How Did Jefferson Know About Detroit?

This blogsite was started in January 2005, so much for practice makes perfect. Some might say it’s a waste of time; remember, the same thing was said of the pamphleteers who railed against tyranny, tyranny from across the ocean which had been imposed on the colonies. Today’s tyrants are much closer and just as dangerous; that’s why I continue to blog.I found these gems in my email as a forward from a couple of folks, thanks to all for including me on your lists. The portrait of Thomas Jefferson came from the Jefferson Portrait Gallery .

"When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe." Thomas Jefferson

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." Thomas Jefferson

"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world." Thomas Jefferson

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." Thomas Jefferson

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government." Thomas Jefferson

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." Thomas Jefferson

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." Thomas Jefferson

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Thomas Jefferson

"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson said in 1802: "I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.."

As a follow up to Jefferson’s thoughts I’ve included some practical application. I got a copy of an obituary, The Death of Detroit, in my email from several friends as a forward; but there was no indication of its author’s name, it may have been edited out along the way. Whether it was a creation intended to point out the deficiencies and corruption associated with a government welfare state or an actual observations really makes no difference, the fact remains that Detroit is a perfect example of big government destroying the fabric of America.

The Death of Detroit

For 15 years, from the mid 1970's to 1990, I worked in Detroit, Michigan. I watched it descend into the abyss of crime, debauchery, gunplay, drugs, school truancy, car-jacking, gangs and human depravity. I watched entire city blocks burned out. I watched graffiti explode on buildings, cars, trucks, buses and school yards. Trash everywhere!

Detroiters walked through it, tossed more into it and ignored it. Tens of thousands and then, hundreds of thousands today exist on federal welfare, free housing and food stamps! With Aid to Dependent Children, minority women birthed eight to 10 and in once case, one woman birthed 24 kids as reported by the Detroit Free Press-all on American taxpayer dollars.

A new child meant a new car payment, new TV and whatever mom wanted. I saw Lyndon Baines Johnson's "Great Society" flourish in Detroit. If you give money for doing nothing, you will get more hands out taking money for doing nothing.

Mayor Coleman Young, perhaps the most corrupt mayor in America, outside of Richard Daley in Chicago, rode Detroit down to its knees. He set the benchmark for cronyism, incompetence and arrogance. As a black man, he said, "I am the MFIC." The IC meant 'in charge'. You can figure out the rest. Detroit became a majority black city with 67 percent African-Americans.

As a United Van Lines truck driver for my summer job from teaching math and science, I loaded hundreds of American families into my van for a new life in another city or state. Detroit plummeted from 1.8 million citizens to 912,000 today.

At the same time, legal and illegal immigrants converged on the city, so much so, that Muslims number over 300,000. Mexicans number 400,000 throughout Michigan, but most work in Detroit. As the Muslims moved in, the whites moved out. (Hello Dearborn!) As the crimes became more violent, the whites fled.Finally, unlawful Mexicans moved in at a torrid pace. You could cut the racial tension in the air with a knife! Detroit may be one of our best examples of multiculturalism: pure dislike and total separation from America.

Today, you hear Muslim calls to worship over the city like a new American Baghdad with hundreds of Islamic mosques in Michigan, paid for by Saudi Arabia oil money. High school flunk out rates reached 76 percent last June according to NBC's Brian Williams.

Classrooms resemble more foreign countries than America. English? Few speak it! The city features a 50 percent illiteracy rate and growing. Unemployment hit 28.9 percent in 2009 as the auto industry vacated the city.

In Time Magazine October 4, 2009, "The Tragedy of Detroit: How a great city fell and how it can rise again," I choked on the writer's description of what happened. "If Detroit had been savaged by a hurricane and submerged by a ravenous flood, we'd know a lot more about it," said Daniel Okrent. "If drought and carelessness had spread brush fires across the city, we'd see it on the evening news every night. Earthquake, tornadoes, you name it- if natural disaster had devastated the city that was once the living proof of American prosperity, the rest of the country might take notice.

But Detroit, once our fourth largest city, now 11th and slipping rapidly, has had no such luck. Its disaster has long been a slow unwinding that seemed to remove it from the rest of the country. Even the death rattle that in the past year emanated from its signature industry brought more attention to the auto executives than to the people of the city, who had for so long been victimized by their dreadful decision-making."

As Coleman Young's corruption brought the city to its knees, no amount of federal dollars could save the incredible payoffs, kick backs and illegality permeating his administration. I witnessed the city's death from the seat of my 18-wheeler tractor trailer because I moved people out of every sector of decaying Detroit. "By any quantifiable standard, the city is on life support. Detroit's treasury is $300 million short of the funds needed to provide the barest municipal services," Okrent said. "The school system, which six years ago was compelled by the teachers' union to reject a philanthropist's offer of $200 million to build 15 small, independent charter high schools, is in receivership. The murder rate is soaring, and 7 out of 10 remain unsolved. Three years after Katrina devastated New Orleans, unemployment in that city hit a peak of 11%. In Detroit, the unemployment rate is 28.9%. That's worth spelling out: twenty-eight point nine percent."

At the end of Okrent's report, and he will write a dozen more about Detroit, he said, "That's because the story of Detroit is not simply one of a great city's collapse. It's also about the erosion of the industries that helped build the country we know today.

The ultimate fate of Detroit will reveal much about the character of America in the 21st century. If what was once the most prosperous manufacturing city in the nation has been brought to its knees, what does that say about our recent past? And if it can't find a way to get up, what does that say about our future?"

As you read in my book review of Chris Steiner's book, $20 Per Gallon, the auto industry won't come back. Immigration will keep pouring more and more uneducated third world immigrants from the Middle East into Detroit-thus creating a beachhead for Islamic hegemony in America. If 50 percent illiteracy continues, we will see more homegrown terrorists spawned out of the Muslim ghettos of Detroit. Illiteracy plus Islam equals walking human bombs.

You have already seen it in Madrid, Spain, London, England and Paris, France with train bombings, subway bombings and riots. As their numbers grow, so will their power to enact their barbaric Sharia Law that negates republican forms of government, first amendment rights and subjugates women to the lowest rungs on the human ladder. We will see more honor killings by upset husbands, fathers and brothers that demand subjugation by their daughters, sisters and wives. Muslims prefer beheadings of women to scare the hell out of any other members of their sect from straying. Multiculturalism: what a perfect method to kill our language, culture, country and way of life.

What? You haven't heard any of this in the media? ......... Gee, that really surprises me!!

Whalers One Activists Zero

There’s a television series, Whale Wars, which does its best to show angel’s wings attached to activists intent on disrupting whaling efforts. I suppose these whale friendly folks got their wish the other day; yup, they lost one of their $5 million dollar war ships when it got sawed in two by a whale boat. You can read about it here .

I can hear them screaming, “This is war! We can try to put them out business; but they have to let us or it makes them look like evil capitalists”, sounds like a bunch of lefties to me. I bet the Somali Pirates watch the Whale Wars show on a large flat screen HDTV, take notes and are working a deal with one of the cable companies to get a film crew to cover their efforts as well.

If these whalers are doing something illegal, that’s what courts are for. It is not up to any self appointed vigilante or group of well meaning vigilantes to take it upon themselves to endanger property or lives. Those who get hurt in the heat of battle or have to watch their multi-million dollar self proclaimed “war ship” sink into the cold depths of the ocean don’t get my sympathies; they are criminals acting out fantasies under the delusion their acts elevate them to hero status. I’d classify them in the same boat as pirates; the only difference is these folks actually think they’re justified.

Police Trading Cards?

I was working on a vehicle at one of my regular car lots and found what appeared, at first, to be a baseball trading card; like the kind that used to come with a piece of flat pink bubble gum. Upon closer inspection, instead of being a baseball player; the picture was of a uniformed police officer. The back of the card had his statistics; not the number of times at bat, singles, doubles, triples, home runs or life time ERA. Check these out; Calls for Service, Incident Reports, Arrests, Accident Reports and Field Interviews.

I was hoping for other “stats”, number of Internal Affairs Complaints, type of weapon carried, short anecdotal story regarding his favorite crime scene or some other juicy tidbit. For all I know the card was fabricated as a novelty on a home computer since the card stock it was printed on lacked the quality of a Topps or Upper Deck styled trading card.

Maybe on future cop cards they could break those arrests down a bit; felonies, misdemeanors, DWI/DUI, red light violations, stop signs, speeding, driver’s license violations, no insurance, seat belt, cracked tail light lens all the way down to parking tickets issued. As far as the photo, maybe have him demonstrate his cuffing technique; similar to a ball player finishing his home run swing at the plate, only there would be a suspect spread eagle against the wall, a patrol car or down and dirty on the pavement.

What ever the reason for the chance opportunity of my running across this particular trading card; my hats off to a working cop, Christopher Kruppa, of the Palacios Police Department, card # 408. Y’all be careful out there.

Encouragement

Thanks and a tip of the hat to Marilyn Johnson for posting this short video to her Facebook page. It would be a better world if awkward moments were all handled in this manner.

Obama Takes U.S. One Step Closer to a Police State

An article which may have slipped under the radar was Obama’s amended version of Reagan’s executive order 12425. This information came to me in a round about fashion in my email; however, it would appear that the original article was written by Steve Schippert and Clyde Middleton under the title, Wither Sovereignty. and then linked via The Examiner.com in their article, U.S. Placed Under International Police State . Please take a few minutes to read both articles.

“Last Thursday, December 17, 2009, The White House released an Executive Order "Amending Executive Order 12425." It grants INTERPOL (International Criminal Police Organization) a new level of full diplomatic immunity afforded to foreign embassies and select other "International Organizations" as set forth in the United States International Organizations Immunities Act of 1945.”

Andy McCarthy at National Review asks these crucial, sobering questions of the secretive Obama order:

“Why would we elevate an international police force above American Law?

Why would we immunize an international police force from the limitations that constrain the FBI and other American law enforcement agencies?

Why is it suddenly necessary to have, within the Justice Department, a repository for stashing government files which, therefore, will be beyond the ability of Congress, American law enforcement, the media, and the American people to scrutinize?”

I don’t claim to have the answers; however, red flags went up in my mind when I considered the implications of such a change. Why change a well thought out policy which had been clearly defined as an appropriate means of supporting an international law enforcement effort while at the same time protecting American interests to a much broader policy which turns over American interests to any entity which has no accountability to Congress, American law enforcement, the media or the American people?

The cumulative efforts by the Obama administration, the not so “little things” which are being done to the foundations of America have the hair on my back standing on end. This is one more reason not to trust the “Community Organizer in Chief” or any of his close advisors.

Lehi’s Vision

This morning I noticed the fog shrouded trees while feeding our Hobo Kitties; it looked like a good time to get the camera out. A few snapshots later I had a new wall paper back drop for my computer’s monitor; “stretched to fit” mode let it fill the screen as if I were standing in the morning mist.

Glad I wasn’t driving in the fog as it hung down and touched the ground so as to obscure objects that weren’t that far away. Earlier in the morning, the fog was even more dense, a murky soup that would have been down right dangerous to maneuver in.

I thought of Lehi’s vision from the Book of Mormon, how the only way to stay on the path was to hold fast to the iron rod. In a talk given April 4, 1971, Harold B. Lee addressed his thoughts regarding aimlessness, the loss of direction individuals encounter during their lives and how Lehi’s vision of the Tree of Life applies.

If nothing else, you have another picture that can be used as wall paper; beats the Window’s Logo wall paper.

The New Year is only a few hours away, one of my goals will be to re-read the Book of Mormon. This year’s course of study in Sunday School is the Old Testament so I have plenty to read other than just for entertainment. The scriptures are the word of God, the iron rod which Lehi saw in his vision, learning and being obedient to the information found therein is a sure way to stay on the path back to our Father in Heaven.

How Do WE Get IT Back?

I wanted to thank my friend Nickie Goomba for posting, What I need is a healthy dose of American History . Nickie can place a feather in his cap and call it macaroni for having given oxygen to the dying fires of liberty here in America.

The article contains journal entries by one of General Washington’s staff during the time leading up to the famous Battle of Trenton. I confess that one particular entry given Christmas day got to me, enough to well up tears.

“The regiments have had their evening parade, but instead of returning to their quarters are marching toward the ferry. It is fearfully cold and raw and a snow-storm is setting in. The wind is northeast and beats in the faces of the men. It will be a terrible night for the soldiers who have no shoes. Some of them have tied old rags around their feet; others are barefoot, but I have not heard a man complain. They are ready to suffer any hardship and die rather than give up their liberty.” (emphasis added)

What kind of men will endure extreme hardships; only those who believe that the cause is worth everything, to include their very lives. My question to "We The People"; how do we get it back, the vibrant spirit which will elevate and instill within “We The People” to do what ever is necessary to put our nation right?

I was going to include a reference to the movie, Mr. Roberts. After learning of Mr. Robert’s death, his never ending struggle to be in the thick of battle rather than stuck on a rusted out transport ship in the back waters of the Pacific, Doc read and posted a letter for all the men to see. Mr. Robert’s letter refers to the glorious Order of the Palm Tree Medal and thanks the crew for sustaining him through a difficult period and their going above and beyond the call of duty in helping him get transferred to a destroyer. Some of you might have jumped the gun, thinking I was referring to the fulminated mercury explosion in the laundry room; no, that would have taken this in the wrong direction.

Those who have earned the honor of wearing the Order of the Palm have learned the meaning of resolve; it’s not just a one time act intended to disrupt or gain attention. While the word resolve can still be found in the dictionary, do “We The People” take its meaning seriously or is it one of those hollow words to cover a moment of rage that gets put away when the sun goes down?

I have a tribute to 9/11 on my sidebar, a reminder that America was attacked by Muslim Terrorists intent on taking us down, regardless of how long it takes; the jihad is in effect. President Bush explained the word resolve in its proper context; but have we let that moment fade, unable to recall that we are involved in a bloody war?

I fear we’ve lost our resolve in defending our nation against foreign enemies. Our current administration has reclassified Extreme Islamic Terroristic enemies to a more politically correct mish-mash of double speak jargon in order to soften the way we perceive this “lessened threat”. Instead of being at war, now it’s called a man made event; war is such a terrible thing, let’s call it something else.

The movie, Clear and Present Danger, comes to mind as I continue with the idea of defending America against all enemies, foreign and domestic. The dying head of the intelligence group, played by James Earl Jones, reminded our hero, played by Harrison Ford, that he was charged with defending the country and the oath he took didn’t have an expiration date attached to it.

“You took an oath, not the one you took when you got this job; the one you took to defend our nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic; remember?”

Anyone who’s served in the military took this oath. Just because we no longer put on the uniform or live on the front lines in battle each day, rifle in hand, doesn’t mean we are absolved from the oath we took when we raised our arm to the square. I’d take that a step further, anyone who claims to be an American citizen, regardless of race, creed or color should feel the need to uphold such an oath, to defend our liberties and our freedoms from all enemies, foreign or domestic.

Have you been paying attention to what Congress, the Senate and the Oval Office have been doing to our nation? The men who forged our nation a couple of hundred years ago would have recognized this enemy; is it that hard for us to see the enemy within the gates? I keep hearing rumblings, the need for a return to the America intended by our founders; but what is the course of action "We The People" need to take, the defining effort which will provide the required resolve to take back our country from these usurpers?

I’m not advocating violent measures, at least not at this time. I throw that in because there are some at the fringe of “civilized society” who cringe at the thought of any kind of violence, to include speaking up when bullied. Well, if we are afraid to get in the face of these bullies and throw it back at them; we must not be worthy of the liberties provided in our founding documents. At what point will we be ready to stand up and take back America?

I mentioned once before hearing a return missionary’s account, a turning point in his life while serving the people of Tonga. The young man stood under an awning as the rains fell and gave him a feeling of despair, as if it was waste of time trying to meet and share the Gospel in that kind of weather.

His companion, a Tongan, looked him square in the face and reminded him of the pioneers who crossed the Great Plains back in his home country, miles and miles in the dead of winter. Many of them with worn out shoes or only pieces of cloth wrapped around their feet as the snow covered a rocky terrain. Did that stop them from doing what needed to be done? He then asked, “Are you going to let a little rain keep you from doing what you’re supposed to do?”

When our history is written, as it is here in our own journals, will there be an account which points to our resolve, a resolve to keep individual liberties and freedoms sacred or will there be only a reference to something we once had? The recorded words from General Washington’s staff officer haunts me as I close today’s ramblings.

“It will be a terrible night for the soldiers who have no shoes. Some of them have tied old rags around their feet; others are barefoot, but I have not heard a man complain. They are ready to suffer any hardship and die rather than give up their liberty.”

I Recommend Pleasant

As the year comes to a close, another year just around the corner; we talked about goals for personal growth. Some folks get hung up on the attitude that unfulfilled goals equate to failures; instead the idea is to make progress, regardless of whether or not the goal is in fact attained.

Many areas of personal growth were brought up; more effective time spent on scripture study, prayer, physical improvement, intellectual and social skills. We could all strive to be better in each area and find ourselves better off for having done so.

During the Sunday School lesson I was tempted to add a comment; but thought better of it since I didn’t want to destroy a perfectly well stated truism which would have fit the “social skills” segment as presented. It was a quote from the movie, Harvey, with James Stewart playing the lead role as Elwood P. Dowd.

Elwood P. Dowd: Years ago my mother used to say to me, she’d say, “In this world, Elwood, you must be” – she always called me Elwood – “In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.” Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me.

If you haven’t had the chance to sit back and enjoy that movie in a while, there are many worth while lessons contained in this light hearted romp. We could all use a Harvey, a chance to learn social graces.

Tour the Salt Lake City Temple Grounds

If you ever wanted to see the Salt Lake City Temple grounds at Christmas then here’s your chance. There are several views presented once you click on the original link . Each mini tour provides a 360 degree panoramic view with the ability to look up, down or sideways; neat!

Thanks and a tip of the hat to Linda Sanders for sharing this via email. Merry Christmas!

Princess Hobo Kitty

Today the Princess made a bold move by entering the house without getting spooked and immediately exiting. She started in the kitchen nook, worked her way around to the dining room and then relaxed on the rug in the living room near the Christmas tree.

I found some catnip spray at the local Wal-Mart and put it on the fabric of a kitty bed under the kitchen nook table where she’d felt comfortable hiding in the shadows. That may have aided in letting the Princess gain a little confidence to investigate further, or not.

We heard the sound of a golf ball rolling around on the hard wood flooring. Princess was having a wonderful time; as if she belonged inside, enjoying the attention and not at all claustrophobic as she had been the last time she’d come inside.

Presently, the Princess is sleeping on the soft cushion of the rocking chair which is right next to me as I write. She never flinched, not once, when the flash of the camera captured her image. I’m curious to see how she’ll react as the lights are turned off for the night in a bit.

The cold front which pushed its way through Houston earlier today has given us a blustery day, plenty of wind gusts and a thirty degree drop from yesterday this same time. Princess may be smarter than Brother and Cousin who are sleeping in the garage while she remains inside warm and content to be among the giants.

Doctor Forgot About Patient

I read an article on the KPRC website where a woman woke up in her doctor’s office after day surgery only to find her team of care givers had gone home for the day. She’s retained an attorney because of a lingering anxiety attacks; either that or the desire to strike it rich in the civil court’s lottery system.

You can read the whole story , a real shame that it happened; but does this kind of issue really belong in a court room or would it be better served some other way? I guess the times dictate litigation, wouldn’t want to settle things with a hand shake or a simple apology when there’s an opportunity to strike it rich.

Several years ago my back was giving me grief so I went by the chiropractor’s office for a session. They had me relax with the Tens Unit working away, electronic pads stuck to various muscle groups along my back in a dark secluded treatment room. That was supposed to last a little over ten minutes; maybe that’s why they call it a Tens Unit, naaahhh.

While I was drifting with the pulsations I heard a commotion of energies being directed toward a more serious issue. Some guy had been in a traffic accident and needed quite a bit of attention; one of the technicians poked her head in and let me know it would be a few extra minutes and I acknowledged the reasonable delay.

About an hour went by, having woken from a blissful nap under a warm blanket in the darkness, when I realized that more than a “few minutes” had passed. It was late in the evening and time to get back home as I got my street clothes back on. When I went out into the office area the look on the technicians face told me everything I needed to know; they’d forgotten I was waiting for an adjustment.

The thought never occurred to me, “Call 911” or retain a lawyer; no, that’s not how I was brought up. The chiropractor and team of technicians were embarrassed for the slip up and made it a point to explain how the visit, along with the next would be “on the house”. She couldn’t have been more sincere; perhaps fearing I might be unreasonable with a tendency toward litigation.

Things being as they are, congress will come up with a law stipulating the need for a medical assistant or technician to hold the hand of each patient from the moment they enter a treatment facility to the time they are out the front door, much the same as hospital policies requiring that patients leave the hospital in wheel chairs, even when patients are quite capable of walking on their own two legs; lawyers and litigation!

Finders Weepers Losers Keepers

The more things stay the same the more they change, roses are blue violets are red and now finders weepers losers keepers. Do any of these slightly altered sayings come across as a bit odd?

Take for example a ruling in the case of over $500 million in gold and silver coins found and brought to the surface by a team of salvage/treasure hunters.

“A U.S. district judge has ruled that U.S. treasure-hunting company Odyssey Marine Exploration should return to Spain a fortune in old coins recovered from the wreck of a 19th-century Spanish warship.”

The salvage operation happened in international waters; but since the ship that went down was a war ship under the Spanish flag there’s some special deal that sets aside the old “finders keepers” rule.

Overheard by an anonymous fly on the wall in the judge’s chambers was the Spanish delegation’s representative, “It’s our treasure, we plundered it from Peru fair and square”.

I’d have to side with the salvage team, if the Spanish government was so keen on getting back the treasure they lost over a hundred years ago they should have done more to find it rather than let someone else do all the work. Looks like another case of “we’re the government and we’re here to help”.

Here’s my solution, load tons of iron ore in dump trucks, drive them through the aqueduct in New York, fill up a cargo ship and make a big deal out of sinking the ship over the deepest part of the Atlantic trench. Everyone will claim this is just a remake of a Die Hard film; but the lost content of the cargo ship will be buried across miles and miles of ocean floor so deep as to be unsalvageable.

When the judge comes to confiscate the treasure the salvage team can express the all too familiar salutation with one finger. Then, when the Spanish consular official steps around the corner they can add, “…and that goes for the horse you came in on.”

11th DWI and Still Has Driver’s License

It would appear that even with a long history of Driving While Intoxicated, Ralph Lynn Foltz Jr. has been stopped yet again for DWI . What I’d like to know from the folks at the Department of Public Safety, how is it Ralph Lynn Foltz Jr. had a valid Texas Driver’s License when he got stopped the other night?

I’m sure there will be an internal investigation, some clerk will get suspended or even fired for having issued a driver’s license to a man with several felony convictions for DWI. Maybe Ralph Lynn Foltz Jr. should run for congress; he’d fit right in, doesn’t give a hoot or a holler about the law and does what ever he pleases.

For the folks who occasionally leave a comment; I got an email notification from Haloscan that sometime in January there’s to be some kind of upgrade, an upgrade that will come with a price tag. I don’t get that many comments to begin with so don’t look for me to be concerned with the loss of that function or the history of comments associated with previous articles.

Looking in Mirrors

It’s been raining all last night and throughout the day with temperatures hovering just below 50 degrees, not good for business; but great for baking cookies, or should I say eating cookies that Lucy’s been making. I wouldn’t want to spoil my appetite before dinner so I’ll only have a couple more ginger bread men.

This past week J.R., a friend of mine, posted a short line on his Facebook page asking whether more time should be spent looking through the windshield or in the mirror. The natural answer would be to look ahead since most challenges would be in that direction.

Mirrors hold a certain fascination with me, always have ; especially the ones that are slightly curved and bend the image slightly. I guess this falls into the “stop and smell the roses” category; or maybe take a very brief moment to look at the other view while continuing forward since we were driving.

Here’s a double bonus, two mirrors in one snap shot; a spot mirror within a side mirror. This is a converted 35mm slide photograph from back in the 70’s when we were in Big Bend Park, driving through the back country near Boquillas. Maybe the dry desert air was what I wanted to enjoy today, dust kicking up behind my truck instead of all this rain; yea, that must be why I picked this one.

Christmas Devotional Expression of Gratitude

Lucy and I attended the Houston Texas Temple Christmas Devotional last night, an event which I’ve grown to look forward to each year for music and the spoken word. One of the talks given reminded us that gratitude is a key expression of our faith in Jesus Christ.

That being true, individual efforts through prelude music on the harp, along with vocal solos and the choir set the tone for the entire evening and deserve our gratitude. The choir was an unrehearsed gathering of volunteer voices comprised of temple ordinance workers, practicing together only an hour or so prior to performing as a group. We were presented spiritual gems as they filled the air with the sound of angels; perhaps heavenly messengers filling their ranks, as to be compared with the Tabernacle Choir.

I’ll leave it at that, the Christmas Devotional was a spiritual gift which I am grateful for; a reminder of how music touches the soul in ways that no other medium can. May the Spirit of Christmas be present in your lives is my Christmas wish for you.

Connect the Dots - So Much for Journalism

I’ll start off with a tip of the hat to Neil Boortz for linking to an important article, one which shows how badly real journalist are treated, and will be treated in the New World Order. The article was written by Mike Flynn, UN Security Stop’s Journalist’s Question About Climategate , and has a short video to document the supposition; journalists who ask tough questions are no longer welcome to attend press conferences, only those who go along with the current regime’s agenda.

If you want to play the popular game “connect the dots”, loads of fun by the way; trace the folks involved in this one incident and it will show quite a bit. I warn you in advance, you won’t like the way the game turns out.

First, look at the video and determine for yourself if veteran journalist Phelim McAleer was acting in a wild or threatening manner or if he was performing the duties of a journalist investigating a story. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the only reason McAleer had the microphone removed by security guards, guards who threatened his cameraman and physically removed them from the meeting was because he asked questions the folks in charge of the Copenhagen Global Climate Change open press conference didn’t want answered.

Okay, next; who was the question directed towards? Answer, Professor Schneider, a senior member of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). For informational purposes, Professor Schneider is from Stanford University (an American university) and he should be familiar with the 1st Amendment.

“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.”

The trend in modern America is to emulate second rate nations of Europe, how they rule their subjects and deal with minor issues such as individual rights, liberty, freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Why would the Americans want to lower their standards, just a shot gun question?

Oh, I forgot, this meeting’s in Copenhagen, THEY, (Professor Schneider, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the goons working security in Copenhagen), that THEY, don’t have to follow our Constitution or Bill of Rights. Here’s a tip, neither does our own government anymore; but that’s simply my own observation and hardly has any relevance to this story, or does it?

The game of connect the dots is still on, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has relied heavily on the data supplied by scientists at the Climate Research Unit, University of East Anglia. You might have heard of these folks, they’re the ones in the news recently, under the title “Climategate” for intentionally altering data to fit their agenda on global warming, fudging here and there, out right distortions when necessary, turning away scientist's papers which refuted their agenda and things like that.

The University has not denied the validity of information contained in the leaked emails. In essence, the content of the email was accurate, only the means of obtaining the information has been denounced.

If you want the convoluted logic used by those in favor of inflicting massive global control through a totalitarian New World Order, call it what you will, then it doesn’t matter the information used to convince sovereign nations to give up that sovereignty in favor of massive wealth redistribution to save a planet from man made global warming and self destruction is a lie, the only thing that matters was how that lie was brought to light.

We don’t need no stinkin’ reporters askin stinkin questions!

If you’re a large media outlet, why isn’t this story on your front page or taking up huge blocks of air time during broadcast? The answer isn’t hard to find, thanks to a poem written by Martin Niemoller .

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.

No More Spending Voice of Reason Quashed by Dems

Those hateful GOP whiners were handed their hats by the Democrat majority. Unfortunately for everyone, the voice of reason was told to shut up, an attempt to filibuster killed by a vote of 60 - 34 as yet another Trillion Dollars will be spent ; money that doesn’t exist and money We The People can’t afford to spend.

“The Democratic-controlled Senate on Saturday cleared away a Republican filibuster of a huge end-of-year spending bill that rewards most federal agencies with generous budget boosts.”

It’s like watching Bonnie and Clyde exit another bank, “We did it!”, wondering how they would spend their loot, money stolen to extend a crime spree; all the while knowing there are other banks just down the road they can rob with impunity.

“Federal workers would receive pay increases averaging 2 percent, with people in areas with higher living costs receiving slightly higher increases.”

Well isn’t that nice; everyone else in America is tightening their belts; except federal workers will get a raise. Senators, Congressmen and Federal Judges got their automatic COLA already; that and a raise they voted on a while back. Social Security COLA is on hold, indefinitely, but I’m sure those who depend on poverty level checks from Social Security are thrilled to help federal workers won’t have to worry.

Gastrointestinal Noises

I’ve been reading a wide range of articles this morning, most of which have made my stomach turn sour. I should know better than to eat prior to reading about our Community Organizer In Chief; but I’m a glutton for punishment.

Maybe you’re familiar with the movie, Contact, with Jodie Foster playing the lead role. There’s a noise which lands on the massive radio gathering array at Arecibo, millions and millions of tax dollars spent to listen for “little green men”, as her character’s quest is maligned by those in a position to destroy her career. She’s got a set of headphones on, her eyes closed as the cosmos is probed and stalked by huge telescope receivers aimed to the farthest reaches.

Suddenly she hears the awaited “contact” from a distant civilization, an odd distortion of sounds which crackled out prime number sequences, such sequences guaranteeing a higher intellect sent them rather than being coincidentally manufactured. “Occam’s Razor!”, always wanted to say something scientific; “Global Warming?”; but now I’m getting carried away with myself.

I read where some folks might have been put off or insulted by the lack of social graces Obama has shown while accepting his Nobel Peace Prize and yet skipping out on formal gatherings normally associated with such an honor. While reading the article I heard that same distortion of sounds, the ones that came from somewhere in the cosmos near the Vegan star group; except this sound came from my abdominal area.

Never mind Obama’s warning to the Senate to hurry up with Cap & Trade legislation or the EPA would start imposing “command-and-control” in ways that would hurt business . No, that wouldn’t be enough to roil my gastrointestinal system; had to be more than that.

Perhaps it had to do with reading about “the complete devaluation of the currency and the destruction of the economy on the road to enslaving the populace…” Third World County , as have many others, attempted to warn of the effects as Obama and his minions implement and use the Cloward-Piven Strategy. No, that’s couldn’t be what has me holding my legs together against the building pressure. It could be I caught that “nasty bug”, the one Lucy had a couple of days ago and had her down and out, belching the most obnoxious fumes imaginable around the clock.

We used to have an expression, common and hardly worth sharing in polite society; but when ever a night shift officer excused himself to use the restroom, it wasn’t unusual to hear another officer remind him, “Flush once for the Chief’s office, twice for the Mayor”. You’ll have to excuse the brevity of my article; I’ll remember to flush a “few” times and wash my hands real good before returning.

Were Climate Scientists Pressured to Sign Petition?

There’s an article posted on the Times Online, Top Scientists Rally to Defence of Met Office , ( gotta’ wonder about a headline where they can’t even spell defense ), explaining how 1,700 scientists jumped on the bandwagon to support the “consensus” known as global warming science.

““One scientist told The Times he felt under pressure to sign. “The Met Office is a major employer of scientists and has long had a policy of only appointing and working with those who subscribe to their views on man-made global warming,” he said.”

“Professor Slingo (Met’s chief scientist) denied that the Met Office had put anyone under pressure. “The response has been absolutely spontaneous. As a scientist you sign things you agree with, not because you are worried about what the Met Office might think of you,” she said.”

You could go read the rest of the article; but those two paragraphs sum up how things work in the real world; the folks who write and sign your pay check have considerable influence on how you speak out in public.

Quite some time back when working as a police officer I was handed a petition to sign. It was the end of my shift and back near where officers turned in their hand held radios, far from the supervisor’s offices. The petition was aimed at getting one of our supervisors listed as “Supervisor of the Year”; a half hearted attempt to save this same supervisor from some rather awkward complaints which had recently cropped up.

Without going into details, something which would be unfair to all involved, let me just say that I started laughing at the thought, handing back their clip board without signing, “You’re joking right? This is the same guy who…”, like I said, no details, no names; protecting the guilty as well as the innocent was part of the old black and white cop show, “My names Friday, my partner and I work in the city…”

I should also explain as I broke out in laughter, an honest gut reaction to such a ridiculous ploy to save the butt of a worthless excuse of a supervisor, having handed the petition back without my signature; you guessed it, that very same supervisor had been standing around the corner taking note of who signed and who didn’t. You could say that it was “awkward”; but that would be too kind; I still had to work a couple of years to complete the requirements for retirement.

Getting back to the global warming petition which the Met generated and asked its employees to sign; if you believe there was no pressure on those scientists to sign, to keep their jobs; I’ll let you bid on some ocean front property up for sale in West Texas. The fellow who signed the Magna Charta , ole' what's his name, wasn’t under pressure either; he just wanted to make the little people happy that day, what a crock!

Handel Might Have Second Thoughts

I found this video at Lords of the Manor , a tip of the hat for bringing a smile to my face. Here’s to my friend Russ, who loves this piece of music; forgive me if it takes liberties with one of the best ever Christmas presentations.

EPA Lights Fuse - Destruction Imminent

In case you’ve been sleeping in a cave these past several years with no means of keeping up with the current events, the industrialized nation known as the United States of America, at one time world leader in production and quality of living, is headed toward shut down, perhaps its final resting place. A little checking on the internet will bring you up to speed; starting with a piece by Phil Kerpen, which echoes my feeling, EPA’s Greenhouse Gases Declaration – Putting America On the Road to Ruin .

“Today the EPA declared greenhouse gases a danger to public health. And here’s the bottom line: The biggest threat to Americans, when it comes to huge new energy taxes and government controls, is not from legislation, it’s from regulation.”

“President Obama, White House Climate Czar Carol Browner, and their Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are not waiting for Congress to pass cap-and-trade. Shrugging off the Climate-gate scandal, today EPA administration Lisa Jackson issues a so-called "endangerment finding," paving the way for onerous greenhouse gas regulations to be shoehorned into the 1970 Clean Air Act.”

That’s really all you need to read to understand the gravity of the situation as reason and common sense are tossed aside in favor of totalitarian rule through pure fascism. This should scare the hell out of anyone paying attention. The constitution be damned and full speed ahead into oblivion, that appears to be the agenda of the Obama administration, congress and the many and varied bureaucracies which now place America at the precipice of collapse.

Dennis Avery, in an enlightening interview regarding Global Warming and the hoax that it really is was quoted, when asked about the Kyoto Agreement and currently considered Cap & Trade legislation:

“They're really talking about going back to the Great Depression. Nobody has a car, nobody could afford the fuel if they had a car. They're talking about living a hundred yards from the factory, except there isn't going to be a factory because there is not going to be any coal burning to power it. No nuclear power, no drilling for oil, no hope.”

The so called “consensus” among scientists is anything but that according to an interview with Dr. Easterbrook in the New York Times, as he quoted other notable scientists.

“"Hardly a week goes by," Dr. Peiser said, "without a new research paper that questions part or even some basics of climate change theory," including some reports that offer alternatives to human activity for global warming.”

{…}

“In October, Dr. Easterbrook made similar points at the geological society meeting in Philadelphia. He hotly disputed Mr. Gore's claim that "our civilization has never experienced any environmental shift remotely similar to this" threatened change.

Nonsense, Dr. Easterbrook told the crowded session. He flashed a slide that showed temperature trends for the past 15,000 years. It highlighted 10 large swings, including the medieval warm period. These shifts, he said, were up to "20 times greater than the warming in the past century."

John Hawkins’ article, Four Colossal Holes in the Theory of Man Made Global Warming , follows this line of thought as well:

“Repeating the words "scientific consensus" over and over and telling sad stories about polar bears does not qualify as "science." So, why is it that the people who insist that Man-made global warming is based on science, not politics, always get shaky and defensive when people want to actually talk about the reasoning behind it?”

I couldn’t tell you the number of times I’ve had something along the lines, “The debate is over, Man Made Global Warming is Real”, thrown at me as if by doing so made it plausible. Shutting down reason and going with the herd hasn’t done well for the Lemming, and that's what the Climate Change/Global Warming alarmists would have us do.

Anyone who dares to question the data, ( data which has now been found to be either “fudged” or flat out fabricated), the science ( some data intentionally ignored when it didn’t fit the global alarmist’s agenda), the motives or those in charge (the social engineers who always know better than the average hicks) are ridiculed and targeted for destruction. Character assassination is the favorite tool used against folks, often highly educated in their fields of science, who happen to have an opinion contrary to the man made global warming alarmists, who cannot defend their position with facts. Remember this as you write in your journals.

You might start today’s entry, December 8, 2009, with a line which Phillip Klein reminded me of in his news piece, EPA Ruling Paves Way For Regulation of Carbon :

“Lisa Jackson, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, made these intentions clear in her opening memo to employees in January 2009. “EPA will stand ready to help Congress craft strong, science-based climate legislation that fulfills the vision of the President,” she wrote, adding, “As Congress does its work, we will move ahead to comply with the Supreme Court’s decision recognizing EPA’s obligation to address climate change under the Clean Air Act.”

The subtleties included in Lisa Jackson statement foretold this day, the day when liberty was thrown in the toilet in favor of totalitarian fascism. Today the fuse has been lighted and our destruction is imminent; the strings of industrial production have been ripped from their rightful handlers and handed over to puppet masters. To the next generation, you would have enjoyed the America I once knew.

Forgive us for having lost the liberties and freedoms you might have had prior to the mandated New World Order, a direct link to the Church of Climate Change/Global Warming. There are no governments on the face of the earth which permit individual liberty or exercised use of private property. The words Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness meant something at one time; but that America no longer exists. This day marked the beginning of the end; “The Great Experiment” is completed in your viewing.

Or, by some marginal possibility, enough plain average hicks can stand up in a common cause and take back our country from these arrogant pricks. “We The People” can turn things around and make America work the way it was intended to by our Founding Fathers.

That’s what you could write in your journal today…

Mary Did You Know - One of Lucy’s Favorite Christmas Songs

Each year one of our music stations plays continuous Christmas music from Thanksgiving on through Christmas Day. Some folks find that a bit annoying; then again there are all those other stations to pick from, so what room have they to complain.

One of Lucy’s favorite songs, Mary Did You Know; was posted on her Facebook page yesterday. We listened to it, tears streaming down our cheeks as the message of the Gospel flowed clearly and beautifully through their offering. It occurred to me, this song fits the category of Gospel in a nutshell , no different than passages of scripture which, in a few short paragraphs of written word, are able to explain the focal point of Christian faith.

Snow in Houston a Possibility Today

I know, folks from up north are laughing; but the possibility of Houston getting a couple of inches of snow is big news around here. We can handle an occasional hurricane or tornado; but my goodness, snow? The chance of white stuff falling from the air, it doesn’t even have to stick to the ground to be news worthy ; it’s something that will shut the whole city down.

I was at the local Home Depot yesterday and bought a heater to put out in the garage for our Hobo Kitties , wouldn’t feel right letting them suffer and they’re not comfortable about entering the wash room area where it would be even better for them. And anyway, even if the Hobo Kitties did figure out that the laundry room was better, what about their friend, Peppe Le Pew ?

While at the hardware store I found a replacement piece of shiny bright chrome metal to cover up the overflow safety slot where the old one had been, my plumber’s lingo lacks correct terminology; but I’m getting ahead of myself again. The other day Lucy pointed out that the lever cover, the one in the tub that’s supposed to make it possible to take a bath, the one that keeps the water from going down the hole at the bottom of the tub; but that hasn’t worked since the day we bought the house. Where was I, that cover plate thingy was hanging down and looked pretty ugly. It’s one of those oxymorons, a pretty ugly piece of metal that at one time was shiny chrome and covered the workings, the workings that didn’t work, so we use one of those rubber plugs that only cost a dollar instead of having a plumber come out to fix and takes a mortgage payment for two hours work.

I’d fixed the “cover plate thingy” the other day, some real “jury rigging” if I do say so myself. The steel screws that held the cover plate to the tub had rusted clean off were not coming out so I used an “easy out” on what was left. I took the broken toggle and cover out to the garage, drilled a hole on the broken end of the toggle and put it back together using a flat washer, made from an old GM door lock pawl cut to size with a Dremmel Tool, a flat washer, one that actually was made to be a flat washer and separated it with a spring, cut to size, from my box of old parts that can never be thrown away because they are perfect for jobs requiring imagination and motivation, all held together with a cotter pin, the original cotter pin that was on the back of the broken tub thingy and wasn’t hooked up to the rod thingy because the toggle was broken. I buffed the old pitted surface of what used to be a shiny chrome cover, it still looked less than appealing; but good enough to cover a hole in the side of my tub for a day or so.

Since we now have a brand new chrome tub cover thingy, I may hang the refurbished tub cover thingy on the Christmas tree as an ornament; as much effort as went into it deserves a place on the tree, right next to the broken door handle assembly from a Mazda 626 we used to own. Now and then I write about various Christmas ornaments and how they came to be important to us. America is where the impossible happens on a regular basis; imagine, it might snow this afternoon in Houston.

Navy Honor

I bet you didn’t see this in the newspaper or on the 6 o’clock new. An old sea dog friend of mine sent this to me via email, the pictures were in a format I couldn’t figure out how to save other than to get my digital camera and grab them that way, sorry if the detail isn’t as crisp as it might have been otherwise. The presentation format has been altered only slightly from the way it showed up in my email.

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The Sailor Pictured Is Navy Petty Officer Mike Monsoor, PO2 (Petty Officer, Second Class) EOD2 (Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Second Class)

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April 5th, 1981 ~ September 19th, 2009

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Mike Monsoor, was awarded "the Congressional Medal of Honor" last week, for giving his life in Iraq, as he jumped on, and covered with his body, a live hand grenade, that was accidentally dropped by a Navy Seal, saving the lives of a large group of Navy Seals that was passing by!

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During Mike Monsoor’s funeral, at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, in San Diego, California the six pallbearers removed the rosewood casket from the hearse, and lined up on each side of Mike Monsoor’s casket, were his family members, friends, fellow sailors, and well-wishers.
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The column of people continued from the hearse, all the way to the grave site.

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What the group didn’t know at the time was, every Navy Seal (45 to be exact) that Mike Monsoor saved that day was scattered through-out the column! As the pallbearers carried the rosewood casket down the column of people to the grave side, the column would collapse, forming a group of people that followed behind.

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Every time the rosewood casket passed a Navy Seal, he would remove his gold trident pin from his uniform, and slap it down hard, causing the gold trident pin to embed itself into the top of the wooden casket!

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Then the Navy Seal would step back from the column, and salute!

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Now for those, (and original unknown author of this account) who don’t know what a trident pin is, or what it looks like?

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Here is the definition and photo!

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After one completes the basic Navy Seal program which lasts for three weeks, and is followed by Seal qualification training, which is 15 more weeks of training, necessary to continue improving basic skills and to learn new tactics and techniques, required for an assignment to a Navy Seal platoon.

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After successful completion, trainees are given their Naval Enlisted Code, and are awarded the Navy Seal trident pin.

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With this gold pin they are now officially a Navy Seal!

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It was said, that you could hear each of the 45 slaps from across the cemetery!
By the time the rosewood casket reached the grave site, it looked as though it had a gold inlay from the 45 trident pins that lined the top!

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This Was A Fitting End To An Eternal Send-Off For A Warrior Hero!
This Should Be Front-Page News! Instead Of The Garbage We Listen To And See Every Day. Here's A Good Idea! Since The Main Stream Media Won't Make This News. Then We Choose To Make It News By Forwarding It.

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I Am Proud Of All The Branches Of Our Military; rest assured, the fine men and women of our military will continue to serve and protect your freedom and right to do so!

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…and you thought I was going to comment on our POS Commander in Chief who spoke about our new lack of commitment to properly conduct an ongoing war effort, our tails tucked neatly between our legs as we broadcast our lack of resolve…no, words fail my attempts to express my disgust for the community organizer/POTUS.

Your Time Capsule

I wanted to share part of today’s lessons, some from church and some from here at the house. When we got home from our meetings Lucy was smiling as we pulled into our driveway; she’d noticed the Fall colors had made their way into the Houston area. She asked me to snap a few photographs while some left over turkey from Thanksgiving was prepared for lunch.

Here in these two pictures moments in time were captured; a very light breeze, only enough to gently push the paddle which activates the wind chimes; but not enough breeze to generate its music, a healthy Philodendron plant next to the garage and further back the brightly colored leaves of our Crepe Murtle near the back fence. I heard the squirrels protesting loudly on the other side of the yard and it didn’t take long to figure out why; one of the Hobo Cousins, Head Buttr’, was hiding in between the pickets of the wooden fence just below where the squirrels like to play.

At church I was a last minute substitute in Primary, the other substitute was sick. I was asked to give a lesson on the Handcart pioneers who’d made their way to the Salt Lake Valley . That’ a tough lesson to teach, not because I didn’t have enough information; being able to control my emotions from dripping down my cheeks while explaining the many hardships those folks went through.

The Handcarts folks could barely afford the westward trek, taking the clothes they wore on their backs, perhaps a few small personal items, their scriptures and not much else; the size of the cart reduced their options considerably. These folks depended on the wagons to carry food and other provisions; but for the most part, what went on the cart was what they took across the great distance.

Many of them wore out their shoes and had to improvise, taking pieces of cloth to wrap their feet as protection from the sharp rocky ground and cold temperatures as winter fell upon them more quickly than anticipated. When they were ever so close to their destination, the Salt Lake Valley, a terrible storm trapped many of them and threatened their very lives as provisions ran out.

I had the children remove their shoes and imagine how it must have been to walk on and on each day, only to do the same the next day and the day after that. They wouldn’t have had electronic toys to pass the time, no television, no iPods or much to eat. They wouldn’t have a nice house to keep them warm at night; only a fire to keep them warm.

I asked them to consider what item they would have wanted to take with them on such a long trip, something that would fit in the handcart? It would have to be small and not weigh very much; even then their parents would have had to approve even the smallest item.

Sharing Time with these same children added a chance to reinforce my question, “What would you have taken on your handcart?”, as the next instructor brought out a make believe time capsule. She had assembled an assortment of items to be placed within the box which would be found fifty or a hundred years in the future. She then had one of the children begin to place items into the box and explain why it was important. What items would you put in a time capsule that would indicate things that are important to you today?

One of the items picked was the game Trivial Pursuit , a way to express how games are a good way to have fun as a family; but a different thought came to my mind. I thought it represented the less important “things of the world”, efforts spent obtaining stuff we really didn’t need that could have been more productive; maybe I’m looking at things as an adult instead of as a child.

I’d put my scriptures in the time capsule, all marked with favorite passages and notes I’d jotted along the edges of different pages. I’d carefully pack a laptop computer with instructions on its use, battery stored separately, with a high capacity external hard drive so as to be able to have all my writings, favorite music, books, photographs available and even a selection of my favorite movies.

I’d include a smaller sampling of the photographs and printable items in book form, carefully wrapped and protected from the elements, just in case the data or device was damaged by sun spot activity or some other electronic disaster. These printable items would include photographs, blog articles, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and Bill of Rights and some front page sections of the local newspaper. I’d also include a nice dictionary and thesaurus in the event the finder of these articles needed a Rosetta Stone ,of sorts, to figure out the written samplings.

I might include some coins and paper money as an example of our monetary system and culture , or lack thereof. I might include my old high school class ring or some other piece of jewelry made of gold. Archeologists of the future might not figure out anything else; but they always understand the value of gold.

In the movie, The Time Machine , Mr. Philby asked a long reaching question once he realized the circumstances and the significance of limited space in such a contraption, pondering his friend traveling in time, a friend who’d come back to retrieve a few personal items and some books. Philby turned to the house woman, a woman who knew more about what might be missing, “So, what would you have taken with you, to start your brave new world?”

Thanksgiving Parade Memories

This morning we had the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade tuned in as they went through the star studded lineup about to be seen. Spiderman was floating in all his splendor, held by several ropes, the workers grateful for a calm day. Various famous actors, actresses and performers would eventually make their way to the cameras; but of all them, Santa was the one the children would be waiting to see. Santa coming into town signals the beginning of the Christmas Season.

Years ago, I’m talking thirty plus years ago when I was assigned to the Point Control Division of the Houston Police Department, Thanksgiving morning meant working the parade. It started with 5am Roll Call, and you’d better not be late; don’t even think of staying home unless you already had a toe tag. There would be intersection assignments for crowd control, “go-fer” duties and then a rare few got to escort Santa at the end of the parade.

The three wheeled motorcycle, a cross between the worst parts of a two wheeled motorcycle and the worst parts of a standard automobile, was the vehicle of choice for Point Control. These interesting police vehicles did have some redeeming social value, couldn’t think of how to put that seeing as how this might be read by folks with tender ears; where was I, the three wheeler could operate downtown, either on the normal street surface or even the sidewalk depending on the need.

You could usually tell if the motor was at operating temperature, it would melt the inboard cuff of your dark blue police issued trousers. A brittle bead of crystalline substance, which at one time had been a blend of wool and polyester fabric would form a gentle arch along the bottom of the pants.

The actual parade wouldn’t start for hours so my partner and I would drive over to my folk’s house, at the edge of downtown in the Montrose area, and invite ourselves in for breakfast. We didn’t have to be on post for a couple of hours so it was a leisurely breakfast with my folks.

I remember driving back towards our assigned area, the sun was just up as we neared the old YMCA building. On the sidewalk was a young fellow with a boom box crouched on his shoulder oblivious to the rest of the world as he jammed methodically northward. An evil thought entered my mind and without speaking, a wry smile crossed my lips and alerted my partner of the planned attack on the unwary victim.

I should explain that three wheelers didn’t have a siren, or much of a horn for that matter. We’d learned a trick or two on how to get the attention of folks, either to pull them over for a traffic violation or to have them get out of the way when we were trying to get some place in a hurry. The most effective noise we’d been able to come up with involved locking up the front disc brake and simultaneously pulling the handlebars as hard as would permit, as if to make a turn, all the while giving the motor full acceleration. The combination of efforts ground the front tire along the pavement as if in a horrendous accident; folks gladly got out of your way, often times you could see their shoulders come together in one giant flinch, their heads bowing on pulled in necks waiting for the imminent collision.

Back to the happy go lucky fellow with the boom box; my partner and I both locked up the front end and gunned the engines, a horrifying air busting cacophony of sounds echoed off the nearby buildings. I failed to mention that there was a retaining wall of sorts next to the sidewalk in front of the YMCA building. The young man bounced off the retaining wall on his first attempt to avoid the accident which was happening off to his blind side, the boom box bounced along the sidewalk as he made it over on his second try.

Partner and I waved and laughed as we drove off, the sun at our backs, “your police department at your service”. The City actually paid us to perform these modest and useful acts of public service. Did I mention how to make a three wheeler’s muffler crack from repeatedly using it to detonate unburned gas fumes, intentional backfires? I guess I should leave well enough alone.

I started out to write about the thrill brought about when Santa was escorted, by a handful of exceptionally skilled three wheeled motorcycle officers, officers who’d distinguished themselves throughout the year by their professionalism. Yup, I got to escort Santa Claus at the end of the Thanksgiving Parade, more than a couple of times.

That reminded me; my first recollection of ever meeting a police officer was the time my brother and I had been hiding behind a hedge of low bushes one winter. We were surprising passing motorists with a cache of snowballs on a dreary afternoon in Levittown. We jumped up, threw our snow balls at the next passing car and made a direct hit on the open window of our local police unit.

Our legs refused to work or we’d have made our get away; instead we stood there, frozen in our place until the officer walked over and explained how he wasn’t all that happy with our actions. He took us home and handed us over to my mother; never needing instructions from the officer on how to appropriately correct our character growth. Ironic, isn’t it, how some folks follow a path through life which leads to who knows where.

All this time the Macy’s parade has moved along and here I am going on about the past; hope I didn’t miss the Rockettes. Several years ago Lucy and I flew up to New York to experience the sights and sounds of that great city during the Christmas Season. It was the same year our troops found Saddam Hussein hiding in his spider hole over in Iraq, an interesting way to remember dates; a picture on the cover of the New York Daily News of that scoundrel getting hauled off was an early present that year.

Lucy and I had tickets to see the Rocketts perform at the Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular that year. It was plenty cold as we waited in line, the shadows from the building along with the sounds of the city engrained as fine memories to this day.

I’m rambling again; have a great Thanksgiving, hope you’re surrounded by those you love and appreciate. Most of all give thanks to our Father in Heaven for the many blessings we’ve been given and pray for an extension of those blessings in spite of our many short comings.