Amazing!

Hello again, blogfans!

This one will be short. I stand completely amazed at MDB and her recuperative powers! All day today, she sat on the floor and worked to catch up on filing. I sat for a couple of hours and helped, but my back soon prevented me from doing so any longer.

Uhhh....MDB had gall bladder surgery last Wednesday, for cryin' out loud!

I'm telling you! She's amazing!

How blessed am I?

I wish I could describe it!

Well, just call me Kreskin!

Okay...it didn't exactly require a professional mentalist to predict the demise of Romeo Crennel, but I called it here some time back. Cleveland football fans are tired of losing! Other teams and other organizations seem to be able to obtain good coaches and players consistently, so why not Cleveland? I think that's what Randy Lerner is trying to find out, so here we go again; another rebuilding project!

Bill Cowher, the former Brown's linebacker and assistant coach, and, by the way, a former Pittsburgh head coach as well, has already turned Lerner down. So, who's it going to be? Only time will tell.

One thing I do know is this; Brown's fans are among the most loyal in the NFL and they deserve a consistent winner or, at the very least, a team that is well-coached and consistently puts in the work and shows that effort on the field. We haven't seen that this year! How many cities in the NFL could survive the removal of their team to another city and insist that the colors, mascot and uniform of that team belong to the city and not the owner of the team? Green Bay? Pittsburgh? Perhaps. One thing's for sure; that's exactly what happened in Cleveland and those fans deserve better!

Sticking it to "The Man!"

It's now well over a month since the latest presidential election and, having listened to what has transpired since then from Obama supporters, I'm convinced it was all about one thing and one thing only;

Sticking it to "The Man!"

Oh, you've heard it as well. People who claim to have voted for Obama going through a list of questions about his policies having NO IDEA what those policies actually are! In one instance, an Obama supporter was presented with a top-down list of McCAIN'S policies, right down to his choice for VP (Sarah Palin), and the Obama supporter was in favor of all of them! I've heard the same thing over and over on talk radio, primarily the Mark Levin show (an intellectual exercise I would recommend for any thinking American!), but also on Michael Berry's show. One supporter with whom I recently held conversation espoused staunch belief in our capitalist system with regard to the auto maker bailout, then turned right around and expressed out and out GLEE concerning the upcoming inauguration of Obama, the closest thing to a socialist candidate we've seen in my lifetime! The bottom line: Obama supporters in many cases, did not vote for Obama because they agree with what he stands for, but rather because of his complexion!

They're "Sticking it to 'The Man!' "

Here would be an interesting experiment. In 2012, let's present an obscure conservative candidate and, if that candidate does not happen to be African-American, let's present him publicly wearing black face make-up. Make him appear to be African-American in every way. I think it would be interesting to find out what kind of support he'd garner!

Meanwhile, Martin Luther King Jr. is turning in his grave. It's NOT about the content of one's character, apparently, but about the color of one's skin!

I think we Americans did not stick it to "The Man," but stuck it to ourselves.

Only time will tell!

Merry Christmas!

Here we have an annual paradox; the real reason for Christmas.

Humanists would have us believe that Christians borrowed a pagan celebration of the winter solstice and converted it conveniently into a celebration of Jesus' birth.

I say, what does it matter when we celebrate the birth of Jesus? The fact that we celebrate it and recognize that the reason for Christmas is that celebration is good enough for me!

So, where did all of this gift-giving stuff come from?

Right from scripture, that's where!

Matthew 2: 9 "After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh."

So, giving gifts at Christmas emulates the actions of the Magi, with one marked difference; the Magi presented their gifts to Jesus and WE present our gifts to one another!

Perhaps Christmas would be less commercial if we went back to presenting our gifts to Jesus and His representatives on earth. Who are they? Well, Jesus told us who they are!

Matthew 25: 34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' "

So, how did Christmas go from what was intended to the debauchery it has become?

Matthew 6: 19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

We decided as a society and a people that we would ignore Jesus and store up treasures here rather than in heaven! Worse still, we do not worship God, but the almighty dollar instead.

And we wonder why our economy is collapsing? It isn't based on charity, hard work, and saving; it's based on the opposite of those things.

Happy birthday, Jesus! May we come to realize our error and return to You as a people and nation! - Amen

Life is Short (I hate funerals!)

Yesterday, MDB and I attended a funeral. The lady was not well known to us, but, judging from the things said about her at the ceremony, she was a very fine lady, a great mother, a wonderful teacher, and a loyal and steadfast friend. Her husband, a former coach at the school where I teach, is somewhat better known to us. He coached there for over thirty years and then retired, settling down with his wife, Linda, fully expecting to sail off into many wonderful years of excitement and adventure. Tom's a great guy. Our football field is named after him and he was loved and respected for all of his years at our school. Every year, all of the coaches, past and present, have a big get-together at Tom's house to celebrate the school year and reminisce. This was the extent of our knowledge of Linda, but our brief exposure told us that she was indeed a fine lady and a wonderful wife to Tom.

Early on the 21st, a massive blood clot broke loose and caused a terrible and fatal stroke, stealing her from Tom at the tender age of 58.

Linda was Tom's second wife. His first also died very early in life. I'm not familiar with the circumstances of her death, but it left Tom alone and heartbroken for nearly ten years until he married Linda in 1992. Linda's death leaves Tom with grown children, a large house to himself, and a lifetime's worth of broken dreams.

We are not guaranteed anything except this moment. A wise man said, "tomorrow never comes," and he was right. We have to live in the present and let tomorrow take care of itself.

Praise God for the moments with which He blesses us! Praise Him for the time He's already given! Praise God for watching over us and putting people like my wonderful wife in my life and Linda in Tom's. God only knows why He took her, but He knows indeed, and we have to trust that He does all things for the good of those who love Him.

Pray that God will grant His peace to Tom; He needs it!

While I'm at it, thank God for seeing MDB through her surgery today and bringing her back to me safely today! God is good!

Did I call this, or what?

Not long ago, I wondered here if it was just me, or was Toyota stupid for basically leaving their area of expertise behind and venturing into the land of gas-guzzling full-sized vehicles, a-la-Detroit.

This just in; Toyota is stupid!

According to a report on the CBS evening news this evening, Toyota posted its first operating loss in 70 years during 2008!

Well, let's do the math, shall we?

2008 is 63 years removed from the utter devastation and destruction of the Japanese empire via American atomic bombs and incendiary bombs in 1945. 70 years also encompasses a time since the post-war period, when buying Japanese was tantamount to buying from Iran, or Osama Bin Laden. It's also part of the time period that saw them evolve from a single model (called Corolla in America) to multiple models, all of which were renowned for their reliability and fuel economy. So, the first operating loss in company history begs a question, doesn't it?

If you survived all of that, Toyota, how on earth did you manage to lose money in 2008?

Well, I'm sure there's a lot of "reduced world economy" talk or "overextended credit markets" talk, or other blah, blah, blah, excuse, excuse, excuse talk, but I really don't want to hear it, Toyota! If you survived an atomic bombing, the utter and total devastation of your national economy, and the word "Japanese" being synonymous with "crap," and still managed to turn a profit, how on earth can a little economic turmoil in 2008 cause you to lose money?

You got away from what you know, that's what!

You made your money making small, fuel-efficient cars and compact trucks! Now, you hang your hat on a behemoth Ford F-150 wanna-be truck and not so fuel-efficient SUVs and luxury sedans? You got away from what you know, Toyota, and now you're paying the price!

This just in!

T!he Cleveland Browns are not a very good football team!

Oh, and by the way, water is wet and the sky is blue!

After a 10-6 effort last year and high hopes for this one, my beloved Browns have taken a nosedive of mythic proportions. Romeo Crennel is going to wind up like his namesake. Well, I doubt he drinks poison, but he'll be just as dead professionally after his stint in C-Town!

The sad part is, the Browns actually have some talent and, if used appropriately, they could really turn their team into something special!

So, here's to the war-cry of Browns fans every year; Wait till next year!

To bail or not to bail...

...that is the question!

According to this article, the Senate is about to cave as well, and continue the enabling that the market and especially the unions have started!

Anyone out there ever heard of K-Mart? How about Continental Airlines? There are numerous other examples, of course, but companies come out of bankruptcy all the time, restructured, leaner, and more profitable than ever. Why are the car companies, those bastions of endless charity for labor, any exception?

Why not ask why has the government been in the endless welfare business since the early 60's? Why Social Security? Why Medicare? Why any other government program that is ostensibly meant to help but only ends up causing dependants who are unable, or simply unwilling, to take the reigns of their own destiny?

The last thing the auto industry in this country needs is a government bail out. They DO need to rework their CBAs; they DO need to get leaner and start producing products that are fuel-efficient and stylish; AND they need to restructure their management and pay salaries to CEOs that are more in line with profitability (you know...those merit-based salaries that get foisted off on the blue-collar rabble!)

I hope Washington is listening! If they bail out the Big Three now, you'd better get used to the idea of them coming back every 6 months or so for more.

That's what happens when you serve as the enabler!

Change we can believe in?

You knew I couldn't let this one go; Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) was arrested today for numerous ethics violations, the largest of which was his alleged attempt to sell the vacated Senate seat of Barak Obama to the highest bidder.

The more things change, the more they stay the same!

What a shock! The governor of the state most known for the Daley machine and the deceased voting has attempted to auction a seat in the US Senate!

Great job, Democrats!

That's a change we can all believe in, right?

Uhhhh.....I don't think so!

W-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-H-H-H-H-H-H-!!!!!!!

According to an article I just read, Jennifer Aniston is "sick" of people caring so much about her life! W-A-A-A-A-A-A-H-H-H-H-H-!!!! Poor baby! I'd be willing to bet she's not tired of making $15 million a picture!

It goes with the territory, darling!

When they DON'T care anymore, you'll be doing the dinner theatre circuit making $100 a night if you're fortunate!

Meanwhile, stop whining and get over yourself!

Freedom OF or FROM religion?

We started an interesting discussion in Sunday School this morning regarding the chipping away of our rights by liberal judges and lawmakers, the ACLU, atheists, religious minorities, and others who, for some reason, resent the practice of our Constitutional rights in public! Let's review the religion clause of the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution, shall we?

Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

For those in the groups listed above who seem to be challenged with regard to the reading of English, let me translate:

"no law respecting an establishment of religion" means that there will be no mandatory public religious entity like there was in England. People are free to worship as they choose!

"no law...prohibiting the free exercise thereof (religion)" means that the government, in it's multiple forms and entities, may NOT prohibit the free exercise of religion. That means that public displays of faith cannot be restricted unless those displays are intended to establish a mandatory state religion!

I've been living in this country a long time and, as long as I've been here, I've never had a government official knock on my door and say, "You and your family are under arrest if you don't come and worship at the local nativity scene," or "You must attend the Methodist church; all other churches have been banned," or "The worship of Jesus has been outlawed; from now on, everyone MUST worship this potted tulip!"

In short, I don't think I've ever been associated with an infringement of the 1st amendment, but I've read about plenty of them! A Houston judge being forced to remove a glass-encased bible from public property because it may hurt someone's feelings; A Florida Supreme Court Justice being forced to remove a monument with the Ten Commandments engraved upon it; Prayer outlawed in schools; An invocation in Utah outlawed because atheists, in league with the ACLU, insisted that it be stopped.

Where's my right to "free exercise?" What happened to the right of these individuals to worship as THEY choose?

It's time to take our rights back!

Sadly, it takes individuals of courage AND deep pockets to make it happen! The liberal Judiciary loves to hear cases like these! They love to chip away at our rights every chance they get! We need men of faith to stand up and men with resources to back them up before we can re-establish our rights of free exercise!

The only thing required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing!

Popular posts

Hello, Dear blogfans, and Merry Christmas!

It's hard to know how obvious it is since I KNOW that it's there and you may not, but I have had a "hit counter" on this resource for some time now. What's nice about it is it not only tells me how many hits I get, it tells me the IP address of those looking in and where they came from if they came from some referring URL. Apparently (and strangely to me), there are a couple of posts that get a lot of hits; the one where I enclosed the image I call "NegJesus" (a negative that, if stared at for while, will give you the image of Jesus if you close your eyes) and the post I did called "sex education in Egypt" that details the attempt of a young Egyptian woman who decided to go through fertility treatments and have sextuplets to fulfill her desire to have a male child. Will the other five know they were unwanted? I can't help but wonder if she even cares. Another very popular post was a post about Maslow's hierarchy. That one, and the one with NegJesus, typically come in from Google image searches. Even though the uproar has long since died down, the most popular post EVER here was a post about the duo calling itself "God's Pottery," a group that was competing on 'Last Comic Standing." Some agreed that G'sP was blasphemous, while others berated me, stating that they were in fact advancing the cause of Jesus but chose to do so with self-deprecating humor rather than using a more traditional approach.

All that said, I thought I'd re-post both NegJesus and the Maslow pyramid and see what comes up!

Merry Christmas!

The deer just keep rolling in!

Well, dear blogfans, MDB and I took another opportunity to travel up to God's country and take care of a little "deer business." We picked up the meat from the first one and then I took an opportunity to go out and fire my new rifle, a Remington 770 30-06.

We went out the first evening (Friday) and saw a really nice buck. It's hard to tell from so far away, but the height and width of his antlers makes me believe he was at least a 10-point. He was large in the body and well-defined, so I squeezed off a shot! Well, having not sighted in the gun, I missed by a substantial amount on the low side. Amazingly, when he stopped running, he turned on the hillside and looked back, leaving me a second shot! Well, that one missed low as well, so we spent the rest of that trip honing the scope on the new rifle.

Saturday morning at dawn, I saw a nice 8-point, so I squeezed of a shot and he dropped right in his tracks! The wind was blowing at probably 30+ mph, so I aimed a little left of his front shoulder. Having sighted the gun in a little high (probably 4-6"), I figured to hit the deer high on the neck or torso. The bullet actually struck him in the front of the neck, severing one or more of his carotids. At any rate, we loaded him up and prepared to take him to the field-dressing area when WWH's phone rang. It was his step-son, reporting that he had also shot a buck and needed help with it, so we took off for his location.

WWH's ss shoots a .243, which is a small caliber for deer hunting, but he did knock down a nice 10-point. When we rolled up to his location, he had his foot on the deer's neck and the deer, clearly upset, wasn't real pleased with his situation. Not wishing it to get up and run off, WWH shot it again, but it still wasn't dead. It rather reminded me of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you know the part where the guy with the cart rolls by hollering "Bring out your dead" and the people throw a corpse onto the pile who promptly screams "I'm not dead, yet!"

This poor buck hadn't quite figured it out; he was dead, he just didn't know it!

So young ss pulled out a knife and attempted to cut it's throat, but he barely scratched it, so I think it was more of a torture than an attempt to put the deer out of its misery!

Regardless, we loaded it up and took it to the cleaning rack as well.

I field-dressed mine first, being careful to save the liver and heart (the heart for dissection purposes in my science classes), then we started on the finally-dead 10-point. A fine deer, to be sure.

Well, I'm out of buck stamps (it's a two-buck county), so when we go back to pick up the meat from this last one, I hope to get a doe or two just for the meat. We'll field-dress and skin those and do the processing ourselves.

Anyway, two 8-points is a pretty good first season if I say so myself! The best part was Saturday; I got mine so early, that I got to spend the rest of the day with MDB and SHE'S the only dear I care that much about anyway!