Funeral for a Friend

"Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend,Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when political correctness became the, "in thing".

Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust, his wife Discretion, his daughter Responsibility, and his son Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers: I know my rights; I want it now; Someone else is to blame, and I'm a victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

How We Looked in the Seventies/Glad I Was an Unfashionable Stoner

Elders and the Church

I thought after posting my spirit filled day blog, that many may not be churched, or not informed regarding scripture, so I thought I'd post some of what it takes to be an Elder in the Church.


Question: "What are the duties of an elder in the church?"
Answer: The Bible spells out at least five duties and obligations of an elder:

1) The elders help to settle disputes in the church. "While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the Christians 'unless you keep the ancient Jewish custom of circumcision taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.' Paul and Barnabas, disagreeing with them, argued forcefully and at length. Finally, Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question" (Acts 15: 1-2, NL T). The question was raised and forcefully argued, then taken to the apostles and elders for a decision. This passage teaches that elders are decision makers.

2) They pray for the sick. "Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14). Since the elders have to meet specific qualifications, their lives are godly and therefore the sin in their lives is minimal and is confessed regularly; therefore, they are used to pray for the sick. One of the necessities in prayer is praying for the Lord's will to be done, and they are expected to do this.

3) They are to watch out for the church in humility. "I exhort the elders who are among you, I being also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Feed the flock of God among you, taking the oversight, not by compulsion, but willingly; nor for base gain, but readily; nor as lording it over those allotted to you by God, but becoming examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a never-fading crown of glory" (1 Peter 5: 1-4). Elders are the designated leaders of the church, and the flock is entrusted to them by God. They are not to lead for the pay or the reward but because of their desire to serve and shepherd the flock.

4) They are to watch out for the spiritual life of the flock. "Yield to those leading you, and be submissive, for they watch for your souls, as those who must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief; for that is unprofitable for you" (Hebrews 13:17). This verse does not specifically say "elders," but it is talking about the church leaders. They are accountable for the spiritual life of the church.

5) They are to spend their time in prayer and teaching the word. "And the Twelve called near the multitude of the disciples and said, 'It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word'" (Acts 6:2-4). This is for the apostles, but we can see from the passage above in #3 that Peter equates himself as an apostle and an elder. From this verse you can also see the difference between the duties of elder and deacon.

Simply put, the elders should be peacemakers, prayer warriors, teachers, leaders by example, and decision makers. . They are the preaching and teaching leaders of the church. It is a position to be sought but not taken lightly~this warning: "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, for you know that we who teach shall be Judged with greater strictness" (James 3: 1). The role of elder is not a position to be taken lightly.

© Copyright 2002-2009 Got Questions Ministries.

First Lady: Girls' Mentor?

"While the president was away in L.A., the first lady played mentor, with the help of some stars. She organized a round-robin of visits to Washington D.C. schools and a White House event for young girls, to demonstrate to them they could grow up to be anything they chose in America. (You know, that country she had no pride in before her husband's nomination?) ...Michelle, judging by the stars she presented as role models, wants the young women to aspire to be singers and actresses, athletes, 4-star generals and astronauts. There was only one woman CEO or entrepreneur mentioned by media -- Debra Lee, the CEO of the Black Entertainment Network; no women small business owners, no top women sales professionals -- not even difference-makers like school teachers or nurses and caregivers or stay-at-home moms raising successful families. Or even political leaders, like, say the successful governor of a fiscally stable state. Like, say, Governor Sarah Palin. She was one of only two women ever to run for vice-president on either of the two major parties' tickets, and a mom. ... No, Michelle presented Alicia Keyes and Sheryl Crow, actresses Fran Drescher and Phylicia Rashad; a couple of athletes; the first black woman to travel in space; and a celebrity make-up artist. What is so significant here is that nearly all the examples-to-aspire-to presented are primarily supported by the economy; not supporters of the economy. Not creators of innovative products, of companies, of jobs. Not women who started some sort of enterprises from scratch and built them into successful businesses. Heaven forbid we should encourage these girls to grow up to be business owners. Better for them to hope for a spin of the wheel of celebrity via American Idol. Particularly appropriate given our celebrity-president." --author Dan Kennedy

Spirit Filled Day, Funfilled Night

In the middle of the Las Vegas Valley is a religious retreat. A courtyard with trees and grass and singing birds. Inside it's so quiet, with candles and small gurgling fountains. In this serene place we Elders met for a day of communion, meditation and discussion. Usually when we meet off campus it's for business purposes, to set goals for the church, set up committees, etc. This was a spiritual retreat. Be still, and know God. We go so fast so much, that we must must must take a break. Not only events like these, but take a few minutes each day. Just stop. Breathe. It was pointed out that even when we pray, we're talking. We need to be silent when with Him, to hear what He says.
Here are some of the verses we meditated and prayed on.
Pslam 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God."

Isaiah 40:31 "Those who wait for the Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not faint."

Micah 6:8 "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Psalm 119:114 "You're my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me."

Someone said to author and minister Max Lucado, start slow and taper off. I like the idea. There may be moments when hurry is appropriate, but for goodness sakes, as a life style? We all arrive, ultimately, at the same place in the same condition.
Here too is a great metaphor for our relationship with God. Ben Franklin and the kite. The key is our ego, the string is prayer, the kite is God, and the sky is Heaven. We need to take time daily to ensure our string is taut and the kite is flying.

After the retreat my friends Cory and Cindi and I went to the new Eastside Cannery and saw Freddie Cannon. The buffet was being remodeled so we went to the Mexican restaurant, and Freddie Cannon, his wife and son were there. Cindi had met him before and went up to talk to him; they were finished with dinner and getting ready to leave. He and his son were just great, they came over to our table and talked to us about music and their shows. He was such a great guy. The show itself was a lot of fun; he had two sons in his band, and they rocked the house.

I must say, this was a great day.

Everything's Amazing, Nobody's Happy

Louis CK on Conan O'Brien, October 1st, 2008. Louis speaks of how our generation has been spoiled by technology.

The Seed and the Universe

We have UFO's and Aliens. We have science fiction with all kinds of beings and monsters. I ponder this, and have for years. I have only hearsay evidence that we have been visited by aliens, and the math for other cosmic outlying beings and civilizations speak against it. The number of binary stars vs single stars that could support life etc. There's an equal number of math equations that argue for other life too. I just need to see and experience it myself; or hear a damn good argument. The physics that have to exist to create and support life have to be just so. I've advocated for years that we, humans on this planet, may be the seed for all civilizations to come. All the aliens and civilizations in science fiction, life following art, will come from us, eventually.

O' good heavens, here we go again, the earth is the center of the universe argument again. Well, not exactly. The Copernican revolution (earth revolves around the sun) is taught that it was revolutionary because Christians thought the universe revolved around the earth. Like most everything taught or believed about Christianity (even among Christians) is incorrect. There is nothing scriptural, nothing in the Bible, that states or infers that the earth is the center of anything.

What is true, is that we humans are a very unique and have a special place in creation. I think God created all the perfect balances to create us, in this unique section of the Milky Way, in this unique solar system, on this unique planet. I don't think it's a matter of serendipity. Think of this; the laws of physics have to be just so to us to exist. The force of gravity has to be at a just so pull. The Big Bang had to be at just a precise moment in time at a particular, exact force. Air has to be at a precise mixture, water has to be just so to be water. One thing different, and we don't exist. Stephen Hawking: "If the rate of expansion one second after the Big Bang had been smaller by even one part in a hundred thousand million million, the universe would have re-collapsed before it even reached its present size."

All of the heavens, infinite to us; billions of stars, millions of galaxies, infinite nothingness. Yet here we are. "The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament show His handiwork." (Psalms 19). The apostle Paul wrote: ""For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and the Godhead, so that they are without excuse". We have mostly nothingness in between particles, yet we see particles behaving in the most strange way. What causes them to act in such a way? To do what we identify as physical laws, when there are so few particles in relation to nothingness, all that space. Even the things we see and bump into is mostly space, nothingness. Yet things are orderly. That takes us behind the physical creation, because those same physical laws that form our existence, contain the moral laws that inform and maintain our human existence, our relationships, how we think, how we perceive. It just builds, doesn't it? This singular, unique creation comes from one Source. Not an accident. I'm convinced we are the seed of all to come. The we are God's special, unique, singular creation, here for a special, unique, singular purpose.

A Boy's Wisdom for Obama

I watched back to back episodes of "Extreme Makeover" last night on CMT, and one was about a six year old little boy that had a brittle bone disease. He says he has glass bones. He was excited about boxes, because he could configure them any way he wanted and build things. (At the end of the show Ty Pennington opened the garage door and it was full of boxes...the kid went just nuts with joy!) At the beginning of the show, Ty is sitting talking to the boy about his fascination with boxes, and how he goes about building things with them. The boy says to Ty, "Always think before you build"; from a little boy!

To our President and his ideas. He has no plans for anything. He just makes pronouncements and sets the wheels rolling. I think this is a seriously flawed way to live life, let alone govern. He signs off on closing Gitmo, but has no plan where to put the detainees. He wants to have universal government healthcare, but have any of you seen a plan? What are the cost structures? Who's going to pay for what and how much? What are doctors' and hospitals' responsibilities going to be? He's going to change the power grid, but he has no plans for the architecture. He is going to a cap and trade energy system put has presented no plans how that will work, what specifically needs to be done, who will pay what and how much. (I guarantee that we will all pay higher utility bills because corporations will pass the cost on to consumers). Those are the major things he said he will change. You can count on all the little things he's changing, and keeping hidden, that will have a major impact on our lives, incomes, freedom, he has no plans for either.

Back to the six year old boy, "Think before you build." Saying you plan to do something isn't a plan.

Shutting Detroit Down- John Rich

Daniel Hannan MEP: The devalued Prime Minister of a devalued Government

Adventures in Leftist Blogs

In my previous blog I talked about what happened when I made a few comments on a leftist blog. I do this every once in a while, always with respect, and always with the same result. Leeza, to her credit, did not let a lot of vile hatred happen, so kudos to her. However, the exchange to follow is pretty standard. I had one of my replies deleted by her because it was 'snarky', an odd word coming into pop lexicon. I challenged what was 'snarky' in my reply.

Well, maybe 'snarky' wasn't really the issue. "The comment you're replying to, Steven, was deleted because it deprecated someone's personal appearance. I've communicated with the relevant MySpacer, who understands why I deleted it."

I asked: "I would like to know the specific insult. I don't remember insulting anyone. I need to know this, so if I was over the line, I don't do it again. Thanks"

Then: "The comment about someone's personal appearance was in the comment you were replying to; it was not in your comment."

OH! Making sure I'm respectful, "Plus, if the insult were too egregious to state here, please leave me a message via MySpace. Thanks"

OH! "It's not a matter of how egregious a statement is - deprecating or mocking someone's physical appearance is not acceptable period. At any rate, the disparaging word was not yours."

Oh... still I was deleted. Thing is, on leftist blogs, if one doesn't adhere to the predictable attacks, political correctness and Party Line, well then. Where's Stalin when you really need him? Leeza and her readers appear interested only in their own choir, and don't so much value a different perspective. The subject of the past two days has been about the "right" making much ado about Obama's teleprompter and his 'special olympics' gaff. Pretty much the conservative blogs have moved on, and this is a running joke and an aside, not the topic of conversation.

I must say too that there are a few Conservative blogs that do this, but for the most part are more tolerant and more points of view are discussed.

I'll adventure on to another Leftist blog a few months from now, and I suspect that they will be praising all the leftist moves to socialize, nationalize, impoverish, dumb down kids even more, and silence the opposition. Always fun, and makes my point about leftist hypocrisy and narrow mindedness.

What We Own Now Per Family

Because of corrupt greedy politicians (primarily) and corporate execs, today every American family owes $116,155.39.

Response to a Posting on a Leftist Blog

Every once in a while I post a conservative or Christian value, position or observation on a Leftist blog. I already know what the response is going to be, as 'Simply Amy' has observed. I just want to continue to make the point that these people preach tolerance, but don't practice it. They preach open mindedness, but won't even entertain any notion they haven't already set in their heads. Leeza from NY is one of the most popular blogs on MySpace, and I've posted a few blogs there. Not the usual unbridled hatred one usually receives from leftist blogs. She has rules about vulgarity, racism, etc. which I naturally do anyway. She had written a couple blogs, and her readers responded, about how the right wing is getting all in a tizzy about Obama's gaffs the past few days. I had pointed out that it must be okay to mock Bush, conservatives, Christians etc, but it's not okay to do the same to Obama. Double Standard. Well, Leeza deleted that blog, because it was 'snarky'. Hmmmm, did not see that in the list of rules to post a reply to a blog. So I responded to the deletion with this additional reply. (Outside Issues - A Political Blog by Leeza Coleman--http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=415970237&blogId=478367031)

"So sorry I was "snarky" for pointing out that Bush has been getting bashed and putting up with unbridled, vile, pure hatred from the left for nine years or more. Like I said before you deleted my observations, that were not profane, racist, or vulgar, just 'snarky', that there there are several books of 'Bushisms", and a huge successful money making (capitalist) cottage industry of 'hate Bush'. He's not in public office now, yet he's still getting beat upon. As for the comment "I have never seen so much nearly hysterical hate thrown at another public figure"; how about the cheers and wishes that Cheney would die painfully when he had another heart attack, or hopes that Sarah Palin would be gang raped, or when Nancy Reagan fell and broke her hip there were laughter and cheers that they hoped it hurt like hell. So when Bush misspoke he was stupid, but when Obama misspeaks, he's only human. That humor can only be applied to those that are conservative, republican, Christian or rednecks...all that's okay, but humor, jokes, satire, and laughter at someone that is liberal is not okay. The rules of this blog is that's it's to be an exchange of ideas, and I came on here to offer a conversation, as did Simply Amy, and I get deleted because I played by the rules, but it was snarky, and got deleted. Here's another snarky comment: it looks like liberals can dish it out, but not take it. I guess conservatives, republicans and Christians are not 'only human' after all. I came on this blog in good faith that I would be treated fairly and there would be a conversation. I've taken hits on my blog for my values, beliefs, and observations, but I've never deleted them (all played by my blog rules, the same ones posted here)."

We shall see if this gets deleted too. I think it's even more 'snarky'. If it does get deleted, again, I will have proved my point, again, that the Left is intolerant, hold people to standards they don't live up to themselves, and show that Christians don't have the market cornered on hypocrisy. I'll keep you posted.(I had a couple misspellings in there, corrected here, to see if our Leftists friends seized upon that to hurl personal insults. That is the usual tact.)

Spring

"The naked earth is warm with Spring,
And with green grass and bursting trees
Leans to the sun's kiss glorying,
And quivers in the sunny breeze."
- Julian Grenfell

Letter to Us from Former President Hoover

From 1940 Republican Convention address: As a preface to this address, Hoover spoke about how Europe moved from liberty to totalitarianism. "Liberty had been weakened long before the dictators rose."

"In every single case before the rise of totalitarian governments there had been a period dominated by economic planners. Each of these nations had a era under starry-eyed men who believed that they could plan and force the economic life of the people. They believed that was the way to correct abuse or to meet emergencies in systems of free enterprise. They exalted the State as the solvent of all economic problems.

"These men thought they were liberals. But they also thought they could have economic dictatorship by bureaucracy and at the same time preserve free speech, orderly justice and free government. They might be called the totalitarian liberals. They were the spiritual fathers of the New Deal.

"These men are not Communists or Fascists. But they mixed these ideas into free systems. It is true that Communists and Fascists were round about. They formed popular fronts and gave the applause. These men shifted the relation of government to free enterprise from that of umpire to controller. Directly or indirectly they politically controlled credit, prices, production or industry, farmer and laborer. They devalued, pump-primed and deflated. They controlled private business by government competition, by regulation and by taxes. They met every failure with demands for more and more power and control...When it was too late they discovered that every time they stretched the arm of government into private enterprise, except to correct abuse, then somehow, somewhere, men's minds became confused. At once men became fearful and hesitant. Initiative slackened, industry slowed down production.

"Then came chronic unemployment and frantic government spending in a effort to support the unemployed. Government debts mounted and finally government credit was undermined. Out of the miseries of their people there grew pressure groups -- business, labor, farmers demanding relief or special privilege. Class hate poisoned cooperation."

How Much is a Trillion Dollars?

North Pole at Sunset

Spring Ideas for Your Garden

Spring ideas for your garden

FOR THE GARDEN OF DAILY LIVING


PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS
1. Peace of Mind
2. Peace of Heart
3. Peace of Soul

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH
1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash Selfishness

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE
1. Lettuce be faithful
2. Lettuce be kind
3. Lettuce be patient
4. Lettuce really love one another

NO GARDEN WITHOUT TURNIPS
1. Turnip for meetings
2. Turnip for service
3. Turnip to help one another

TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME
1. Thyme for each other
2. Thyme for family
3. Thyme for friends

WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE
THERE IS MUCH FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN BECAUSE YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW.

Milton Friedman on Why Government Spending Fails

I Give You My Heart (Hillsong)

Arguing With an Article

Senator Dodd was completely unaware of these AIG bonuses until he learned of them in the past few days. To suggest that the bonuses affecting AIG had any effect on Senator Dodd's action is categorically false," she said. These were published a year ago!!! This must be the same Senator Dodd that passed the TARP, Bailout and Ombibus Bills without reading them. The same Senator Dodd that was one of the people primarily responsible for the legislation that caused the sub prime disaster, and even after it all was coming down, said there was no problem. I'll repost the C-Span video of him doing his Bart Simpson "I didn't do it!"

This would seem to exempt the AIG bonuses that lawmakers and President Obama are looking to recover. Incidentally, Dodd is the largest single recipient of 2008 campaign donations from AIG, with $103,100, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The Dodd amendment creates a "prohibition on what the president is now talking about," said Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor, the House minority whip. He also accused the administration of being in "disarray."

But the so-called Dodd amendment wasn't the only missed opportunity to deal with executive bonuses. In addition, lawmakers dropped an amendment during negotiations on the stimulus last month that would have mandated companies paying bonuses over $100,000 face either a 35 percent excise tax on the money or return the cash. The amendment was drafted by Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.

Snowe's staff estimates this would have recovered about $58 million from AIG -- an aide could not say why the provision was dropped last month. (Szostak said Dodd supported that amendment.)

Now Senate and House lawmakers have returned to the idea of imposing heavy taxes to recover the bonus money.

Ten House Democrats introduced a bill Tuesday to tax all bonuses above $100,000 at 100 percent to recoup all the "outrageous" AIG bonuses.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid also vowed to recover a sizeable chunk of the money. How about recovering the sizeable chunk of money he's gotten from his position of power (non-leader in position of power grrrrrr).

"Remember, we, as a Congress, are not defenseless. We can also do things," the Nevada Democrat said Tuesday, announcing he has tasked Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., with crafting a proposal to recover the bonuses. No Baucus, you are not defenseless, you can be voted out!!!

He said the legislation would be proposed by Wednesday and subject the bonuses to a tax of more than 90 percent. He also said lawmakers would soon work with the administration to complete a Wall Street accountability bill. How about taxing the anti-American George Soros that spends billions undermining our democracy. If we're going to start targeting specific businesses and people, lets start with one of the most destructive people on the planet?

Baucus is seeking to find out exactly who received bonuses and, if some are not U.S. citizens, whether Congress can construct a law to tax the bonuses of the foreign nationals. This is not their business. These are private citizens working for a private company. If Baucus is concerned about foreign nationals, how about the ones that are in this country illegally.

"If (AIG CEO Edward) Liddy does nothing, we will act and will take this money back and return it to its rightful owners, the American taxpayers. We will take this money back by taxing virtually all of it," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday. "So let the recipients of these large and unseemly bonuses, be warned. If you don't return it on your own, we will do it for you." Isn't this a bit scary, even for Liberals? 'We politicians have the power to take whatever we want, and if we don't have it now, we will write legislation to do so.' Trust this, if politicians can do this to one target, that sets the precedent for them to target anybody. If the shoe were on the other foot, and Republicans (remember that republicans aren't necessarily Conservatives) came to power, and started targeting Leftist groups or corporations with the power to confiscate anything they wanted...well then.

Dodd pushed the idea of taxing the bonuses Monday night. But on Tuesday, while he said lawmakers would continue to pursue this avenue, he added: "I don't know whether or not as a practical matter it will produce the kind of results we're looking for. We're all searching for a way to get this money back and one way or another we're going to figure out how to do it." Hey Dodd!!! Not only is it not practical, but it's illegal! We know you don't read legislation you pass, but how about reading the Constituition. Not that you'd understand it. grrrrrrrrrrr

Pay Congressmen Just Like Everybody Else - Based on Performance

by Cal Thomas

The giant insurance firm AIG has been paying bonuses to its top management team after those same people engineered huge losses that required more than one federal bailout.

To what can this be compared? Bonuses to the Washington Nationals for their stellar 2008 season when they lost 102 games? Bonus money for quarterbacks for each interception they throw? Why are we rewarding failure with the tax dollars of the successful?

Congress gets automatic pay increases for bad performance on just about everything. And Congress helped get us into this financial mess. They are currently spending more money we don’t have, claiming it will get us out. Right. And the way to solve our problem with too many ethical failures in government is to elect and appoint more of the ethically challenged.

At least Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner managed to persuade AIG to cut in half the $9.6 million slated for the top 50 executives and tie the rest to performance.


Imagine that: To be paid for performance and not incompetence, malfeasance and misfeasance. If such a standard were applied, not only to AIG, but to, say, Congress and politicians generally, we might not be in the mess we are in.

The line I like best is that if these guys don’t get their bonuses, AIG and other companies that play this game with our money might not be able to retain their top talent. Well, excuse me, if this is top talent, I vote for trying bottom talent for a while.

Some people want merit pay for teachers. If that’s a good idea, why not merit pay for corporate heads and politicians? If they don’t perform, they don’t get paid. If I were that incompetent, I wouldn’t get a bailout and bonuses to boot. I’d get shown the door.

Story of Irena Sendler

Ron Silver Tribute

Ron Silver died yesterday of esophageal cancer that he's been fighting for two years. He worked steadily for a lot of years. He began his career on stage after getting a Masters degree in Chinese history, and started his TV and film career with "The Mac Davis Show," "Rhoda" and "The Stockard Channing Show" in the seventies. He was never mega star...he was an award winning working actor that took on divers roles. Check all this out, over the years:"Ali," "Reversal of Fortune," "Enemies: A Love Story," "Silkwood" and "Semi-Tough." TV shows "Veronica's Closet," "Chicago Hope" and "Wiseguy." He directed and costarred in the 1993 TV movie "Lifepod," a science-fiction update of Alfred Hitchcock's "Lifeboat." Got a Tony for "Speed-the-Plow" in 1988, a year after he earned his first Emmy nomination, for the murder thriller "Billionaire Boys Club." Appeared in episodes of "Law & Order" and "Crossing Jordan" and such movies as "Find Me Guilty" and the Ten Commandments comedy "The Ten." Just to name a few.

His most recent and noted show was an adviser to the US President on "The West Wing" (which I never watched, we get enough real leftist presidents in actual life, don't need to see an idealized one in the fake life liberals inhabit). He said when he walked on set he was often met with the chant "Ron, Ron, the neo-con." He said that it was supposed to be in good fun, but that it had a edge to it. He became a conservative after 9/11 and spoke at the Republican convention in 2004 (reminder that Republicans and Conservatives are not the same). He said too, that after he made his political switch, some of his "friends" shunned him, and getting jobs became more difficult. He blogged on the Pajamas Media Web site, "Since speaking in support of George Bush at the 2004 Republican convention I've become increasingly disadmired by members of my profession as well as many others." He described his politics as a "little bit to the right of the left of center" and said that his opinions on U.S. foreign policy "haven't changed very much from what they've always been -- what I would call revolutionary liberalism." "I have always resisted reactionaries from the left or right, Democrat or Republican. At the moment, the reactionary forces on the left ... are more fearful to me than the traditional reactionary forces of the extreme right. And the Democratic Party seems to be listening to them."

Yet another kudos for the Left..so tolerant, accepting and understanding.

RIP Ron Silver

Glenn Beck - Dont Put all of your Eggs in One Basket

Age of Obama Cereal

Did You Know???

Greener Grass

Its important in life to reach out, to strive for greater achievements, to go for that greener grass that is on the other side of the fence. But one must also be careful


Sometimes you can reach too far !




But when you find yourself over-extended and you're stuck in a situation that you can't get out of,

there is one thing you should always remember.......

Your government......


Is there to help you!!!!

Just Stuff Rolling Around in Mine Head

I hear a woman, a smoker, coughing her lungs out, you can hear them gurgling, and someone near by says to her, "You have asthma, don't you think you ought to quit smoking?" The smoker, in between hacking gurgles, says, "Smoking doesn't affect my asthma."

A person walking by me today that I haven't seen in awhile, asks my take on the economy. I say it's dire. Since the inauguration of Pres Obama, world wealth has dropped about 22 trillion dollars. I noted that during the campaign he attacked the wealth producers, and now he's in power to take away their wealth. So these investors and wealth creators have just withdrawn their money, put it on the sidelines to protect themselves (a main cause of world stock markets plummeting). Someone nearby catches a part of the conversation, asks me to say it again. After a little clarification, she says those rich people shouldn't have all that money, it should be taken away and we should all be middle class. The ignorance of the statement took my breath away, I flopped around on the floor gasping for some sense and intelligence. Yikes!

Pres Obama signed another Porkulas bill today, over 8500 earmarks and an increase of 8 percent over last year's budget. There are audios all over the place of him during the campaign and right after his inauguration saying he'll get rid of earmarks period. He signed the bill in private. Eight percent increase. If you, personally are in debt, would you deliberately increase your debt by eight percent? When was the last time any of us got an eight percent raise? Ummmmm, never.

In Connecticut a couple knucklehead politicians tried to pass a bill that would have the state government take over the finances of the Catholic Church diocese. Not much was said in the press of course. Could you image the outrage! if the Church said the Connecticut legislature was fiscally irresponsible and wanted to place it under Church law and control? Separation of church and state don't ya know. Street sign for that concept. "One Way"

I love my church. It's 'people' for those of you not churched. Focus on people, not an institution. I feel bad or sad when I can't make it to choir practice on Wednesday nights. Sunday service fills my spirit, and Communion is the most important event (we serve every Sunday) of every week. Choir practice tonight.

I occasionally visit a Liberal blog, and read the repetitious drivel. Evil Republicans, neanderthal Christians, scumbag wealth producers and various other capitalist running dogs blah blah blah. Christians bad, Islamofasists good. I ventured a comment on one, the blogger runs a pretty civil site, about FDR's administration being a failure. "Simply Amy" can attest to the vitriol that one must suffer if you're a Conservative, or horror of horrors a Christian, and offer a different point of view. There was a response, what an outrage to say something so untruthful! Not worded that way. That section of the blog disappeared, so I couldn't respond there, but I'll be doing a mention of FDR and the failed New Deal in a later blog.

Favorite new joke: What do you call a banana with a zipper?
A fruit fly.

Quotable Quotes

"Government can do something for the people only in proportion as it can do something to the people." -- Thomas Jefferson

"That [tyrannical government] power is absolute, minute, regular, provident and mild. It would be like the authority of a parent if, like that authority, its object was to prepare men for manhood; but it seeks, on the contrary, to keep them in perpetual childhood: it is well content that the people should rejoice, provided they think of nothing but rejoicing. For their happiness such a government willingly labors, but it chooses to be the sole agent and the only arbiter of that happiness; it provides for their security, foresees and supplies their necessities, facilitates their pleasures, manages their principal concerns, directs their industry, regulates the descent of property, and subdivides their inheritances: what remains, but to spare them all the care of thinking and all the trouble of living?" --French historian Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859)

"Most of us imagine the transformation of a free society to a tyrannical state in Hollywood terms, as a melodramatic act of violence like a military coup or an armed insurrection. [Alexis de] Tocqueville knows better. He foresees a slow death of freedom. The power of the centralized government will gradually expand, meddling in every area of our lives until, like a lobster in a slowly heated pot, we are cooked without ever realizing what has happened. The ultimate horror of Tocqueville's vision is that we will welcome it, and even convince ourselves that we control it. There is no single dramatic event in Tocqueville's scenario, no storming of the Bastille, no assault on the Winter Palace, no March on Rome, no Kristallnacht. We are to be immobilized, Gulliver-like, by myriad rules and regulations, annoying little restrictions that become more and more binding until they eventually paralyze us. ... Permitting the central government to assume our proper responsibilities is not merely a transfer of power from us to them; it does grave damage to our spirit. It subverts our national character. In Tocqueville's elegant construction, it 'renders the exercise of the free agency of man less useful and less frequent; it circumscribes the will within a narrower range and gradually robs a man of all the uses of himself.' Once we go over the edge toward the pursuit of material wealth, our energies uncoil, and we become meek, quiescent and flaccid in the defense of freedom." --author Michael Ledeen

Praise You in the Storm

Every day I think of and pray for every Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airman. I salute you all.

The Verse

John 3:16

A little boy was selling newspapers on the corner,
the people were in and out of the cold.

The little boy was so cold that he wasn't trying to sell
many papers.

He walked up to a policeman and said,
"Mister, you wouldn't happen to know where a poor boy
could find a warm place to sleep tonight would you?

You see, I sleep in a box up around the corner there and
down the alley and it's awful cold in there for tonight.

Sure would be nice to have a warm place to stay."

The policeman looked down at the little boy and said, "You
go down the street to that big white house and you knock
on the door. When they come out the door you just say
John 3:16, and they will let you in."

So he did. He walked up the steps and knocked on the
door, and a lady answered. He looked up and said,
"John 3:16." The lady said, "Come on in, Son."

She took him in and she sat him down in a split bottom
rocker in front of a great big old fireplace, and she went
off. The boy sat there for a while and thought to himself:
John 3:16 . I don't understand it, but it sure makes a
cold boy warm.

Later she came back and asked him "Are you hungry ? "
He said, "Well, just a little.. I haven't eaten in a couple of
days, and I guess I could stand a little bit of food,"

The lady took him in the kitchen and sat him down to a table
full of wonderful food. He ate and ate until he couldn't eat
any more.. Then he thought to himself:
John 3:16 .Boy, I sure don't understand it but it sure
makes a hungry boy full.

She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge bathtub
filled with warm water, and he sat there and soaked for a
while. As he soaked, he thought to himself: John 3:16
I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy
clean. You know, I've not had a bath, in my
whole life. The only bath I ever had was when I stood in
front of that big old fire hydrant as they flushed it out.

The lady came in and got him She took him to a room,
tucked him into a big old feather bed, pulled the covers
up around his neck, kissed him goodnight and turned out
the lights. As he lay in the darkness and looked out the
window at the snow coming down on that cold night,
he thought to himself: John 3:16...I don't understand it but
it sure makes a tired boy rested.

The next morning the lady came back up and took him
down again to that same big table full of food. After he
ate, she took him back to that same big old split bottom
rocker in front of the fireplace and picked up
a big old Bible.

She sat down in front of him and looked into his young face.
"Do you understand John 3:16 ?" she asked gently. He
replied, "No, Ma'am, I don't. The first time I ever heard it
was last night when the policeman told me to use it,"
She opened the Bible to John 3:16 and began to explain
to him about Jesus. Right there, in front of that big old fireplace,
he gave his heart and life to Jesus. He sat there
and thought: John 3:16 -- don't understand it, but it sure
makes a lost boy feel safe.

You know, I have to confess I don't understand it either,
how God was willing to send His Son to die for me, and how
Jesus would agree to do such a thing. I don't understand
the agony of the Father and every angel in heaven as
they watched Jesus suffer and die. I don't understand the intense
love for ME that kept Jesus on the cross till the end.
I don't understand it, but it sure does make life worth living.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life.

Little Known (and useless) Facts

If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.(Hardly seems worth it.)

If you farted consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to
create the energy of an atomic bomb.(Now that's more like it!)

The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the
body to squirt blood 30 feet.( O.M.G !)

A pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes. (In my next life, I want to be a pig.)

A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death.(Creepy.)
(I'm still not over the pig.)

Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories a
hour. (Don't try this at home, maybe at work)

The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off. (Honey, I'm home. What the...?!)

The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping the length of a football field.(30 minutes. Lucky pig! Can you imagine?)

The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds.
(What could be so tasty on the bottom of a pond?)

Some lions mate over 50 times a day.
(I still want to be a pig in my next life ...quality over quantity)

Butterflies taste with their feet.(Something I always wanted to know.)

The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue. (Hmmmmmm......)

Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people.
(If you're ambidextrous, do you split the difference?)

Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump.
(Okay, so that would be a good thing)

A cat's urine glows under a black light.(I wonder who was paid to figure that
out?)

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.( I know some people like that.)

Starfish have no brains(I know some people like that too.)

Polar bears are left-handed.(If they switch, they'll live a lot longer)

Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.
(What about that pig??)

Our Friends the Islamists

In 2004, an Iranian man named Majid developed feelings for a woman named Ameneh
Bahrami. She did not reciprocate his interest, and he took the rejection poorly:
He splashed acid on her face, causing her to go blind.

The Associated Press reports that an Iranian court has passed
sentence in the case, ruling that Majid "should also be blinded with acid based
on the Islamic law system of 'qisas,' or eye-for-an-eye retribution." But
there's a catch:

Bahrami, who moved to Spain after the attack to get medical
treatment, said Wednesday that under Iranian law, she is entitled to blind him
in only one eye, unless she pays €20,000 ($25,110), because in Iran women are
not considered equal to men.


"They have told us that my two eyes are equal to one of his because
in my country each man is worth two women. They are not the same," she told
Cadena SER.

(Thanks to Best of the Web)

New Erkel

New Denny's Menu Item

New Denny's Menu Item


In honor of the mother of the octuplets,

Denny's is offering a new breakfast meal called the “Octo-Momelette”.

You get eight eggs, no sausage, and the guy next to you has to pay the bill.

Why Go to Church?

Why Go to Church?

If you're spiritually alive, you're going to love this! If you're spiritually dead, you won't want to read it. If you're spiritually curious, there is still hope!

A church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. 'I've gone for 30 years now,' he wrote, 'and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all.'

This started a real controversy in the 'Letters to the Editor' column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:

'I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this... They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work .. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!' When you are DOWN to nothing.... God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

All right, now that you're done reading, send it on! Share it! I think everyone should read this! When Satan is knocking at your door, simply say, 'Jesus, could you get that for me?'

Atlas Shrugged

"In January, Stephen Moore caused a stir by arguing, in the Wall Street Journal, that the current crisis is turning Atlas Shrugged 'from fiction to fact.' And those who are warning that increased government restrictions will cause the nation's most productive workers to withdraw their talents have taken to calling this the 'John Galt Effect,' a reference to the hero -- and the main plotline -- of Atlas Shrugged. It is no coincidence that the strongest resistance to a government takeover of the economy is coming from people influenced by Ayn Rand. She has long functioned as a stiffener of resolve and as the fountainhead of pro-free-market ideas. ...Ayn Rand's contribution to the philosophical defense of capitalism can be summed up in one central idea: individualism. Ayn Rand demonstrated that the ultimate source of all wealth -- everything from steel mills to microchips -- is the individual reasoning mind. Thus, a society that wants to prosper has to ask what is required by its thinkers and producers, the 'prime movers' who originate and implement new ideas. And the first thing that is required for these thinkers to function is that they be free from coercive interference by bureaucrats, by blowhard legislators, or by federal 'czars.' ... Ayn Rand's ideas are the mostly unnamed fuel giving fire and confidence to people like [CNBC financial analyst] Rick Santelli. ... If we're going to have an ideological Boston Tea Party, a declaration of independence from the whole theory behind state management of our lives and wealth, then Ayn Rand is the ideal philosophical hostess." --editor of The Intellectual Activist and TIADaily.com Robert Tracinski

Ayn Rand Quote

"One of the methods used by statists to destroy capitalism consists in establishing controls that tie a given industry hand and foot, making it unable to solve its problems, then declaring that freedom has failed and stronger controls are necessary." --Ayn Rand

General Knowledge Test

(Passing requires 4 correct answers) Honor system, since the answers are below......

1) How long did the Hundred Years' War last?

2) Which country makes ....Panama.... hats?

3) From which animal do we get cat gut?....


4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October
Revolution?....

5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?....

6) The ..Canary Islands.. in
the Pacific are named after what animal?....

7) What was King George VI's first name?....

8) What color is a purple finch?....

9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?....

10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial
airplane?....

Remember, you need 4 correct answers to pass.....

Check your answers below......

ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ....

1) How long did the Hundred Years War last? 116 years....

2) Which country makes ....Panama.... hats? ....Ecuador........

3) From which animal do we get cat gut? Sheep and Horses

4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October
Revolution? November....

5) What is a camel's hair brush made of? Squirrel fur....

6) The ..Canary Islands.. in the Pacific are named after what animal? Dogs....

7) What was King George VI's first name? Albert....

8) What color is a purple finch? Crimson....

9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from? ....New Zealand.....

10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial
airplane? ....Orange....
(of course)....

What do you mean, you failed? Me too.....

(And if you try to tell me you passed, you lie!)....

Tribute to Paul Harvey

I can't ever remember not listening to Paul Harvey. He was a true journalist, story teller, and one of the most influential people in the history of radio. He passed today at the age of 90.

He was known for his shows, “Paul Harvey News” and “The Rest of the Story.”

He began his show with, “Hello, Americans,” . “You know what the news is. In a minute, you're going to hear the rest of the story.”

Each broadcast ended with a human-interest story with a surprise
ending, and his trademark extended pregnant pause: “Paul Harvey ... ...
Good Day!”

Paul Harvey -- "Good Day" we'll miss you... RIP