My articles emerge depending on what ever tickles my fancy; hope you enjoy the ride. It started several years ago when one of my op-ed pieces to the Houston Chronicle got butchered; been blogging ever since.
Here in Houston we’ve been lucky so far this hurricane season. There’s Tropical Storm Hermine churning along the coast, expected to turn in near the border with Mexico; but even at that distance rain bands are crossing Houston, the first came earlier this morning and another is just about to…make that IS hitting now.
We’ll be using the George Foreman grill to cook hamburgers this Labor Day instead of the backyard grill. I picked up a box of frozen Buba Burgers patties while at Wal-mart the other day.
Not too long ago there was a bike ride from Houston to Austin to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy. Lucy volunteered her Ham radio operator services at one of the many check points along the way. Folks with cell phones could have done the job easily; but this offered a training opportunity for CERTmembers to hone skills for when a real emergency comes along such as when cell phone towers are unavailable due to power outages during hurricane season.
In an unrelated story, there’s an AP article on Click2Houston’s website. Apparently there was a naked bike ride event in Philadelphiaover the weekend to “promote bicycling awareness and cleaner air”.
“Some of the buff bikers wore body paint, some were in bathing suits and some were completely naked.”
“This was the second year for the Philly Naked Bike Ride. Similar rides have taken place in more than 70 cities worldwide since 2004.”
No photographs accompanied the article; what a pity. I did get a kick out of the advertisement directly under the story.
MCA, Cosmetic Dermatology Center “Where Beautiful Skin Begins”
It makes sense; if you’re going to ride in the buff make sure your skin is up to the challenge. What other businesses would ‘peddle’ their product to sponsor a naked bike ride event? Perhaps a particular cologne company might be interested, the one with the catchy slogan, “All my men wear English Leather or they wear nothing at all”, what an opportunity.
If I hear Lucy and her friends at CERT are helping out with a “clothing optional” bike ride in our area, then, as Ricky Ricardo would say, “Lucy, You gotta’ a lot of ‘splainnin’ to do”.
(Writer has not been compensated in any way to advertise these products)
This article has been cross posted to The Moral Liberal, a publication whose banner reads, “Defending The Judeo-Christian Ethic, Limited Government, & The American Constitution”.
A dangerous fire broke out at New York City’s sanitation pierlifting smoke and other contaminates into the city’s atmosphere. Three fire fighters were injured and the cause of the incident is under investigation.
“The Manhattan pier and trash-filled trailers began burning Saturday afternoon. The Fire Department of New York says firefighters were still working to control the blaze more than three hours later.”
“Fire officials are checking the stability of the pier after wooden parts of it went up in flames.”
This is day one of what is now being called “Big Apple’s Sanitation Situation”, the 23rd national crisis to hamper America’s economic recovery this year. Until the hazardous situation is resolved the Obama administration reportedly has expressed concerns that other sanitation areas across the eastern seaboard might spontaneously burst into flames; hence it is expected they will ask for a 6 month moratorium on all trash pick up from Delaware to Maine.
President Obama addressed the nation regarding this latest crisis standing behind two immense Teleprompters; the New York City Skyline as a backdrop. Obama’s speech writers were unavailable, reportedly on their 7th vacation this year so portions of President Obama’s BP Oil Spill addressto the nation given in June were used. A majority of the public has stopped listening to much of anything Obama says so he figured nobody would notice.
“I assembled a team of our nation’s best scientists and engineers to tackle this challenge…yada yada yada…"
{…}
“First, the cleanup. From the very beginning of this crisis, the federal government has been in charge of the largest environmental cleanup effort in our nation’s history…yada yada…”
{…}
“As the clean up continues, we will offer whatever additional resources and assistance our coastal states may need. Now, a mobilization of this speed and magnitude will never be perfect, and new challenges will always arise. I saw and heard evidence of that during this trip. So if something isn’t working, we want to hear about it. If there are problems in the operation, we will fix them…yada yada yada…”
Representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency were on hand; but were reluctant to talk to reporters as they had not as yet been briefed on the nature of the contaminants which were released by the blaze. One thing was certain; the type of smoke being released likely was the result of New Yorker's penchant for plastic shopping bags rather than reusable fabric shopping containers offered by the Sierra Club and other environmentally friendly organizations.
Waste management companies responsible have been told they need to come up with ten billion dollars, paid under the table, to cover damages and complaints regarding mountains of trash which will eventually fill every street and alley in the Big Apple. Tourism is expected to take a major hit as will the porn industry which relies heavily on having back alleys available for their customers. The Obama administration reportedly is considering the appointment of a special czar to establish payments to those hurt most by this crisis; but was quick to point out that the pier in question was last inspected during the Bush administration.
“The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined. The Department of Sanitation hasn’t returned a telephone call seeking comment.”
This article has been cross posted to The Moral Liberal , a publication whose banner reads, “Defending The Judeo-Christian Ethic, Limited Government, & The American Constitution”.
I could probably get tagged as a racist for the title alone; so go ahead and tag me. There’s a new watchdog site created by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to catch Tea Party folks involved in racism. I’m not making this stuff up; a group of folks banded together through modern day black racism want to catch white folks who exhibit similar racist expressions.
I should explain a misunderstanding, perhaps misunderstanding is a poor choice of words; I have an identification issue with the whole Tea Party thing. The Tea Party movement is generic and has attracted followers from all walks of life; gender, creed, and color. More importantly the Tea Party movement has room for individuals from any political party; those tired of being lied to and tired of watching constitutional restraints placed on government thrown in the trash in favor of social justice.
The Tea Party movement has at its core conservative minded folks who believe our nation was founded under divine guidance, having a constitutionally sound government wherein individuals have recognized inalienable rights which cannot be legislated away regardless of which party is in power.
Then there’s a somewhat disorganized political association much like the Republican, Libertarian or Democrat parties which is called the Tea Party. The Tea Party might as well call itself the Little Republican Party as it attempts to remind conservative minded folks that at one time the GOP stood for basic values established by our founders; but over the years have turned to socialism and violated the constitution as suited their needs much as the Democrats have.
Did you hear the joke about the senator from Arizona who thought he was a Republican? Never mind, it’s not that funny. What’s the difference between an elephant and a RINO? One eats peanuts while the other thinks a trillion tax payer dollars is peanuts.
So, there you have it, my interpretation of the Tea Party and the Tea Party movement; glad that’s out of the way. Don’t forget to close the door on your way out; I was talking to those who just got up in the middle of my rant, those still reading might have some room to stretch your legs now.
The NAACP is concerned that a small percentage of folks, folks who must be white, redneck and former slave owners, a small percentage of folks might express an outrageous statement which would give the leftist news media an albatross to hang on the Tea Party or the Tea Party movement. Such an albatross could be played on the nightly news over and over prior to the November elections giving entitlement minded socialist Democrats a chance to remain in office to complete the whole social justice agenda thing.
Last week Al Sharpton’s rally protested the Restore America rally claiming it was an infringement on the memory of Martin Luther King’s special day when he delivered his now famous words, “I have a dream”. King envisioned and prayed for the day when white children and black children would walk hand in hand sharing God given inalienable rights equally; but apparently Al and his followers didn’t listen to the message and only saw the color of his skin. The message of equality had nothing to do with ‘social justice’, the act of government redistributing wealth to folks who may or may not have been short changed by a previous generation. No, the message was to mark the lifting of bands of discrimination which had been imposed, impositions which prevented minority individuals from having an equal promise of inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
This article has been cross posted to The Moral Liberal, a publication whose banner reads, “Defending The Judeo-Christian Ethic, Limited Government, & The American Constitution”.
Wednesday evenings is reserved for the 11 year old Boy Scouts and this week’s lesson was an introduction to Orienteering, a chance to see if these young men understood how to use a compass and work with a map. I figured their imagination would kick in if I told them they were looking for treasure, kind of like finding a pirate’s map tucked away behind an old picture at a garage sale; remarkable how being the oldest 11 year old in the group makes my job so much easier.
Pirate maps are hard to come by so I took some time off in the middle of my work day to swing by the church in order to create an Orienteering course for the boys to use that evening. My sister sent me an inexpensive compass several years ago and all I needed was to map out a path which could be followed using easily identifiable landmarks.
There I was charting how many paces ESE, then 23 paces N and so on, my wandering around both inside the church and along the parking lot next to the softball field when a friend took notice of my activity. We talked about how much the boys would learn from the experience and it was then my friend reminded me of how it helped him when he was in the military.
He’d been involved in scouting early in his life knew how to read contour lines marking elevation changes. The lessons he’d learned as a young man helped him understand map notations and how to measure distances in rough terrain. Orienteering skills have value long after the boys leave the Scouting program.
I too remembered having used some of the same skills while on a combat course in the Army. It was a long time ago and most of the details elude my memory. One lesson learned on the combat Orienteering course came to mind almost immediately; make sure you finish the course.
The team of soldiers I worked with did an excellent job navigating through planned distractions and pitfalls. We spotted all the booby traps, snipers and charted a safe path through hostile territory for our patrol. Our field training officer congratulated us for having accomplished our mission; collecting our clear plastic visors and ear protectors as he directed us to a table where we would be debriefed.
We collectively breathed a healthy sigh of relief as we walked down the path leading to the table; we’d relaxed a little early. One of us caught a trip wire and set off an ear crippling blast that sent us all to the ground. The lesson our field training officer wanted to drive home, “It ain’t over until you’re home sleeping in your own bed”.
The Scouts all laughed as the story was told and they eagerly lined up, map and compass in hand, to find the pirate’s treasure. The directions had been written in paces rather than standard distances so I explained how they would need to figure out how much distance was involved, either walking or running since that would alter things considerably.
It was fun watching them huddle up around the compass holder, some wandering one way while the rest bolted along a different compass heading. This was a team event and they all had to work together, sometimes going back nearly to the starting point to figure our where they’d gone astray.
Eventually they found the “X” on the map; but were confused, “So, where’s the treasure?” A couple of the boys were wandering all over the softball field while others moved a large chunk of tree limb thinking it might be hidden underneath.
One boy asked about the instructions on the map as he read aloud, “Look around for treasure, have key handy. What key?” I smiled and reached into my pocket for my keys. I’d placed an old padlock halfway up the chain link fence for them to find. All the boys were excited at having turned the key in the padlock.
“What kind of treasure do we get?”, a reasonable question.
“Knowledge.” I went on to explain how these skills would be handy later in life. I then explained that I’d brought Tootsie Roll Pops as a special treat; each boy got to finish the evening with a bit of tangible satisfaction.
Are we all not on a similar Orienteering course, this mortal journey taking us through rough terrain with pitfalls and snares? Just when we think we’ve made it, up pops yet another challenge. Many have trouble and wish they had better instructions while others complain the instructions are vague or don’t seem to apply to their specific problems. Some don’t even know where to find these instructions. A few grow complacent as they near what they perceive to be their goal, a Life of Riley free from the rat race where it’s time to relax, enjoy the fruits of their labors.
Many relax too soon, not having learned the lesson, “It ain’t over until you’re home sleeping in your own bed”. The doctrine might be more familiar if I changed the wording a bit, “Endure to the end”. Our compass is the Iron Rodand our map, the scriptures.
We are promised great blessing if we endure to the end, follow the commandments and learn to do things the Lord’s way. Isn’t it amazing what you can learn from a simple Boy Scout lesson on Orienteering? You’ll have to get your own Tootsie Roll Pop; mine were spoken for, oh well.
This article has been cross posted to The Moral Liberal, a publication whose banner reads, “Defending The Judeo-Christian Ethic, Limited Government, & The American Constitution”.
Americans can’t be trusted with guns; at least that’s what many are reading into Obama’s cancellation of a deal in which Korea wanted to sell 87,310 M1 Garands and 770,160 M1 Carbinesas collector’s items to individual American citizens. Korea could sell the weapons without any issue were it not for the fact that our government originally gave them away in the first place; it’s okay to give them to a foreign government, just American citizens can’t have them.
“A State Department spokesman said the administration’s decision was based on concerns that the guns could fall into the wrong hands.”
You can read anything or nothing into such a statement; but there’s a pattern developing which would lead a reasonable and prudent person to believe the Obama administration would rather American citizens not indulge in 2nd Amendment constitutionally protected God given rights. Why else ban the sale of a weapon which could otherwise be purchased? These firearms are considered collector’s items and are some of the best examples of weaponry ever made; Thank you President Obama for showing where you stand on American values.
“The Obama administration approved the sale of the American-made rifles last year. But it reversed course and banned the sale in March – a decision that went largely unnoticed at the time but that is now sparking opposition from gun rights advocates.”
Wasn’t that about the same time the Obama administration did a hundred and eighty degree change on United States policy when it sent Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to endorse the United Nations gun confiscation treaty? This administration has shown contempt for the rule of law and the constitution at nearly every step of the way; the right to own and bear arms stands in their way of totally enslaving the citizenry.
“Asked why the M1s pose a threat, the State Department spokesman referred questions to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF representatives said they would look into the question Monday afternoon, but on Wednesday they referred questions to the Justice Department. DOJ spokesman Dean Boyd referred questions back to the State Department.”
If you want that translated, “We don’t have a really good reason other than we don’t want American citizens to own top quality weapons; guns are evil. It’s on our agenda, a thing Obama and most progressives want to implement without having a leg to stand on until we have enough votes on the Supreme Court to make the constitution disappear.”
These posters came my way via email. I hope the message comes across loud and clear; keep your ‘cotton picking’ hands off my 2nd Amendment right to own and bear arms.
This article has been cross posted to The Moral Liberal, a publication whose banner reads, “Defending The Judeo-Christian Ethic, Limited Government, & The American Constitution”.
I figure if Hollywood can make a movie Eight Heads in a Duffle Bag then it wouldn’t be any less appropriate to title today’s article, Six Heads in a Bowl. Okay, so there are only three in this picture; but a moment or so earlier all six Hobo Grandkittens were lapping away at the same time, it took a while to get the camera.
Lucy’s been spoiling them each morning with fresh milk with an egg tossed in for good measure after they’ve had breakfast on the veranda. We’ve done our best to respect their privacy; but it’s time to give them all names and it would be a shame to hang a name like Hank or Killer on some dainty little feminine feline kitty. We think there are two male and four female; could be wrong but that’s the way it looks since two of them are growing much larger than the others.
The little orange fuzz ball with white patches is named Jaws. Our oldest daughter picked her up when she didn’t want to get picked up and got bit; hence the name Jaws. The other orange kitten is almost twice as big, maybe we should call it Orca.
There are two Iron Workers, one male and one female; both need better names than just Iron workers. The little female Iron Worker is the most aggressive of all the Grandkittens, fast with her paws when treats are being distributed so she gets more than her fair share.
Then we still have the two brown fuzz balls; one of them we named Puddin’ Head as she likes being the center of attention, purring and wanting to be picked up and cuddled. Mark Twain’s writings must have had an influence on me to come up with a name like that. There’s your Hobo Kitty update as of September 1, 2010.
There is yet another assault on an individual’s God given right to bear arms; this one coming from of all places, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). First let me give a tip of the hat to Say Uncleand by extension the National Shooting Sports Foundationwhere I first learned of an underhanded attempt to ban traditional ammunition set in motion by an environmental group called the Center for Biological Diversity(CBD).
“With the fall hunting season fast approaching, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under Lisa Jackson, who was responsible for banning bear hunting in New Jersey, is now considering a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) – a leading anti-hunting organization – to ban all traditional ammunition under the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976, a law in which Congress expressly exempted ammunition. If the EPA approves the petition, the result will be a total ban on all ammunition containing lead-core components, including hunting and target-shooting rounds. The EPA must decide to accept or reject this petition by November 1, 2010, the day before the midterm elections.”
Let that sink in for a moment, “the result will be a total ban on all ammunition containing lead-core components”; more than hunters and sports enthusiasts should be concerned the EPA could conceivably make it impossible to buy ammunition for almost any weapon, to include those used for self defense. I don’t know about you; but red flags began waving the moment I read that paragraph; something about the 2nd Amendment, or am I mistaken?
I looked up the Center for Biological Diversity and was impressed with their staff’s credentials; unfortunately I’d have to classify the entire group of well educated individuals as extremists who actually believe they’ve earned the right to tell the rest of us how to live our lives. These folk’s agenda supposedly is saving the earth while ignoring individual God given rights protected by our constitution; an interesting paradox.
I remember seeing an explanation, the difference between a conservative’s take on issues compared with a progressive’s take. Say for instance, if a conservative doesn’t like hunting he simply doesn’t hunt while a progressive who doesn’t like hunting will do his level best to make sure nobody else can go hunting.
Never mind, “There is no scientific evidence that the use of traditional ammunition is having an adverse impact on wildlife populations”; environmental progressives really don’t give a hoot (I couldn’t resist; my apologies), really don’t give a hoot about facts as long as their agenda moves forward.
The CBD lists it primary mission on its website and expects the broad natured statement to exempt it from criticism due to the lofty expression of purpose.
“At the Center for Biological Diversity, we believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature — to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. We do so through science, law, and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters, and climate that species need to survive.”
If this were Saturday Night Live I’d be looking for Church Lady to use her favorite line, “Well isn’t that special”. I particularly like their inclusion of “creative media”. Creative media, that’s where feelings and good intentions outweigh facts and individual rights; no different than the EPA’s claim that CO2 is a hazardous gas which must be regulated regardless of whether or not Congress acts on Cap & Trade legislation.
Never mind, “A 2008 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on blood lead levels of North Dakota hunters confirmed that consuming game harvested with traditional ammunition does not pose a human health risk”. The EPA isn’t interested in facts which run contrary to their agenda; in this particular case they want to outlaw traditional ammunition, purportedly to save the environment.
I’ll be the first to admit lead ammunition is dangerous; standing on the wrong side of the ‘bang switch’ is often fatal. I read an autopsy report, written with a certain amount of sarcasm, in which a gunshot victim reportedly died of lead poisoning.
One more point from the article posted on the National Shooting Sports Foundation site, “Wildlife management is the proper jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the 50 state wildlife agencies”. What in thunder does the EPA have to do with regulating ammunition unless, once more for effect; Unless (let that word elongate and extend musically), Unless the EPA has an ulterior motive for wanting traditional ammunition banned?
The Obama administration has shown its displeasure with our constitutionally protected God given right to own and bear arms. They have expressed this displeasure by preparing to have Congress approve the UN Gun Treaty which would get around the 2nd Amendment by turning gun control over to the United Nations.
“Once the US Government signs these international treaties, all US citizens will be subject to those gun laws created by foreign governments.”
The EPA’s involvement in banning traditional ammunition is yet another aspect of running our nation into the ground. The EPA and other so called environmental organizations, specifically the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) have shown contempt for property rights, which are inseparable from our God given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The EPA would put the Declaration of Independence and Constitution in a plastic garbage bag and bury them in a land fill rather than individual citizens have ammunition for their guns.
Please direct your letters of opposition directly:
Lisa P. Jackson Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20460 (202) 564-4700 Fax: (202) 501-1450 Email: jackson.lisa@epa.gov
I recommend finding a way to ban the EPA, either through cutting its funding or some other means of removing their influence. They represent a threat to traditional American individuals much the same as they claim humans threaten the environment; their existence alone represents the threat to our way of life. When you hear the EPA is involved in almost anything, red flags should start waving.
This article has been cross posted to The Moral Liberal, a publication whose banner reads, “Defending The Judeo-Christian Ethic, Limited Government, & The American Constitution”.
My file system leaves considerable room for improvement. I was looking for an article I’d written which referenced the movie, Awakenings; it has eluded my cursory search and will have to wait for another day. The movie, based on a true story, let’s the viewer glimpse the quality of life, or lack thereof, in a mental institution; more specifically, those who lived inside a body unable to move about on their own or show expression. These unfortunate individuals were, as one doctor exclaimed, as if they were encased in stone, incapable of thought or feeling; he was mistaken.
In one scene Dr. Sayer, having had some success freeing one patient from his temple of stone, attempted to convince a reluctant hospital staff to allocate a considerable amount of money in order to put more patients on an expensive experimental drug, hoping to restoring their quality of life, or as much as possible. One by one nurses and orderlies supported the project and signed their payroll checks over to the hospital, stopping to drop those checks into the hands of the administrator. The chance to improve the quality of life for a few of our Heavenly Father’s children was portrayed quite well; giving more than was expected or required was an expression of gratitude for what most of us take for granted.
Last week I read an article titled, Apologia, by Rhod at a friends site called, It Don’t Make Sense. There was a tone set among the paragraphs which bothered me enough to mention it, a lack of enthusiasm for something which should bring great joy; but instead made faith and religion sound like something settled for rather than eagerly sought. The single most important aspect of mortality is our relationship with our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ; but what I was hearing was more like a yearly employee evaluation report than testimonies of the Gospel.
I like to find short passages in the scriptures which I refer to as “Gospel in a Nutshell”; sufficient on their own should a person find only that one portion of scripture it would have enough of the Gospel message to explain the purpose of mortality as relates to the Great Plan of Salvation, Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. One such set of verses is found in 2 Nephi 2:4-10 (click on image to enlarge).
That my friends is a message worth printing; but a little further down in verse 25 is something just as important:
“Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.”
Read the whole chapter; but why stop there, read the entire book. Folks shouldn’t have to “settle” for a religion or denomination which doesn’t fulfill their understanding of the Gospel. Important instructions intended to help us through mortality should add excitement to our testimonies and efforts to obtain all that our Father has for us should be done with enthusiasm and joy. I’ll close with one of my favorite scriptures, Moses 1:39
“For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”
This article has been cross posted to The Moral Liberal, a publication whose banner reads, “Defending The Judeo-Christian Ethic, Limited Government, & The American Constitution”.
Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.
“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”
Are we being tolerant or stupid when we permit an invading force of anti-Americans to occupy our land? Some of you may think the question has to do with roughly 20 million illegal aliens from our southern border, and to a certain extent you’d be correct; however let’s not forget there are others claiming their purpose is to bring down America, Muslim jihadists living among us.
Take a few moments to consider the information in the following videos and the answer becomes clear; our politically correct attitude toward tolerance at any price will prove to be our downfall. Just one more thought, will our nation’s collapse come from outside invaders or will it come from within; we have the most treacherous band of anti-Americans sitting in the highest positions of government.
Lucy and I were at J.C. Penny a couple of weeks ago and bought 4 new white dress shirts; but I picked up the wrong size neck size by half a size. It would be easy to correct the next time we were close, just exchange them for the proper size.
Saturday on our date night we went to Chili’s over by Willow Brook Mall so we took the shirts and sales receipt along with us. After diner we showed the sales clerk our bag of shirts and explained how all we needed was to swap our 4 shirts; nothing is that simple anymore. Their inventory system needed to show which shirts had been returned by neck size, the old sales receipt voided and a new transaction completed. It worked to our advantage because we happened to be there on ‘back to school sales tax free weekend’; we got a little over five dollars refunded.
While standing at the cash register a young man approached another sales clerk and asked if anyone had turned in a set of car keys. I felt a smile forming having overheard his misfortune and handed him my business card, “If you can’t find them, give me a call later on”. He looked at my locksmith card and put it in his pocket; but never called back that evening so I figured he found his keys.
Sunday afternoon my business phone rang and it was the sister of the fellow who’d lost his keys at the mall. She wanted to set up an appointment for Monday morning; the keys were no where to be found.
I was watching an interesting movie about the life of song writer Cole Porter, De-Lovely. Interesting may be the wrong descriptive word, depressing and outrageous might fit; perhaps the only reason I continued watching was for the phenomenal music which the man produced.
A phone call to my folks this morning after having made the key at the mall found me expressing all these experiences. My mother remarked, upon hearing about my fortuitous moment of having been standing at the cash register and overhearing the young man who’d lost his keys, “Well, it was just one of those things”. Call it subliminal if you want; but Cole Porter wrote a tune by that title, “Just one of those things”.
Many artists took a turn with those great lyrics; Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Shirley Bassey and my favorite by Nat King Cole. What a great way to start of the week; but it was just one of those things.
I got an email this afternoon letting me know a fellow blogger, Mary Adams, had passed away. I never met her and knew her only through her writings. Mary wrote her blog, By Study and Also By Faith, an excellent example of how a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints can share the Gospel. I thought it would be appropriate to communicate this information with those who might not have been informed of Mary’s passing.
If you’ve ever visited her blog you might have noticed a quote from Theodore Roosevelt she had posted. I’ll share that with you now:
“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
Recent polling resultswould have our attention pulled toward the issue of Obama’s faith; is he Christian or Muslim? The answer would have to be, neither; Obama is a statist and has no faith in anything other than big government, bigger government and eventually total government.
There’s an old lawyer joke which goes, “How do you know when a lawyer is lying? --- His lips are moving”. The same holds true for Obama; but it’s no joke and nobody’s laughing. Obama has declared his faithon numerous occasions; his lips were moving but he never said anything worth listening to, these were politically operative phrases intended to mask his identity.
What the pollsters should have asked, had they wanted a better understanding of how the public perceives Obama, “Does Obama stand for traditional American values?” or, put slightly differently, “Is Obama’s vision of America compatible with the vision our founding fathers had for individual liberty and freedom?” The answer would have to come back, “No, Obama is a statist, and by definition, his belief in social interaction excludes faith in anything but the all powerful state."
I received an email which supposedly was a partial transcript recorded during an interview on Meet the Press on September 7, 2008, information intended to nail Obama regarding his Anti-American mindset. As much fun as it would have been to share, according to my search results Obama wasn’t on Meet the Press on September 7, 2008; Joe Biden was, so there’s no telling what asinine things were said.
There’s no need to make up stuff; Obama’s actions speak louder than words. Under his administration and with the help of a ‘progressive’ (socialist) Congress, our country has been fast tracked toward destruction. Obama has made it a point to dismantle our national defense and enter into treaties with our enemies under the infantile assumption that by doing so the world will be a safer place. Obama has shown a reluctance to salute or even observe a modicum of respect for our flag during various ceremonies leading many, including myself, to wonder if he really does hate what our flag stands for. While on trips to foreign nations Obama apologized for America’s success, claiming we’ve taken advantage of our powerful position and imposed on less powerful nations.
Maybe Obama saw a need to apologize for America imposing our great influence in France when they were occupied by the Third Reich. We probably had no business imposing freedom in other areas of the world; Iraq comes to mind for some reason. Democracy is terrible to impose on others and most folks in the Middle East would rather live under Shiria law; you believe that, right?
“Muslim or Islamic law, both civil and criminal justice as well as regulating individual conduct both personal and moral. The custom-based body of law based on the Quran and the religion of Islam. Because, by definition, Muslim states are theocracies, religious texts are law, the latter distinguished by Islam and Muslims in their application, as Sharia or Sharia law.”
Sharia is incompatible with America’s republican form of government; but that is not the path which Obama is taking us down and really not the topic of today’s article. While the media keeps their ratings up with a red herring on religion and 1st Amendment gobbledygook related to building a mosque close to Ground Zero, Marxist policies intended to derail our free market system and individual liberties are being implemented nearly as fast as the ink dries on legislation intended to deceive, manipulate and destroy America.
Obama is a statist and the ‘change’ which he intends for America is away from individual God given rights protected through constitutional restrictions on government. Obama’s inner circle of friends and mentors are for the most part anti-American Marxists who are pushing for wealth redistribution via entitlements. His agenda is based on the lie that all wealth is to be shared equally regardless of individual desires, needs or supposed rights. In short Obama is neither for Islam nor is he for Christianity as both claim to have authority outside of and above powers he intends to be held by the state alone.
Do you feel comfortable having a Marxist in the White House or would you rather return to government of the people and by the people based on constitutional rule of law? November is just around the corner; chose carefully, presently the path we are on is filled with treachery, lies and deceit. We need to restore grid lock in order to stop this insanity.
This article has been cross posted to The Moral Liberal, a publication whose banner reads, “Defending The Judeo-Christian Ethic, Limited Government, & The American Constitution”.
Here’s a story I sent off to ALOA’s Keynotes magazine and was published as part of their membership drive several years ago. I figure it should work just as well for the Fiercely Independent Locksmiths of America.
Last year’s tomato garden may have been my very best ever. The plants grew thick with tomatoes that were large and sweet. I enjoy a vine-ripened tomato sliced with a touch of salt; not much can beat the flavor.
Each year I take a few photographs to compare with prior crops. In this way, long after the last tomato has been eaten I can remember with a certain amount of satisfaction, having grown them in my back yard and look forward with renewed anticipation, the warmth of spring and yet another chance to plant some more. It wasn’t until mid-winter I discovered the reason for their success; tomato fairies.
No, I haven’t been re-visiting the 60’s and I haven’t taken a pain pill for my back in over a week. Like I said, I took pictures of my tomato plants; the best photograph I’ve been using on my computer as wall paper behind all the icons. This past week I was cleaning up the desk top, getting rid of some unused program icons which left a hole, as it were, in the middle of the desk top icons. More of the tomato plant picture could be seen, an area that heretofore I had ignored, my interest had been focused on the huge tomatoes. It now showed a part of the plants that were mostly leaves, off to the left of the part that had the tomatoes.
There, caught in the moment, mixed in with the lush green of the tomato plant leaves; was a clear and distinct image of a tomato fairy. She must have been flying in and out doing her magic at the very moment I took the picture; her wings outstretched as the reflection of the blue sky danced on them.
Not being an expert on tomato fairies, I have to assume the one in my picture must be a female fairy; either that or male fairies wear long gowns too. Her translucent figure blended in so well with the leaves as to render her nearly invisible. Had it not been for the sparkling of fairy dust near her head I would never have picked her out of the background. There was no denying her presence, the light blue wisp of gown as it gently floated above the plant, her face rising with the glow of tiny luminescent orbs to light her way. I showed the picture to my wife; but she insists my imagination has run away with me, that the image is the product of two leaves of varied hue and nothing more.
I’ve been involved with the locksmith business since 1976; starting out as a locksmith apprentice and eventually working for myself as an automotive locksmith specialist. I joined the Associated Locksmiths of America back in 1978. The fellow who introduced that organization to me explained that part of the yearly membership dues went to the Key Fairies. When I started to laugh he explained, in a sincere voice aged with maturity, how they work for professional locksmiths.
First he reminded me that, by nature and a solemn oath, Key Fairies are an honest lot and forbidden to steal keys in order to produce customers. They are permitted; however, to lay a corner of the daily newspaper over a set of keys which might lead the rightful owner to believe the keys had been lost. Fairies also have the ability to take a set of car keys from one pocket and move them to another, cause keys to fall into desk drawers and so on in order to provide opportunities for locksmiths to make a living.
In my twenty-five years as a locksmith I have never once seen a Key Fairy; all the same I have no doubt they have helped my business to grow. I renew my membership with ALOA without fail and know it’s a good investment. My wife can go on about the leaves making it appear or give the illusion of something that might look like a fairy. To see such things one has to have the faith of a child, regardless of age. I remember my mother telling me how she took a fairy from Staten Island across to Manhattan when she was young. What more need I say?
A friend of mine found a political cartoon regarding the building of an Islamic mosque so near Ground Zero and posted it to his Facebook page along with his thoughts, “The debate is not about the law or the Constitution. I don't think it’s even really about tolerance. The real debate is about respect, sensitivity, and reverence.”
To me it’s more about building up Islam to replace Western values, a statement of occupation in a conquered land. The property is owned by a Muslim; but that isn’t the issue, nor is it about freedom of religion as many have argued. This is about power; the announcement by Islam to Western civilization that they have no respect for our culture and this is their flag of conquest.
It would be hard not to equate the historical significanceof the chosen name for this planned insult. The great mosque in Cordoba, Spain was erected over what had been a Catholic basilica in the year 711 AD. It was the center of power for several centuries under Muslim rule until the year 1236 when Spaniards conquered Cordoba. The population and the building were converted from Muslim rule and the Catholic Church established in its place; however, the structure continues to exhibit its original Moorish design and construction to this day.
Here I am yakking away when all I really needed was the political cartoon; a picture really is worth a thousand words. I wish my eyes were better so I could give credit to the artist; perhaps someone will enlighten me via the comment section.
This article has been cross posted to The Moral Liberal, a publication whose banner reads, “Defending The Judeo-Christian Ethic, Limited Government, & The American Constitution”.
I’m in the process of generating a website for Fiercely Independent Locksmiths of America (FILOA). This page along with a secondary button to download a printable application form will show up when somebody clicks on the Membership Button. There will be a Members Only Button, password protected, which will link to technical articles not intended for the general public as well as a page where new or used locksmith items may be purchased.
I recently received an email letter from the Sgt at Arms of the Greater Houston Locksmith Association (GHLA) apologizing for their lack of timely responses to letters I’d sent regarding various issues over the last year. While I was glad to see the email, it only added to my resolve in making sure our new organization, (FILOA), addressed concerns of independent locksmiths regarding their industry. It should be noted, no such letters have been received from ALOA; my membership in their organization must not have been sufficiently important to them.
I was a member of the Associated Locksmiths of America (ALOA) from 1978 - 2009 as mentioned previouslyand it became painfully clear the all encompassing umbrella of the Security Industry left independent locksmiths without a strong voice; at times wondering if we had a voice at all. My original purpose for joining ALOA had to do with my acknowledgement that one day the locksmith industry would become licensed and it stood to reason, members of a large national locksmith association would be ‘grandfathered in’ as a matter of practicality; as it turned out I was correct.
There are all manner of qualifications for a locksmith license in the State of Texas as well as rules and regulations which were originally intended to protect citizens from unscrupulous fly by night operators; did I forget to mention a hefty yearly license fee? The problem with a state bureaucracy running the locksmith industry, at least here in Texas; they’ve became masters rather than servants of the industry.
“…Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”
One of the purposes of FILOA will be to simplify the lives of locksmiths by replacing arbitrary onerous rules and regulations which have been imposed on our industry with reasonable and prudent rules and regulations more in tune with a free market system. The single most vocal complaint I’ve heard from independent locksmiths has to do with asinine mandatory continuing education requirements imposed by the State of Texas in order to maintain a locksmith license. I suspect it is the same in other states. Lilliputian hoops and barrels do nothing to improve a working locksmith’s ability; they only serve to increase the cost of doing business and they certainly do nothing to improve the safety of the public.
There’s a trend, state bureaucracies micromanaging locksmiths; this must be reversed. A multitude of like minded independent locksmiths would be heard much more than acting separately. This runs counter to the agenda of the ALOA which would have each and every state control vast portions of the free market. In general the security industry has been legislated to death; but more specifically locksmiths, through licensing, burdensome rules and regulations written into law and overseen by bureaucrats with little if any responsibility to those whom they manage over.
America is built on the idea that hard working citizens are self disciplined and self governing. The Proper Role of Governmentis to protect its citizens, not enslave them. Our constitution provides a means to contain the powers of government; however, over the years many powers have been usurped and the result is loss of individual liberty. Call me a dreamer or an idealist; but I intend to do my part in restoring America to its greatness by adhering to the foundations established at its inception.
You will notice, upon reading the main portion of FILOA’s Membership Application shown below, the requirements are minimal. American citizens have a natural God given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Wanting to associate with other locksmiths requires no license or background check; your signature is your bond.
Basic requirements:
Applicants must be involved in the locksmith industry as a locksmith, apprentice or tinker with locks as a hobby. It is important to accept and adhere to the principle of working only on locks or devices for which the rightful owner has authorized your skills and services.
Applicants must of good character and have a desire to follow the Ten Commandments.
Individuals with felony convictions need not apply regardless of having repented.
Applicants must be legal residents of the United States of America.
I_______________________________ (Print Full Name) have read the above basic requirements and would like to join the Fiercely Independent Locksmiths of America.
My signature represents a promise to live up to these standards.
One year membership dues $ 15.00 (check or money order ) will be used to build and maintain a website which has been reserved; but is not in operation yet. A temporary website has been established at http://filoa.blogspot.com/ and will have to do for now.
Fiercely Independent Locksmiths of America P.O. Box 681001 Houston, Texas 77268-1001
There’s a place to affix a copy of your business card to the official application form, which I might add has a really neat looking logo built into the letterhead. I included that part about felons not being eligible because there are certain limits which preclude membership, being a convicted felon is one of them.
I’m hoping to have the official FILOA website up and running very soon; however, if you’ve a mind to join now, without having the nifty looking letterhead Membership Application Form, then cut and paste the portion as shown and jump right in.
This article has been cross posted to The Moral Liberal, a publication whose banner reads, “Defending The Judeo-Christian Ethic, Limited Government, & The American Constitution”.
