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The Gun Frenzy: The Stats Don't Add Up to The Whine and Hype

2/28/2018

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PictureA woman learning self-protection at a shooting gallery.
Safety is a huge concern of most Americans today and more and more women are adding themselves to the list of trained gun owners, many with concealed carry permits.  And in states where concealed carry is allowed,  gun violence statistics have significantly dropped, yet the Left and even some who proclaim to be Conservatives are now pushing for gun control steps clearly not in line with the Second Amendment.  The Founders decided that the amendment was one of the most important freedom safeguards since they had just come out of an experience of dealing with a government that used brute force against them often.  These wise men knew that the First Amendment with its freedom of speech statement could be lost, as could all other amendments, without the Second Amendment.

As I've been observing the situation as it unfolds, I thought it useful to look back and find some statistics that could show just how ridiculous the current push is.  Yes, guns can kill people, but so can things we eat, use for transportation and smoke and drink yet no one sees them as being such a big concern.  So, I'm going to give a few tidbits of statistical information with the links to each following the narrative.  We'll start by looking at causes of death thus far in 2018 in the United States with the data covering January 1st right up to 6 a.m. this morning.  The site in use gathers data from a variety of sources and their live links can be found at the bottom of the source document.

So, between January 1st of this year and February 28th at 6 a.m., how many deaths have occurred by what causes?  Following is a partial list of those compiled and the numbers thus far.  And since the source document is live, if you look at it after that time you'll find the numbers growing.  Here we go:

Abortion  174,318       Heart  98,069    Cancer  94,454   Tobacco  55,871   Obesity  49,007   Stroke 21,248   Unintentional Accident   21,719    Alcohol  16,023  Diabetes   12,210   Suicide  6,828   Drunk Driving  5,403  Drug Abuse  3,992   Homicide  2,682   Murder by Gun  1,835    There are a few more categories on the source list.    This is a religious-based site but the data is very good. So if you are one of those who like to bash Christians, you still need to know the facts.  And oh, yes, there is a big message to be told.

These are interesting numbers and remember that the murder by gun includes the heavy violence in inner-cities like Chicago which get very little "play" in the press or by politicians.


Here's the site:  http://www.romans322.com/daily-death-rate-statistics.php 

My second source document is the Washington Post. Now I'm not a great admirer of the Post but I do read it periodically to keep in touch with other views on subjects and sometimes they come up with some good articles, particularly if you peruse the archives.  The document cited discusses mass shootings in the United States and is updated to give information since the original publication.  And, in a nutshell, the message is one of honesty.

Since 1966 (when The University of Texas  Bell Tower killer killed helpless students and staff below) 1076 people have been victims of a mass killer, including 176 children.  This is a period of over fifty years in a nation which at the timeline beginning was 201.6 million and today is just under 236 million in population.  Look at the numbers with that in mind, coupled with the fact that death by gun numbers overall have dropped significantly without counting their use in suicide which constitute about 70% of gun deaths today.

Link to the Washington Post article:


https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/national/mass-shootings-in-america/?utm_term=.804ce6202ab1

My point is that you don't start destroying the Law of the Land, the Constitution of the United States and its Bill of Rights without making the case for it.  And yes, people have died but with proper security on sites and proper administration of mental health programs (something we lack), you don't take rights away from good citizens to punish them for the deeds of those possessed by evil.  And even with mental health concerns, clearly define the terms, for it you don't they will just be taken advantage of.  It's something that both Stalin and Hitler (and many more) used an excuse for imprisoning those who disagreed with them.  A visit for counseling to a psychiatrist to discuss depression does not make you mentally ill; it probably means you understand your need to make yourself happier.  That is not a danger by itself to yourself or others.

And please don't just say "But we must do something" or "If only we can save just one life."  In a society as large and diverse as this one, taking the rights of law abiding people based on emotion violates the entire concept of freedom in America.  If we kill that, what comes next will truly be insanity.

Let the objections begin.


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NOAA Fiddles with Data and the "Big Freeze" Just Melts Away

2/26/2018

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PictureWas Santa coming to the Outer Banks
If you live in the Mid-Atlantic or Northeastern coastal states you undoubtedly remember the recent "big freeze" which is undoubtedly fresh in your memory.  The cold even swept into the Deep South with some significant below freezing temperatures and in many places the cold held for a a week or more. 

The blog picture shows the beach at Nags Head, North Carolina, a place that can be cold in winter but normally without snow.  But even on the Outer Banks, the sounds which separate the Banks from the mainland froze and large chunks of ice could be found in places in the ocean where the tidal currents swept them out.  And further north, like the Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay on up to Maine, the cold was a force to be reckoned with as people struggled to carry out their regular lives in frigid conditions.

Well, this morning I read an interesting article by James Delingpole, a British writer who puts most of his focus these days on Climate and he reports that the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a federal group tasked with keeping accurate weather and temperature records, is cooking the books.  This organization which used to be one of the least biased and truly scientific-based sources of data about oceans and atmosphere (my grandfather used to work for NOAA) has in recent years become an agent for the radical climate change crowd.  And the doctoring of records is one of the ways they've found to be successful in keeping their bias alive.

Delingpole reports his findings based upon an analysis of records over a number of years, many of which have been changed.  In a few cases, the numbers have been "fudged" lower but in most cases higher with average temperatures in some areas being nearly four degrees higher than the mark from individual sites in the area.  When challenged in a press conference, NOAA claimed it was necessary to raise temperatures to reflect the impact at locations of so many measuring stations close to factors which would raise the temperature, such as high volume airports and added heat of huge jet engines as well as stations now closer to exhaust locations.  So if they are actually reporting overall areas higher than the data composites from which they were taken, wouldn't it mean that they would have been lowering their measurements instead?  More exhaust and more concrete and steel in proximity to some locations would be erroneous if used for the wider area being accounted for.

NOAA has been called on this before and had to relent, but they always do it silently without notice, smartly realizing that most people don't think about things from years ago.  Like lemmings, many of us just accept a government report at face value even though every day there is evidence to prove the fallacy of that action.  It's kind of like Michael Mann's hockey stick global warming report which was based strictly on computer modeling.  Data always will reflect the impact of the information being compiled and if you put garbage in, you will get garbage out.

Maybe that's why the big Earth Day parade annually in New York City traditionally leaves over twelve million pounds of garbage on the streets when it 's over.  Garbage creates garbage.  Just a thought.  But compare it to the result of a large Tea Party event where participants leave the site cleaner than when they got there.  It's just a question of discipline and values, things we have largely lost sight of.  Have a great day.

H/T to James Delingpole and Breitbart News


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SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: Why Do We Get Things So Wrong?

2/24/2018

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Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.     - 1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)

On a day when most of us were preparing to do something special for that one who captured our hearts, a deranged young man with heart closed and mind unhinged went on a deadly rampage at a high school in Parkland, Florida. Over the last week we've heard the anguish as well as the punditry claiming that the NRA, or Donald Trump or even the FBI was to blame for what happened, plus many more such claims.  And, as is usual, we heard many say that it was a gun which killed those students and faculty, sounding as if a gun could walk into a school on its own and commit a massacre.  Yet the one thing that the media didn't want to focus on was that the act required the work of a person, nineteen year old Nikolas Cruz, a highly troubled person who with his own free will made the decision to take a weapon in his hands, travel to the school and enter it with a plan to kill as many people as he could.  And even though this has happened repeatedly, we seem helpless at providing the necessary safety precautions in public buildings which are wide open to such action.

The scripture verse from 1 Peter makes it very clear how a mind can get so warped and filled with hate that it can do such a thing.  The evil one, Satan, is alive and well in spirit throughout the earth and he is available because we are given choices to make with our free will. We can choose goodness and light, or we can allow ourselves to become infected with hate and evil.  Otherwise we would be mere automatons put on earth just going through the motions of life that would have no meaning and really no purpose.  But since God gave us life with his desire for us to try our best to be like Him, much of our society today with its "we know best attitude" seems to largely scoff at His importance and we turn away. 

Other persons who had interaction with Nikolas Cruz could have taken actions which could have changed his ways.  What if his parents had raised him in faith, learning about the importance of God as Father, Son and Spirit?  What if when he first began to have trouble a teacher at school had taken a special interest?  Or what if the police, when his name kept surfacing, had intervened more directly adn done more to oversee what was going on and where it would lead?  But, then again, sometimes someone is just a "bad seed," hellbent on living his life in pursuit of his own evil pleasure.  We just don't know but we all should know one important thing.  When a person has reached the age of consent and decides for whatever reason to commit evil such as mass murder, he will find a way to do it. If not a gun, then maybe a knife or even a vehicle could be his weapon of choice.  No one else can open the heart of a human being who has allowed it to grow cold.

Each of us has the Holy Spirit within us, even someone like Nikolas Cruz.  But we have to be able to realize that life if we are living it in such a fashion is not working and will not end well.  So we have to ask the Holy Spirit within us to open our heart and let the love and grace of the Lord enter.  In a complex world like we have today, we can never go it alone in living as we should.  Poor mortal man never has been able to do that.  But with the help of our Creator, who knows all, sees all and has the power to change us, if we sincerely ask for help he will provide it.  And in so doing he will set us on a course for real living not a life of mortal torment inside that a young man like Nikolas Cruz must be living.

Instead of looking for more laws and controls to solve our problems, how about take the time to ask God for help.  He will settle your fears, lead you in the right direction and guide your decisions, decisions that will be productive and helpful, not ones that cause pain and suffering.  He is a miracle worker and it's just too bad so many of us look to the wrong place for answers.  After all, government is a product of man which means it is far from being perfect since it is operated by other mere mortals with our weaknesses, lifestyle sin and imperfections.  God is perfect and He wants to help us improve ourselves to live in his image, not in the image of lesser standards.

Dear Lord, We thank you for free will and we ask that you help us use it for your purpose and to pursue goodness and light instead of darkness and death. You are the Way, the Truth and the Life and help us to always follow in your direction. In Jesus' name, Amen.


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THE PROGRESSIVE MANTRA: "Never Let A Crisis Go to Waste"

2/23/2018

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If you listen to the mainstream media today, you would think that every political issue which generates large scale crowd support is due to the increased intelligence, passion and concern that a huge majority of people see happening in the world.  A cop shoots a black man and no one really knows the reason initially yet large mobs take to the streets to protest and demand immediate change within moments of the incident.  Students rally for elimination of guns in society and find buses instantly available to take them three hundred miles to the State Capitol to protest, carrying fancy signs and many wearing newly designed T-shirts.  Someone complains about lack of women's rights and a group of agitated women immediately show up to protest wearing hats looking like a human private part.  And the list goes on and on as the media crows about their instantaneous bravery, their sincerity and their rights.

Look, I get it that people have the right to protest and sometimes they do it in objectionable ways, yet if it is free speech it must be allowed (excepting such things that are clearly against the law).  And my beef isn't with people protesting a death by the police, protests by students in a case like witnessed recently in Florida and women's protests although I wish they showed a bit more class and taste.  But I do object to the media, an organization that is supposed to be presenting the news, instead using these events to support their own propaganda. 

These protests are not unplanned or impromptu as there are groups just waiting for the moment to strike and in doing so they often take advantage of those who are legitimately upset.  And the media in its coverage has more often than not inflamed rather than informed and no example is better than the recent "scripted" town hall.  That was not a town hall at all but a pep rally for the Progressive push for gun control, similar to the treatment the media gave to coverage of Ferguson, Baltimore and other riots which have caused major damage to people who live and work in those areas. 

The Fourth Estate was designed to bring objective oversight to government and issues by using the truth, not half-truths which only make things worse.  But since ninety-three percent of mainstream media reporters and supposed journalists self-identify themselves as Progressives, is it any wonder why they handle things the way they do?  And that's why I used the famous Saul Alinsky quote as the headline for this commentary, for the idea being used by the organized groups and the media is to make sure that no crisis, be it real or invented, goes wasted. 

Watching that supposed town hall meeting on CNN the other night made it clear that Alinsky is smiling from down below as he watches his hangers-on do his dirty work with gusto. The young man with the loaded question for Senator Rubio was carrying out a planned action and it wasn't long before we learned that CNN had scripted the questions.  One young man opposed to their take went public with his complaint that they wouldn't allow him to ask a real question, one that asked about physical security and not guns.

Yes, we have problems but no, we don't resolve them by knee jerk reactions for instant gratification.  Issues involving constitutional rights which we've had for over two hundred years are not to be changed on the whim because some academic, half-deranged politician, media moron or other instigator says so as he or she riles up another crowd.  And when their solutions, ones that do nothing but take away freedom from others and don't solve the problem, are ever enacted we've lost freedom for nothing.  And once freedom is lost, it is nearly always lost forever.

How about instead we look at what the real problem is and what the real solutions should be.  The problem is about keeping our children safe in school, not about ending gun rights. Stop allowing anyone to walk into a school building.  Provide adequate security such as fencing, limited means of access and internal security.  And the internal security we have on site must be properly trained and fit and be willing to put their life on the line if they must. That was a huge shortfall in the Parkland incident, not to mention the lack of follow-up to warnings about the shooter by local authorities and even the FBI.

If you go to the Department of Education in Washington you'll find armed security guards riding elevators.  If you want to buy jewelry, there is usually security around, seen or unseen.  Most large downtown office buildings have security. But when you walk into a school with a sign "gun free zone" with an open campus and multiple unsecured buildings, you have just entered and unwitting killing zone and that's exactly the way people possessed with evil see the place.

Sure we can look at raising the age for gun ownership, looking at our lack of mental health security screening issues and the process of permitting. But remember, when we allow emotions to rule reason, we never solve anything.  We just make it worse and the real problems goes on in perpetuity.  And despite what the main stream media wants you to think, the majority of Americans, the good law abiding silent majority that is listening, doesn't support their dogma. Let's resolve the problem, not make it worse as we watch freedom crumble.

If tyranny takes us where some would like, the taking of citizen gun rights will open the door to the end of freedom of speech and all other God-given rights in America. The right to bear arms isn't designed to protect us from criminals, it's designed to protect us from unlawful government.  The Founders learned that in their colonial days and it's why it was so important be a part of the document which puts limits on what the government is allowed to do. And that's at the heart of the real reason for wanting to eliminate citizen gun ownership. They'll try to do it piece by piece if necessary, but they'll work toward it whatever it takes.   America needs to wake up.


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A Personal Tribute to Dr. Billy Graham, 1918-2018, R.I.P

2/22/2018

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American Christians as well as the faithful from around the world lost a great friend yesterday with the passing of Dr. Billy Graham.  Pictured here in his latter years which were largely spent at his beloved mountain home in Montreat, North Carolina, he was devout and as strong in his beliefs as he neared death as he was in his prime years as a traveling spokesman for Jesus.  In his career he held huge public revivals for the faithful in hundreds of locations covering the world. He personally visited one hundred and eighty-five nations in his quest to spread the Gospel to those in need and yearning for it.

I first became aware of the man and his vision and high energy presentation of faith as a boy when his Crusade was televised frequently from all over the world.  My mother was a devotee of Dr. Graham, finding his message warming and full of hope in a world that back then seemed tame compared to today's mayhem.  And while as a boy my mind would usually slip off to things like baseball, football, or weekend skating parties, there was something about his demeanor, the way he made it so clear that he wasn't a mere showman but a man energized through his belief in the message that he brought. It impressed me even at the ripe of old age of seven and would continue to do so, often in unexpected places and times.

I remember when I was far from home at college and facing difficult exams that I decided on a whim to attend a showing at a Christian fellowship of one of his crusades.  I must admit that I had been tardy at church attendance, not unlike most college kids after a fun-filled Saturday night, but something told me to go.  And, of course, with larger, clearer and color TV available, his steel eyes, jutting jaw and dead serious look made me think he was looking right at me through the TV set.  And the words hit home and I even felt a chill down my back as he mentioned the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

It happened again on a lonely, orderly room overnight watch in Officer Candidate School as I, keeping phone watch, listened to one of his radio broadcasts as I manned the quiet phones through the night.  Once again his words touched my soul and awakened the Spirit within me and it helped me deal with the long night and the thought of a rigorous coming day with no sleep.

Even in my 30s, when I came home to visit my mom, his presence surprisingly showed itself to me but in a more direct way.  My mother, a widow with all children grown, asked me if I would take her to one of his live crusades, which was in town that week.  Now I would have taken her whether I wanted to or not, but I was actually touched by the thought of seeing this man I could never forget in person for the first time.  And since Mom had been a long-term supporter of Dr. Graham's mission, she had VIP tickets which placed us up close and personal on the seventh row directly below the pulpit.  It was springtime and we were at the Hampton Coliseum in Virginia and the place was packed to the ceiling.

George Beverly Shea opened the crusade and there was beautiful Christian music as the audience broke into song with the performers. And beautiful flowers, especially white lilies in abundance, gave a feeling of new birth which spring unleashes to the stage area and then Dr. Graham walked to the podium.  He had a soft smile on his face and as his steel blue eyes peered all over the arena and when his glance came in my direction I felt as if he was passing a spiritual link directly to me.

He was so much grander in person than on TV.  His conviction was strong and could not be questioned, his love and devotion to his Savior was clear and his message struck directly home, even more forcefully than those televised appearances.  Standing tall in a crisp blue suit with red tie, it brought me to tears as I thought about those things that I meant to do in faith but had not completed and it reinforced me will to be a better man.  And when we departed at the end of the evening, dear Mom looked at me, grabbed hold of my arm and said it was a wonderful time to spend with her youngest son.

Mom has been gone for fourteen years but I will always remember that evening as clear as yesterday.  And now that Dr. Graham has also left this earth, I will always remember him and how he had an impact on me and my faith even when I sometimes never knew it.  But I know it now and it makes me smile.  I'll bet Dr. Graham is smiling right now, too, as he joins his Lord and Savior for eternity and has a joyous reunion with his wife, Ruth, who had been patiently waiting for him in heaven above.

Thank you, Dr. Graham, for being a strong and steady beacon for Truth, never faltering and always continuing your work for Him.  You left your mark behind and it will continue to work to spread the message of hope and love.  And you, Dr. Graham, have finally earned your rest in the arms of  He who made us.  No one could deserve such a fitting conclusion to a wonderful life of Christian service.


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Censorship Dangers from "Big" Social Media

2/21/2018

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I have been silent on my blog for the past few days as I've been pondering the best way to market my writing going forward.  I enjoy writing about many things and I've been gratified over the last few years to find a significant number of people seem to enjoy it and, with their likes and comments, have urged me on.  While making a few extra bucks is certainly wonderful, that's not what has motivated me and I guess that's a good thing since I'm neither Tom Clancy or Ernest Hemingway and I don't have the luxury of being invited to "hawk" my book on national TV.  And that's as it should be in a free and capitalist society.  But  no, what drives me is the concept of freedom of speech and having the ability to voice my views on a platform available for anyone who chooses to read it. Whether it's in a book or on this blog site, freedom of speech is a God-given right that transcends any government or business organization.   

But lately I've noticed some trends that are troubling and indicative of some of the reports that have surfaced about thought manipulation by "BIG" social media.  And if what I have found from my own analysis is correct, then the reports of large scale manipulation in the social media world is true and slanted toward particular viewpoints generally associated with less liberty and more alignment with the New World Order concept.

What do I mean by my analysis?  Well, it's really very simple. I've looked at the sources of viewers to my site, both from past years (I've been writing on this blog for nearly six years) and in the recent past and the findings are startling.  And what's more they fall right in line with the approach Google announced a number of months ago about changing their search engine algorithms to identify the sites which are most appropriate today.  In other words, they are slanting the search engine optimization (SEO) process to lead you to sites which meet what Google thinks is appropriate, not what you might really want to search or view on your own. 

How do I know?  Simply put, sources of hits on my site prior to their change generally brought me large numbers of views from people going directly to my site from their direct search entry of search. by typing North Florida Writer in the search block, having seen that title elsewhere and remembering it. even a close approximation would usually put the site high on the list.  That's what a blog owner desires and uses as part of the reason for picking the title that he or she uses.

Now I post regularly on Facebook, even Twitter sometimes and via a few other sites with content from my own site, but my direct link was usually used by the largest number of viewers.  In recent weeks, however, links directly from my site have been zero, meaning the reader is not finding my site on his search.  And lo and behold, when I went and checked Google, looking specifically for North Florida Writer, it was nowhere to be found, at least not through the first five pages of links whereas previously it was no lower than the upper half of page one.  Placement is everything in this business and when an absolute exact entry doesn't  come up, somebody is manipulating the search engine.

I also tried it on Bing and voila, it was number one on page one on that site.  So what this means is Bing sends you where you want to go but Google does not.  Google plays "Big Brother" with you, making the decision for you on what you want to see.  I suspect it is because of both my strong religious and conservative beliefs which are contrary to what Google thinks.  Google, you see, has had for years as its most influential voices leaders who strongly support the New World Order and Progressivism.  They've made it clear that they have low regard for anything Conservative or faith-based and it appears that those opinions are directly influencing their search engine processes.  And when they use their phony algorithms against even my small blog it makes me wonder what they are fearful of.  Could it be the truth?  Google is, after all, the prime search engine for nearly eighty percent of internet searchers.  That makes this situation a big deal and it has the impact of shutting down unfettered access to sites that do not meet their politically-biased tastes. 

There's been talk in Congress of putting controls on Google because of this as even huge sites like Breitbart have been adversely impacted, but the problem isn't the law, it's the problem of a large business thinking it is so powerful and important that they can play God over the rest of us.  The same can be said to a large degree about Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites which have adopted politically correct rules, just not with quite the influence of Google.  And that, particularly when it comes to a business that should be totally committed to free speech, has to change.  It's a sign of thought manipulation and control.

Oh, I will continue with what I do no matter what the social media power brokers do for I know what I write and believe is a hallmark of freedom and what the Founders struggled so hard to give us.  I only hope that freedom lovers the world over understand the consequences of the subtle moves being made into this aspect of our lives, for free and unfettered access to opinion and ideas is critical to a free society.  And if those of us who love freedom do understand, we will act accordingly and stop this madness.  Otherwise, all  that we love will someday soon be lost for freedom isn't free and it is always under siege.


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SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: Battling Against Adversity

2/16/2018

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Stoning of Stephen
And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.       
                                                                                       - Acts 8:1 (ESV)


The verse from Acts is from the story of Stephen, a devout follower of Jesus who told His Savior's story in front of crowds wherever he went.  His work came at a time not too long after the death of Jesus when the Temple leaders wanted the Truth as spoken by the new Church of Jesus believers silenced.  They saw this story as a threat to their positions and they were unwilling to open their eyes to understand. Accordingly, men like Saul of Tarsus, who later would become the Apostle Paul, supported his persecution and even death.  Stephen was stoned to death by a crowd with the event witnessed by this  future great teacher of the Gospel. Yet Stephen refused to yield in his views and his adversity from those on earth ended with death.

Saul continued in his efforts to bring the Jews who accepted Jesus to Jerusalem for trial and severe punishment, often death. But that all changed when he was blinded temporarily on the road to Damascus and very soon "saw the Light of the Lord."  And from there he became Paul, a man truly touched by the Holy Spirit and given insight into the mystery of the Christ unfathomable to most.  And because of his not being a native of Israel and his sordid past, he was chosen to spread the word outside of Israel to those in any of the man lands he visited.  God knew that only a man with a record like Saul's could be a great tool to convince sinners everywhere of the power of  faith. To do this the Holy Spirit truly entered him, changed him and used him for God's purpose and it started the spread of the Christian faith throughout the world, something continuing today despite the hardship and suffering that witnessing meant in many places.

Those early believers, like Stephen, then Paul and the others who saw the Light faced adversity everywhere they went.  For some it was just merely verbal shaming, for others imprisonment, and for others, like all of the Apostles except for John, it ended in a horrific death.  And while they had doubts about their strength to face their oppressors, the Holy Spirit which was sent to them from Jesus after His Ascension remained true to the end.  They overcame their adversity and ultimately were awarded with Eternal Life at the foot of their Lord and Savior in the glory of heaven.

What about each of us individually? What kind of oppression do we each face?  Is it something mentally painful and hurtful like being considered an outcast for what we believe and stand for?  Is it a painful disease that is wracking our body?  Or is it a weakness for sin even though we know what we should do, yet we put that aside for our gain and/or pleasure despite the ultimate adverse consequences?  Whatever it might be, there is an answer for whatever torment we face, physical or psychological, if we experience the presence of God's self within us.  Within us is that same Holy Spirit who Jesus sent to His closest followers after the Ascension and it lies dormant within us until we open our heart to experience it.

So, how do we accomplish the opening of our heart?  We begin a conversation with the Living God and ask for His help. That opens the heart to The Spirit, The Third Person of God, who will guide us and direct us to the Son, who is our Mediator with God the Father. And the tools to understand what He asks of us and do on His behalf are readily available in prayer, the fellowship of worship and the Bible.  Establishing a regimen including each of those three factors will build and grow our belief and our strength to do what is right in all that we do.  And while we might falter, once we truly commit to believing in Him by faith, we will learn from our mistakes and right our course.  And that, my friends, will afford us the ability to handle any adversity that will come in our path.

God doesn't say that we won't face adversity, but He does promise if we put our faith in Him to help us weather the storm, He will provide it.  And that will overcome any rough situation we face and provide us the route to Salvation.  Put Him first, trust His guidance and we will live like we've never lived before and it will be glorious.

Dear Lord,  We thank you for giving us the opportunity to overcome all obstacles and cleanse ourselves with your love and grace. Give us the strength to stay strong and true to you, knowing that putting you first is our path to life everlasting.  In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.

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THE TRUMP DAY BLOG: "Schiffless Ohr Deliberate?"

2/15/2018

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When thinking about this week's Trump Day blog I wanted a headline that was just a little bit clever. Whether or not I hit the mark I do not know but please understand that I know how to spell names.  And the two names in question are Schiff, Adam Schiff, the ranking minority member on the House Intelligence Committee and Bruce Ohr, a deputy assistant attorney general who was demoted from his position for reasons that will be discussed momentarily.

Let's take the case of California Congressman Schiff first.  Schiff, is a liberal California Democrat who has attempted to stop any release of a committee memo detailing wrongdoing of government agencies in the collusion investigation. In so doing he has tried to taint the reputation of committee Chairman Devin Nunes, a Republican also from California but failed when an ethics investigation cleared his name. And then, after he was unsuccessful in keeping the wraps on release of the memo, following a straight party line vote, he prepared his own memo as a counter.  He saw it as a way to discredit the President, since he thought the White House would refuse to give the security clearance okay unlike the approval given to the Republican memo.  He could then claim bias on the part of Nunes and create a perception of a less than transparent White House.  But the difference in the statements and the impact they have on maintaining proper security for the nation are as different as day and night.

The Nunes memo was drawn from actual testimony given, some of which might have been classified but could be released if, after the vote by the commtttee, the White House approved the security declassification.  the FBI, Justice and other agencies begged the White House not to release it, claiming it would publicize methodology used in security work.  But respected former agency leaders said no, it might taint the reputations of some current leaders but it had nothing to do with methodology.  So, why would the FBI, DOJ or any agency have a problem with release of appropriately cleared information only identifying officials who had used at best poor judgement?  There is a very simple reason and many of us have known it for a long time: THEY ARE PROTECTING THE SWAMP, that insulated and long-term group of politicians and bureaucrats who like things just the way they are.

With regard to the Schiff memo which has not yet been released, it was not released for it contains actual methodology which national security employs.  Even Mr. Schiff has, as of yesterday, admitted that. One would have to assume then that either Mr. Schiff wanted it denied for release to use as a talking point against White House bias or, more devious, he wanted the White House to release it so that the national media could claim security violations by the White House.  But the White House staff stopped that attempt by merely sending it back to Congress to be cleaned up.  And the White House said clearly that it would be released if those security problems were resolved. 

Now let's take a short look at Mr. Ohr. As a deputy assistant attorney general he is at a high level and is supposed to be impeccable in following the law impartially.  Yet, we found out that his wife, Nellie Ohr, a former CIA employee, was working for Fusion GPS, the firm that was paid to work with Christopher Steele, the now disgraced British security official and the author of the Trump dossier which has now publicly been debunked.  And Ms. Ohr gave the dossier to her husband who in turn took it to the FBI.  Ohr himself even met personally with Glenn Simpson, the head of GPS Fusion, which was funded in the endeavor against Trump by the Hillary campaign and the Democratic National Committee.  So, why was he merely demoted and why are other players who obviously knew what was going on in the DOJ and FBI still working with pay?

The SWAMP is alive and well in both agencies and it is a serious threat to freedom and liberty.  Last time I looked, the United States is not a "banana republic" and we must keep it that way.  But if we allow agencies that we are supposed to trust to use phony documentation as a means to destroy and remove a duly elected President of the United States, the only word which accurately describes what is happening starts with a "T".  Decide for yourself and do your own homework; it's all there for the world to see. But you won't get the information from the mainstream media which is today more biased than it has ever been.


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Valentine's Day 1970: Let the OCS "Fun Begin"

2/14/2018

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MEMORIES OF ARMY LIFE: FIRST IN A SERIES

Where were you on Valentine's Eve and Day in 197O?


For some of you, the question posed might be an easy one. For others, you might not be able to recall, but for this older fella' walking down memory lane, it’s an easy one.  I was one of the early arrivals at Fort Benning for the start of Infantry Officer Candidate School (OCS), arriving on February 6. 1970.  My orders said that the course was scheduled to start on the 7th but, alas, upon arrival I found that the actual start date would be February 14th.  That meant I would spend a full week on the OCS campus as a transient, meaning the powers to be had a fresh body to carry out whatever tasks they had in mind.  Thankfully, there were a few others with me so at least I wouldn’t be at it by my lonesome.

We spent a week getting the company barracks spit polished and clean, moved furniture into rooms, cut grass, trimmed hedges, ran errands for the cadre staff and were worn out at the end of the day.  Thankfully, since the program wasn’t officially underway, we really weren’t harassed and were even given free time a couple of times during the week to go to the PX and a few other places on base. But the entire time we thought how the clock toward the completion of our twenty-six week program wasn’t even going to start until the end of the first week.

By Valentine’s Eve, we were ready to get the long-term “Hell Week” underway but were also apprehensive.  After all, one afternoon a lieutenant, one of the officers designed to serve as a Tactical Officer (one for each platoon of the company, plus the Executive Officer) arrived and asked me what I expected.  I said that I really didn’t know but I knew it would be much more demanding and grueling than Basic Training.  After all, Basic really wasn’t too bad at all once you got used to the fact that you were in the Army and you did what you were told. And it did get all of us in shape.

But the Lieutenant in his answer said only this, “Private, you had status then.”

He smiled and walked away, leaving me to ponder and ponder I did.  And while I didn’t know what to expect the next morning, I had seen from a distance during my week’s labor a few of the active OCS companies in action. The candidates were running everywhere with officers and a few enlisted cadre screaming in their face wherever they went. And then, when they returned from classes and physical activities during the day they were muddy, exhausted and not happy campers.

By late in the day, all of the candidates under orders to our training company had arrived. We received room assignments, were told there would be a brief meeting in the mess hall after the evening meal and that things started officially at five in the morning.  Thus far, they merely looked down at us like we were "slugs" but there was no physical or mental anguish to date and we knew that would change quickly when it did.

Just like clockwork, at the end of the evening meal a young second lieutenant with a high and tight haircut stood up at the middle of the cadre table and told us all to listen up.  He was going to give us a few things we needed to know for tomorrow. And he did, advising us of the dress for “fall out” at quarter after five in the morning. He further said that after formation and our first run at dawn, we would clean up, go to the mess hall for breakfast and then to the battalion classroom for our introductory meeting with the battalion staff and meet our tactical officers.

Funny how things were different in the morning. When we spoke to an officer in response to a question the only acceptable answers were “yes” or “no”. And in answering the question we would say, “Sir, Candidate (last name), yes, or no, Sir.”  Any mistakes meant dropping for pushups. And if we were in a hallway and an officer approached, we were to brace at attention with our forearms and hands thrust forward until he passed. That started immediately, even before we went to the classroom. One unlucky new Candidate even knocked himself out when he threw his head back into the hard wall. The officer had a staff enlisted man pour cold water on him as he sat on the floor moaning. And then he, and we, moved on.

We assembled in the classroom but something seemed very strange.  Every exit doorway was manned by at least two tactical officers, dressed in crisp fatigues and wearing the high and tight haircut. They were lean and mean because they had only recently been commissioned after themselves completing OCS and they didn’t want to be there at all. " "TAC" officers, as we learned to call them, spent long hours and weekends observing, controlling and harassing us and they all knew that when their twenty-six- week duty was up they would likely be off to Vietnam.

The battalion commander, a lieutenant colonel who was nearly as fit as the junior officers, approached the podium as we stood at attention.  He told us to take our seats and he welcomed us, saying that our families would be proud that we desired to be officers in the greatest Army in the world.  He told us to be proud of ourselves as well but then, suddenly, he stated that it would be a tough and long road to get where we wanted to go and we would begin our journey immediately. He then quickly turned the meeting over to his staff training officer who came to the podium in his dress greens and simply said this one thing.

As he reached under the podium and pulled out a thick manila folder, he pulled a handful of something out of the bag and yelled, “You have five seconds to get it on.”

“IT” was OCS brass to be affixed to our collars and he threw it at us as did each of the tactical officers at the doorways. They then rushed out beside the rows of seats, strategically located, as they screamed at us to get it on and get their approval before running back to formation. We had no idea how to wear them, many of us didn’t find any brass in the melee and they kept the organized chaos going until we either got it on our own, someone helped us with it or we realized there was a box of brass at the exit table with pictured instructions. The only thing I remember well was the comments “Hurry up” and “You guys are so stupid you’re bound to wash up” with a few choice words thrown in.

Well, obviously I made it through that day and each day in the twenty-six weeks of “paradise”’ that awaited me.  And it was twenty-six weeks of pain, sweat, chiggers and bugs, sunburn, near heatstroke as well as some pretty complex studies to be mastered.  It was pressure, organized pressure, designed to toughen us up and be able to respond to situations we had never experienced. But it's amazing how all these years later I chuckle and remember some funny things that happened as well. There was very little that seemed funny at the time.

Now I know today's OCS is only twelve weeks long and that if it is too hot, candidates can pull out a red card saying they are in fear of heat stroke. I understand that even the Marines allow that today.  And the swearing and the bullying is something that modern America calls outlandish and is supposed to not be done any longer.  But I also know that if we ever have to go to war against some of the terrible tyrants in the world, they don’t apply our compassion to their soldiers and if our soldiers aren’t prepared, all could be lost. So, I’ll just have to say as miserable as it was at times, looking back I know it was the way it was because it needed to be.  And I’m glad I had the experience for it taught me a lot about myself and what I can withstand.

I’ll write more about Army life over the next few months from time to time, probably with a few more stories about OCS as well as duty as an officer out in the world.  After all, I spent eight years on active duty and it provides another significant chapter to my memory bank.  Oh, those memories, it’s a good thing that we get to the point that we can just laugh about them. But I’ll never forget Over Choppy Seas at what we lovingly (sometimes) referred to as the Benning School for Boys.  And I'll never forget that Valentine's Day when I had no idea it was Valentine's Day at all. And believe me, I heard about that later.


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Saying Goodbye to a Furry Little Friend is Not Easy

2/12/2018

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PictureLupe Lou as a young pup
Yesterday I had to say goodbye to a little furry friend and great family member.  Lupe Lou, a long-haired black and white Chihuahua began her walk across the rainbow bridge following a short period of suffering with congestive heart failure.  She told us it was time when she refused her daily cookie for two consecutive days and refused to eat or drink at all.  Nothing could have kept this little lady from her cookie but failing health.

Lupe was a devoted member of the family for nearly fourteen years, arriving with us at the tender age of eight weeks. She was my birthday present from my wife who knew I loved these little dogs.  I named her from the song, Little Latin Lupe Lou by the Eisley Brothers, a hit in my younger years. And I wanted a Chihuahua since some of my fondest memories of childhood revolved around little Speedy Gonzales, my Chihuahua back then who would hide under the back yard picnic table to avoid dive bombing by the blue jays.

The day my wife presented her to me and I put her in my arms, it was love at first sight.  She cuddled up very close and always loved it.  That's one of the big advantages of having a small dog.  They make good lap dogs and eat up that one-on-one attention.  

When one of the big dogs outside barked to notify us of something going on, Lupe always passed the message clearly. Yes, it cost us a little sleep at times but it was a joy to watch her carry out her job.  Though little, she would clearly have sacrificed herself for us.

As I prepared her grave and laid her to rest under a big pear tree, I teared up thinking about all of the funny stories that she had brought to our life.  Once she thought she could catch a blue heron as he swept low on takeoff with Lupe trying to jump up and grab him.  We were fortunate that never happened or our little bundle of energy would have been seen soaring away in the clutches of the big bird.  Another time she was sleeping in the horse trailer while we cleaned it.  Upon completion and not knowing she was there, she was locked in, unable at her size to get up and over the top of the rear gate.  She was lost for nearly twenty-four hours before finally starting to bark. We had searched high and low everywhere, even in the horse trailer but not seeing her asleep in a pile of quilts that she rearranged for her comfort. I still don't know why she was silent for so long, maybe she was just comfortable on the folded pile of horse blankets while catching up on sleep.

But now she's gone and even the other dogs are looking around wondering where she is.  Only Molly the rat terrier closely noticed as she stood in rapt attention as I finished  little Lupe's grave.  And it is fortunate that we have Molly and our other dogs, for they soften the blow when losing this little lady.  But it's a blow nonetheless, and I'm not ashamed to say that we both shed those crocodile tears.

I read an article once where Billy Graham gave a wonderful and comforting answer to an age old question of animal lovers.  Do we see our precious pets again?  Dr. Graham said that if you are  a person of faith and have a dog that has bonded with you, they become part of you as you in turn become part of their pack.  In such instances, he opined that of course you will see those things that are part of you when you go to glory in God's Kingdom after earthly death.  I truly agree with that answer.

So. Lupe Lou's pain and suffering is over and she has passed over the rainbow bridge to a place where there are no fleas, no violence, no fences and only love as she waits for us to come see her again.  And oh, what a wonderful time that will be.  Don't worry, Miss Lupe, we'll see you when our time here is done.



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And now Lupe is added to the group.
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    Hi, I'm James, a writer who studies nature,  animals and all things created by God. I also write from time to time about what I think God expects of us.  I would love to hear your thoughts on these subjects. I hope you enjoy my comments.

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