hours, really, we will vote for the next leader of our great nation. Never has it been this important that we be absolutely certain in our hearts, and minds, that we make the right choice--that we base our choice not on emotion, or hatred for a past administration, but on what is needed for our country to continue to exist as a free country with liberty, justice, and equality for all--not only for a select class, or a select race, but truly for all.

If we choose not to do that, then all will have been in vain--all the blood, sweat, and tears, which have been poured out in sacrifice, will have been in vain. I know that it is not perfect, but it can't be said enough that it is still the best country in the world.

No matter that some find it so horrible that they can't be proud to be an American..please God, please.. continue to bless the U.S.A

November 01, 2008

The Audacity Of Deception

The Audacity of Deception
By Mark Alexander
If you are perplexed, even bewildered, by the number of Americans who normally make logical and rational decisions but now support Barack Obama, I refer you to a lucid explanation for this phenomenon in the opening pages of the candidate’s political autobiography, The Audacity of Hope. He writes, “I am new enough on the national political scene that I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views... I am bound to disappoint some... of them.”
Beyond the projection and deception, however, elections have consequences. Some of Obama’s supporters, the formerly logical and rational, will be first in the soup line of deceived disappointees expressing buyer’s remorse. They will awaken from the stupor of all the good feelings that attracted them to Obama and face the hard realities of the Socialist agenda they enabled.
In this, the final week of the ‘08 presidential campaign, Obama bought 30 minutes of prime time on several networks to air an infomercial in which he endeavored to pass as something other than the ideological Socialist he is. Feigning the fiscal conservatism of Ronald Reagan, Obama claimed he would review the budget, line by line, and cut waste. He even made taxing and spending, a.k.a. “the collectivist redistribution of wealth,” sound like a noble democratic gesture.
At one point he said, “Just because I want to spread the wealth around, they call me a socialist. The next thing you know, they will call me a communist because I shared my peanut butter sandwich in kindergarten!”
Cute. Of course, Barack Obama isn’t proposing to “share” his sandwich. Instead, he’s proposing to take your sandwich and share it with someone else. He’s assuming that you aren’t charitable enough to share it yourself.
Truth is, it is unlikely Obama ever shared a sandwich with anyone. With an average annual income of more than $500,000 between 2000 and 2006, Barack and Michelle only gave two percent—two percent—of their income to charity. Obama’s running mate is even more miserly. The Bidens’ income averaged $260,000 over the last 10 years, but they averaged just $650 a year in charitable giving.
So much for “spreading the wealth around.”
Meanwhile, Sen. John McCain centered his soapbox message on Obama’s penchant to redistribute wealth, even uttering the word “socialist” in several interviews—and not a minute too soon.
Of course, Socialist policies are now the centerpiece of the once great Democratic Party, packaged under the aegis of “fairness and equality” or “investments in our infrastructure and people.”
Obama uses code words such as “political and economic justice” and “coalition of powers through which you bring about redistributive change.” In the last two months, however, given the crisis of confidence in our economy, Obama’s Socialist rhetoric has become bolder. Perhaps he’s heeding the counsel of his mentors’ mentor, Karl Marx, who wrote, “A new revolution is possible only in consequence of a new crisis.”
The fingerprints of Obama’s radical Socialist mentors are all over his “vision for America” —from his early childhood tutor, Communist Party USA member Frank Marshall Davis, to his black radical spiritual advisor, Jeremiah Wright, to the benefactors who launched his political career, radical terrorists William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn.
These are the Leftists who fed Obama’s unmitigated narcissism and shaped his warped worldview, which he now seeks to inflict upon the entire nation. Even his campaign icon implies “Obama over America.”
Of course, when asked about his relationship with these radicals, Obama responds, “[These people] are not advisors or donors to my campaign,” at which point an adoring press corps dutifully moves on to the next question.
Despite having spent 20 years as a disciple of Wright, the man who officiated at Obama’s marriage and baptized his children, the man whom Obama describes as “a father figure,” he claims he never inhaled any of his spiritual mentor’s racial hatred—never even heard any of it.
Obama claims that Bill Ayers was “just a guy in my neighborhood,” and “I was just eight years old when he was a terrorist.” However, Obama was 34 when Ayers used his radical celebrity to launch Obama’s political career, and he was 40 when this unrepentant terrorist was featured in a New York Times article (on the morning of September 11, 2001) and quoted in the opening paragraph proclaiming, “I don’t regret setting bombs. I feel we didn’t do enough.”
Ayers added, “America makes me want to puke.” Obama was working on his second major “philanthropic” project with Ayers at that time.
In addition, there are Obama’s ties to the Socialist New Party, the ACORN crowd, Father Michael Pfleger, Khalid al-Mansour, Kwame Kilpatrick, Louis Farrakhan, Tony Rezko, Rashid Khalidi, Raila Odinga and other haters, hard Leftists and convicted felons.
George Bernard Shaw once wrote, “A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.” All committed Socialists understand this principle.
For example, when Obama asserts, “We’ll ensure that economic justice is served—that’s what this election is about... I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody,” that is tantamount to buying votes.
Michelle Obama echoes her husband’s redistributionist philosophy: “The truth is, in order to get things like universal healthcare and a revamped education system, then someone is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so that someone else can have more.”
In 1916, a minister and outspoken advocate for liberty, William J. H. Boetcker, published a pamphlet entitled The Ten Cannots . “You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man’s initiative and independence. You cannot help small men by tearing down big men. You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income. You cannot establish security on borrowed money. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they will not do for themselves.”
A century later, Democrats are utterly ignorant of these principles. In fact, Barack Obama’s campaign is built around their antithesis—“The Ten Cans.”
I was speaking with a friend recently, a man who lived most of his life under the Communist regime in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. He has spent several years and continues to incur many legal expenses in his endeavor to become a U.S. citizen, but he has since lost his enthusiasm.
“The prospect of an Obama presidency is like dèja vu for me,” he explained. “The socialist goal back home was that everyone had equal wealth. They met that goal—eventually no one had anything. Any attempt to work harder to achieve a better standard of living for your family was considered contrary to the welfare of the state, and dutifully discouraged. Socialism is a big hole, easy to fall into and hard to climb out of.”
He lamented, “The American dream is not something I want to wake up from—but too many Americans have no idea what they have, and are about to lose it. Socialism seems an appealing ideal, collective ownership, equal society, ‘sharing the wealth,’ et cetera. But it has a downside: It doesn’t work.”
Indeed it doesn’t work. It creates wards of the state—slaves, if you will.
In the 1980s, I spent enough time in Socialist countries, including the old USSR, to know that we want to avoid, at all costs, a USSA. If we could gather up all Americans who, knowingly or unknowingly, support collectivist policies like those espoused by Barack Obama and transport them to the old USSR for a week, they could see the terminus of such policies—the walking dead—and the wisest among them would rethink their support for statist concepts such as “sharing the wealth.”
It is no small irony that as the younger generations of former Communist countries around the world are moving rapidly toward liberty and free enterprise, our nation is moving rapidly toward Socialism and a tyranny of the few.
Barack Obama recently said, “I don’t find myself particularly scary or particularly risky.” It was a weak attempt at self-effacing humor, but make no mistake: Barack Hussein Obama’s Socialist policies are both scary and risky.
“Hope” and “change” may be pleasant catchall bromides, but as Benjamin Franklin wrote in Poor Richard’s Almanac, “He that lives upon Hope will die fasting.”
On change, John Adams wrote, “A Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.”
To that end, in 1787, the year our Constitution was adopted, Thomas Jefferson, wrote, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.”
Let’s not go there—yet.

October 30, 2008

Foster Friess on Barack Obama: Rhetoric vs. Record

I think Senator Obama's theme song should be, "Undecided."

Remember the lyrics?

"First you say you will, and then you won't.

Then you say you do, but then you don't.

You're undecided now, so what are you gonna do?"

Please listen to what is said in this video, and then pass it on to as many as possible.

October 28, 2008

Obama's Redistributive Change: Take Election Day Off,

Yeah, right!

Go ahead and ask your boss, or your professor, and if they say "No," just do it, anyway. After all, everyone needs to get used to not working, and just collecting that free money that someone else is working for--after all, it's only fair.

Besides, if you don't work, you will need somebody's money. In the words of Karl Marx: "From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need."

After the election, if the person who put out that ad is elected, we will pretty much be having to abide by that creed.

October 26, 2008

Are We Ready For This?

Today, as I look outside, it is dark, and overcast, but it is nothing compared to what is happening in our country.

Take for instance, the fact that an honest, respected journalist, Barbara West, of WFTV-Channel 9, in Orlando, asked an honest question to Senator Obama's running mate, Joe Biden, and now all interviews with anyone to do with Obama are now canceled including an upcoming one with Mrs. Jill Biden.

Obama's campaign issued this statement:

"This cancellation is non-negotiable, and further opportunities for your station to interview with this campaign are unlikely, at best for the duration of the remaining days until the election,"

So, I guess we have to be very careful about what is said about Senator Obama, and heaven forbid that anyone should ask a question of utmost importance to the voters, and citizens, of our country. It looks, pretty much, like our freedom of speech is headed right down the drain.

There's something else that we need to be concerned about though, and that is the fact that although it is "verboten" to speak out against him, he, and his campaign, seem to think it is perfectly okay to brainwash our children, and grandchildren, into going after votes for him, and he even gives them pretty detailed instructions for doing it, too.

It's getting pretty scary, folks.

Please, read this:

The Future Has Arrived: Barack Obama Targets Kids

My thanks to:

Jeff Tyler at Dr. Slogan's Prescriptions

October 24, 2008

The Real Deal



Perhaps, some of us still have our heads in the sand concerning the real state of affairs when it comes to the hardship which has hit a large part of our population, in different parts of the country, but not all of us do.

The following account, from another friend of mine, gives a pretty clear picture of what is beginning to happen all around us. It may be a little more subtle, in different areas, but it is happening, no matter how much spin is put on the actual facts, trying to soothe the harsh reality of it.

My friend is an educated man--a practical thinker, with keen, observational skills. I think what he has to say will give some insight into what is happening to real people, in real life. Any of these people he speaks of could be our neighbors, our friends, and unfortunately, our very own family.

Here's what he said, in his own words:

Everyone knows the media is not interested in telling people the news. Instead, their primary concern is twisting the news to suit their own agenda. If a newscaster on CNN said it was raining outside my house, I'd get up and go look for myself before I gave their statement any credence.

So when they ramble on and on about lost jobs and the situation in the country, you know they're just reading teleprompters, parroting whatever comes across the screen mindlessly.

Three things occurred this week that gave me some indication of how events are effecting people out in the real world. Not news anchors with six digit salaries, but real people. First , I had lunch with someone I've known for more than ten years. She's a divorced woman, about my age, who lives in an apartment in Atlanta. Her 401 K statement listed the value of her account at $147,900 the previous quarter. Her next statement arrived this week, and her account is now valued at less than $37,000. That's a lot of money to lose in a three month period.

The next day, I had a quick lunch at a local fast food place. One of the women who works there has a son that I taught when he was in fifth grade. He was a good kid, well behaved and intelligent. His parents had great hopes for him. Then his father lost his job when the plant he had worked at for years shut down. Now the whole family is living off savings and the mother's meager income from the fast food place. The husband is about my age, had specialized skills, and can't buy a job now. She told me they can't get a student loan, so instead of going to college they are trying to find something for him at a tech school.

I talked with a small businessman who had a $200,000 line of credit at his bank. He used it to cover the gaps between invoicing and receiving payment that all small businessmen have to deal with. His banker called him this week and told him the line was being canceled. They said it was nothing to do with his credit, that he had been an excellent customer for nearly thirty years. But they just couldn't continue the line. How is he going to make do now?

So all this is real, and the bland, smiling faces mouthing platitudes on the television screen have no idea what's really going on. Why should they care, they aren't going to lose their jobs.

Just Another Unfortunate Hoax

It's really too bad that there are people out there with obvious emotional issues, craving the attention they get when they do something like this.

Ms. Todd, who claimed to have been robbed, and assaulted, having a "B" scratched into her face, simply because she displayed a McCain bumper sticker on her car--giving the impression that it must have been an Obama supporter-- has admitted that it was not true.

She has joined the ranks of many others who have made false claims against innocent people. Some who come to mind are Tawana Brawley, who was fifteen when she accused six white men of raping her, back in 1987, which turned out to be a hoax, and racially motivated.

And then there was the case of the black stripper who accused three of the Duke University la crosse players of rape, a false accusation which could have destroyed the lives of three young men. The incident did destroy the career of Durham N.C. District Attorney, Mike Nifong, who was determined to hang those young men, high and dry, and truth be damned. It seems that race and politics were at work in this case.

The two cases mentioned incited deep, racially motivated emotions on both sides, which in itself is a shame. But when something happens, as in the case of Ms. Todd, it incites not only racial, but also politically toxic feelings.

I suppose that there will always be those who will risk their own pride and dignity, for their fifteen minutes of fame, and being the center of attention, for whatever it's worth.

Worse, though, is the fact that there will always be those just waiting for something like the incident with Ms. Todd to happen, so they can gloat, throw more mud, and cast more aspersions at the other political party.

When it comes to that, I'm afraid that both political parties come out less than lily-white.

Obama Breaks His Promise On Public Financing




"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."

Maybe, Sir Walter Scott had Senator Barack Obama in mind when he penned those words.

It looks like Senator Barack Obama has had plenty of practice, and has become quite an expert in the art of deceiving.

Have you been wondering where all the money is coming from to support his underhanded campaign, and how it is that he seems to have a bottomless coffer when it comes to funding his ads, designed to deceive his devoted followers into giving him even more, untraceable, dollars?

It seems that Obama and his campaign have plenty of devious ways to accomplish his agenda, and what is worse, it seems that there are plenty of people out there willing to let them get away with it.

But tell me this: Can anything good come of something founded on lies and deception?

For instance:
"It turns out, for example, that credit card companies deploy a variety of security measures to guarantee the processing of electronic transactions. For campaign giving, the key safeguards are vendor address verification, country of residence, and proof of citizenship. We now know that Obama operatives at the campaign’s website have disabled the security settings on vendor identity to expedite online donations, gifts that then speed through to fund election activities that would be flagged as illegal under normal FEC reporting standards."

Read this, and more, in "Obama's Fundraising Fraud," an excellent article exposing the corruption, written by Donald Douglas.


October 23, 2008

More About Obama's Birth Certificate

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) waves to spectators as he arrives to announce his candidacy for president in Springfield, Ill. (Charles Rex Arbogast / Associated Press)
Claps hands with his grandmother, Sarah Hussein Obama, at his father's house in Nyongoma Kogelo village in western Kenya in 2006. (Sayyid Azim / Associated Press)

My Mother's Birth Certificate - And Obama's
October 22, 2008
Joan Swirsky
(critical videos and documents below)
Four years ago, when I had just about completed the lengthy legal and financial vetting process required by the U.S. government to place my then-92-year-old-mother in a nursing home, I was asked to produce her birth certificate as “proof” of her citizenship. While she was born in America, had voted in every election for untold decades, and paid her taxes religiously, that wasn’t good enough to qualify my elderly mother –deaf, legally blind, and confined to a wheelchair – to be admitted to the facility I had chosen for her near my home.

Frankly, I didn't think finding my mother's birth certificate was possible, given the fact that she had been born in a farmhouse in Storrs, CT, along with nine of her 10 siblings, to parents who didn't speak English. Despairing that she would never be "qualified" to receive the care she desperately needed, I set about to find the document, which I was sure had vanished in the unreliable record-keeping of 1913.

First I called an official in Hartford, the capitol of Connecticut, who recommended that I call the Storrs record-keeping office.

That took two minutes.

Next I called the Storrs office and was told to call another number.

That took two minutes.

When I called the third number, I explained to the woman who answered the phone that I was "asking something impossible." I gave her my mother's first name and her father's last name.

Within four minutes, she said, "Here it is!" She had found my mother's birth certificate, and it surprised me when I learned my mother's "real" first name and "real" last name had changed significantly as she and her family became Americanized.

When I expressed my amazement, the woman said: "That's nothing...we're routinely asked to find birth certificates from the 1800s, and we do that all the time!"

Total time it took me to find my mother's 1913, born-in-a-farmhouse birth certificate: 10 minutes!

WHERE IS OBAMA'S?
To this date, Barack Obama has refused - or been unable -to produce an authentic birth certificate that attests to the fact he is an American-born citizen. He has had more than the two-years of campaigning for the presidency of the United States to do this, but failed.

Why is this important? Because the Constitution of the United States expressly forbids anyone born on foreign soil to run for the highest office in our land!

You would think that Obama would have volunteered the "proof" of his eligibility within a nanosecond of entering the race. But here we are, less than two weeks away from the election, and Americans still don't know if Obama is an American!

While Obama's camp submitted a supposedly authentic birth certificate to the far-left blog Daily Kos, it was found to have been a photo-shopped version of the birth certificate of his half-sister, who was actually born in Hawaii, as Obama claims he was.

While this glaring omission in Obama's eligibility to become the most powerful man on earth mystified some and rankled others, a few people - clearly alarmed at what they considered a stealth candidate's attempt to dance his way around the Constitution and venture into the realm of criminality- took action.

*Please, if you read nothing else, read the rest of this amazing article. It is imperative, at this critical time in history, to be as informed as humanly possible about the candidate who has burst onto the scene, and with very little actually known about him, is about to become the leader of this nation.

This is a serious situation, inherently dangerous, and yet people are putting their faith and trust in someone that they know nothing about. They say they want change, but just exactly what kind of change will they be getting?

The rest of what this is all about can be found here.

October 22, 2008

More Colin Powell on Meet the Press 10/19/2008



"There's going to be a crisis which will come along on the 21st, 22nd of January which we don't even know about right now!" -Colin Powell

Huh?

Don't get me wrong. I have always admired this man, but after his decision to endorse Senator Barack Obama, I have to wonder:

Have he, and Joe Biden now become prophets?

If we don't even know about it, then it must be a prophetic warning, right?

The truth is, that there is something in the works, for which much preparation is being made, and you can read something about it here:

Police Prepare for Black Unrest Nationwide


It's something that is inevitable, so maybe that's what Powell and Biden have prior knowledge of, and they're already trying to prepare his followers, who may start having second thoughts when it happens.

Here's my warning, and I'm not a prophet: This country is in dire straits, and facing certain dangers which we have not known before, and it will become worse if Obama becomes the leader of this nation.

He is not, after all, the solution to all problems, globally, or otherwise, but he will become a much bigger part of the problem.

October 21, 2008

The Ayers-Weatherman Terrorist Attack

The Weathermen were a Marxist-Leninist militant organization that declared war on the United States in 1969. Check this video for some background on the group's terrorist activities:

Here's this, from Wikipedia:

On March 6, 1970, during preparations for the bombing of an officers' dance at the Fort Dix U.S. Army base and for Butler Library at Columbia University, there was an explosion in a Greenwich Village safe house when the nail bomb being constructed prematurely detonated for unknown reasons. WUO members Diana Oughton, Ted Gold, and Terry Robbins died in the explosion. Cathy Wilkerson and Kathy Boudin escaped unharmed ... The bomb preparations have been pointed out by critics of the claim that the Weatherman group did not try to take lives with its bombings. Harvey Klehr, the Andrew W. Mellon professor of politics and history at Emory University in Atlanta, said in 2003, "The only reason they were not guilty of mass murder is mere incompetence. I don't know what sort of defense that is."
Barack Obama appeared with Ayers on a panel on juvenile justice organized by Michelle Obama on November 20, 1997.

Obama now claims Ayers has been rehabilitated and he denies writing book reviews favoring Ayers' theories of criminal justice.

If the Democratic nominee's relationship to Ayers - who wished he could have done more to destroy the U.S. - doesn't make your skin crawl, I doubt anything would.