Blog Archives - North Florida Writer

It's Halloween: A Word of Caution to the "Big" Kids

10/31/2014

It's Halloween, that wonderful day when kids generally have fun wearing all kinds of costumes, both store bought and homemade, and visit friends and neighbors with the traditional "Trick or Treat" greeting as they seek a bag full of candy. For some of us, the active trick or treating has been replaced by Halloween themed parties where parents don't have to be fearful of evildoers trying to ruin a special day.

For all you "big" kids out there on this evening, please be careful as you drive through any area where children might be present. After all, they are preoccupied with having fun and many can't see well through the masks that they wear to try to make themselves unidentifiable. And as they hurry through the neighborhood while pondering what delicious sweet morsel to devour next, they certainly aren't paying attention to those of you who are on the road. Nothing is more tragic on a fun and spooky night than to have a child tragically lost due to an auto accident.

And if you're gonna' party, have a designated driver. Our friends in blue are always on hyper-alert at Halloween and you can expect them to be out in force. And there's also a great advantage to going easy on the alcohol as well. You don't want to wind up looking and feeling like this poor fellow when the night is done. He and his friend don't look so good, do they?

Have a fun filled and stomach settled night, folks. You'll thank yourself tomorrow morning.

"I sure do wish I had stuck with iced tea."

How About a Home Stretch Drive for Scott Walker?

10/30/2014

Of all of the current state governors in America, none has done a job as superbly as Wisconsin's Scott Walker. Elected on a promise of balancing his state budget and making Wisconsin business friendly, he has lived up to his pledges despite having to fight off a recall attempt by the Left. He is now in a tough battle for reelection and no one deserves more support in America today than this high quality administrator and leader.

But Governor Walker is facing more of the same rabid left wing activists as before, a group which is well funded by out-of-state unions and radical interest groups and who literally hate Walker and will do anything, and I mean anything, to deny him a second term. Despite this, he is hanging on in the polls but he needs financial support in the closing days of his campaign to combat the lies and smears that are being thrown at him.

One group that should be at the forefront of supporting him is the Republican Governors Association yet it is strangely holding off from solid financial support and encouragement. And I find it more than a consequence that the leader of this organization right now is Governor Christie of New Jersey, an arrogant man with a huge ego who wants desperately to be President of the United States. And I think that Christie knows that if his record is compared with that of Scott Walker, he will be seen as the non-producer that he really is. After all, Walker has turned around Wisconsin despite the attacks against him, devoting his fully energy and effort to his job as Governor. Christie meanwhile has spent most of his time running around the country looking for financial support for a national campaign while his state languishes at or near the bottom of tax and economic charts.

America, Scott Walker is the kind of leader that we need going forward to throw his hat in the ring for the Presidency. And while there are certainly other well qualified candidates, Christie not being one of them, Walker deserves a good look at where we want to take America. He has turned Wisconsin in a good conservative direction and I feel certain he could do the same for America if given the chance.

And this much I know for sure. He deserves strong support in the final days of his hard fought campaign and the Republican Governors Association, and other national Republican and Conservative groups should open up their war chests and give him the funding he needs. We need Scott Walker back at the helm of Wisconsin to keep the Badger State on course for a great future with conservative values at the forefront. Stand with him today.

A Colorado Example: National Democrats are Desperate

10/29/2014

The National Democrats have a long tradition of taking fiction and trying to turn it into fact as part of their standard campaign strategy in political battles. For years they have tried to convince senior that the Republicans will take away their social security or their medicare even though there is no evidence to support them.

This year, however, they are outdoing themselves, stooping to new lows and none are more noteworthy than a last minute ad that has come out against Cory Gardner. Gardner is the Republican Congressman from Colorado who is challenging sitting Senator Mark Udall for his seat and, if late breaking polls are accurate, it looks quite likely that Gardner will win.

Democrats always pull out the dirty tricks and dishonest ads when they feel threatened, but the particular ad they have now released is, in my opinion, likely to boost support for Gardner. Why do I say this? Because it is both stupid and unbelievable that they would think many voters would fall for it, excepting a few low information voters who will accept anything with a Democratic label.

The ad depicts a young woman talking to a young man and asking him if he was able to secure condoms. The young man looks at her incredibly and says, "They're all sold out".

He tells here that he has been to the drug store and other retailers and all are sold out. He then states that the reason is because Cory Gardner has banned birth control. Really, Democrats, you want voters to believe that Cory Gardner has banned birth control? How would he do that and with what legal authority? But then, of course, you know that answer and you are just crossing your fingers hoping that enough people who probably shouldn't be voting will hear it and be encouraged to vote.

The irony of it all is that Gardner has actually come out for over the counter sale of all approved contraceptives, certainly not an action by some who supposedly had the power and authority to unilaterally change state and federal law. So Democrats, is that your best shot? Go ahead make our day and try some more. The more you lie the more ridiculous you look and everyone is catching on quick.

It looks more and more like next Tuesday will be a good day for America. If so, let's enjoy it but then get to work to make sure that all who are elected actually live up to their promises. That, my friends, is another issue for another day but at least there is some new hope for tomorrow.

My Correction for Yesterday's Error: Kaci Hickox

10/28/2014

I HAVE TO APOLOGIZE FOR NOT DIGGING DEEP ENOUGH BEFORE WRITING YESTERDAY'S BLOG. KACI HICKOX IS AN OBAMABOT.

This will be very brief and to the point this morning. Yesterday, I wrote a piece about Kaci Hickox, the nurse who returned from Sierra Leone and was placed in isolation in Newark. And while I agreed that being placed in isolation was appropriate due to the seriousness and the likely twenty day danger period, it made sense. But I wrote because Ms. Hickox was saying that she was treated very harshly both at the airport and on the hospital grounds, and I based my judgment on the article I read in the Dallas News.

I was shocked and outraged when I learned today that Ms. Hickox as a card carrying liberal, an Obama supporter and actually an employee of the CDC. Her mission was obviously one to gain sympathy and thereby get Americans angered against the actions by several state leaders to provide more protection for their citizens. Ms. Hickox should be ashamed of herself and I hope that we all learn from this that the Obama Administration will stoop as low as necessary to get what it wants. And I am sorry for being taken in by a scam artist, but at least I didn't deny the need for isolation.

If you are not aware of the situation of which I write, look at yesterday's blog entry. I will leave it up as I always admit when I've made a bad call and, besides, we all learn from our mistakes. God bless you one and all and God bless America. May she ever be free.

Is It Isolation or Abuse?

10/27/2014

I read an article that was carried in the Dallas News this weekend that put a different perspective on the treatment of health workers returning from Africa after bravely working to fight the Ebola virus. And while I know that we must have a comprehensive program here in America to try and undo the damage already done by CDC incompetence, I think we must do it in a way that is compassionate to those being screened and particularly to the brave Doctors Without Borders and the Samaritan's Purse personnel who are doing God's work.

A young nurse, Kari Hickox of Texas, flew into New York Friday on return from Sierra Leone where she worked as a nurse treating Ebola patients. As she entered customs, she immediately reported that she had been working in Sierra Leone in that capacity. Once she made that statement, she reported that her treatment by the TSA and other staff assigned changed dramatically. Instead of being treated like an American citizen, she found her treatment to be more akin to that you would expect for a convicted felon.

Upon her arrival at 1 pm, she was tired and hungry after a long flight. But once she reported her status, she was taken to a room where she was repeatedly questioned and isolated without any explanation for four hours. Her temperature was taken by a forehead scan during the long wait and it was reported as 98, a normal reading. Time continued to go by and she asked if she could have something to eat since her last meal was some twelve hours earlier and she felt dehydrated. They brought her a granola bar and a bottle of water.

As time went on, she could tell she was getting angry, more exhausted and flushed. And additional temperature scan was taken and she was told her temperature was 101. Her response was to remind the TSA agent that an external scan is not precise and her reading was caused by the flushing of her face but she was ignored. An ambulance was summoned to take her to the hospital and she was transported by medics in hazmat gear with sirens blazing and a police escort. Upon arrival she was told she would be kept in isolation for observation but at least and emergency room physician did take her temperature orally as she originally requested. He agreed that the earlier readings were inaccurate and that she indeed had no temperature.

Why do I cite this true life story, one which was written from her first hand account? I do so to point out that American citizens deserve the right to be treated with compassion. If it is appropriate to hold someone in isolation for an emergency such as a potential epidemic, the least we can do is explain to that person what is happening and do our best to treat them with respect. Hold someone in a "cell" while hungry and fearful do to lack of information is no way to treat them. I doubt that any of us would appreciate being poked and prodded like a rag doll by people in the TSA agents who have obviously been proven time and time again to be incompetent at even simple tasks. And I also wonder what will happen when hundreds of healthcare workers from these areas return in large groups at once and how they will be treated. Will they send Army "cattle cars" to the airport to load them up like young men going to the rifle range, complete with yelling and screaming.

What makes this worse in the first place is the government's cavalier handling of a critical health problem that didn't have to be. But when America opened the doors to our nation by lack of a border, all sense of common sense and sovereignty died with it. And it has all been so that Democrats can get more votes and big business RINOs can get their campaign contributions for the cheap labor their actions have allowed. And where does that leave good Americans? Like Nurse Kari, holding the bag, lonely and concerned with no one in high places giving a hoot how they are treated.

It's time to change from Hope and Change to Real Change based upon the American Spirit. Let's start doing so on November 4th.

Is The Lord Your Shepherd?

10/26/2014

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.
- Psalm 23:4 (KJV)

When King David's son Absalom marched on Jerusalem with an army, planning to depose his father and take the Kingdom for himself, David had to flee for his life. Leaving Jerusalem, he headed for the Jordan River, coming to a ford named Jabbok, from which he crossed the river into Gilead where he felt he would be safe.

But it wasn't quite that easy, for the Valley of Jabbok was a dangerous place in the darkening evening, with thieves and even wild, hungry animals prowling for prey. The mighty King would be easy pickings away from his servants and soldiers. Fortunately, he happened upon a shepherd, Barzillai, who was rounding up his sheep to bring them down from the hillside to safer pastures for the night. This good man gave David shelter and food for the night and his kindness afforded David the time to determine how he would recover from his fate, for he knew that God was punishing him for the sins he himself had committed as a younger man.

Some say that this little story was what David was thinking about when he wrote the Twenty-third Psalm, one which most of us Christians grew up memorizing and remember for life. But whether it was from this memory, or just his experience as a shepherd boy in his youth, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that he created a beautiful tribute to God, a tribute which has stood the test of time and has given comfort and peace to thousands of people in their time of need.

We humans are just like sheep and God knows that we need guidance and direction in all that we do. As our Holy Shepherd, will we follow Him and be safe and secure, or will we turn away from Him and be like the stray lamb who becomes a meal for a hungry predatory animal like Satan? The choice is up to each of us and it's one that we all must make for ourselves before this life is done. Choose wisely, my friends, for the choice is between eternal life dwelling in the House of the Lord forever, or permanent death and darkness. There are no other options.

Dear Lord: Thank You for being our Father, Guide and Shepherd. Help us to always remember the importance of living for You and keeping Your guiding light in our heart always. And when we worry about our travails through the "Valley of the Shadow of Death", help us to always remember that if we follow You and keep You and Your love at our center of being, we will never face death, but live forever. We ask this prayer in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who died so that we might live, Amen.

Sean Hannity, I Love Ya, Man, But.....

10/25/2014

I've been listening to Sean Hannity on the afternoon radio for at least twelve years. He is on the air when I'm working in the barn preparing feed for the horses, it's a beautiful time of day and I listen to see what new is happening in the crazy world outside of my peaceful little place in Heaven. I like Sean. I know his heart is in the right place and I believe he loves his country and wants what is best for America, but sometimes his reasoning about Washington just drives me crazy.

No, it's not that he finds faults in government and Obama that bothers me; it's actually just the opposite. I think Sean is too easy on them; I think he gives them much too much credit for simply being either misguided or stupid for the problem that we face is much bigger and deeper than that. Let me explain.

Five days before Obama was elected for his first term he stated at a campaign rally, "We're only five days from fundamentally changing the United States of America."

That statement sums up in a nutshell what Obama's goal was coming in to office and it tells us the truth about the mission behind the man. Once we accept that statement as the truth and the driving force behind Obama's plans, all the things he has done and continues to do fall right into place.

Obama comes from a mindset that clearly has disdain for America. It comes from his father, an anti-colonialist who despised the British, the power under which Barack, Sr. had spent his own formative years as they ruled his native Kenya. And Obama passed this view on to is son who readily accepted it since America was founded on British ideals and common law, not to mention a common language. Making the matter much worse was the supportive views of his mother, Stanley Anne Dunham, a believer in Marxism, who certainly further indoctrinated her son. Those views when developed thoroughly usually become long lasting unless someone is exposed to a healthy dose of conservatism and individual rights. Obama never had that opportunity, with Frank Marshall Davis, an American Communist serving as a father-like figure and his mentor in the absence of a father of his own. So the bottom line is this: this man and his Administration aren't stupid; everything they do is according to plan, a plan that so far has been working to their perfection.

So while Sean sees the danger of the actions of this government and clearly understands why we must fight to change it, he sometimes seems to shrug it off as stupidity and lack of experience on the part of the President. Or, does he really understand the full gravity and depth of danger we face from this man but can't say so on the air?

We have to face the fact that Fox News has become increasingly moderate in the last few years, losing much of the zeal and passion for the American Spirit that the network used to exhibit. And we also know that Rupert Murdoch is a Hillary fan and his new news chief is clearly in the Hillary camp. This is likely to place great limitations on what a show such as Sean's can say. After all, look at the Fox milquetoast attitude toward illegal immigration; they maintain a deafening silence on the issue that will likely do more than any other policy to create the transformation that Obama is en route to completing. At the rate we are going American will be unrecognizable very soon.

And one last thing for Sean on a subject that drives me crazy: Karl Rove. Please, Sean, stop using Rove as your go to guy on political strategy? This guy has become nothing but an Establishment Republican hack and his campaign strategies have been dismal. Even when he worked for Bush he should have been able to execute a much higher voter turnout, especially in 2004 against the hapless John Kerry. And his Romney performance was, well, thirty million dollars spent for nothing. And, frankly, I don't think this year's Senate elections would be nearly as tight had Rove worked as hard for the Republican base as he has against Republican conservatives. Just give him the hook, Sean, his days should be over.

But not to worry, I'll continue to listen to the Sean Hannity Show while I do my afternoon chores, but I will always realize deep down inside that it is likely he isn't free to release his full viewpoint and I find that disheartening. And for that reason I will refer to a later radio program, the Mark Levin Show, for the whole truth.

Levin doesn't hold back; he tells it like it is and offers a daily clinic on what our Constitution is all about and what it offers America. And I know that these two are friends, so I'll pray that Levin rubs off on Sean even more and maybe it will embolden him to open up. But, in any case, I wish good luck and godspeed. And never forget: 'The truth will set you free."

Obama the Ideologue: "Senseless Violence"

10/24/2014

Yesterday our illustrious President, Barack Obama, did it again. When questioned about the radical Islamic terrorist action in Canada Obama characterized it as "senseless violence". Really, Mr. President, senseless violence? You obviously live on a different planet and in a different nation than the rest of us. No one with any basic sense of honesty and truthfulness fails to recognize that the murderer who rampaged Ottawa yesterday was not only a radical Islamic convert, but his father had been a rebel in Libya at the turn of the century, part of the group that two years ago was responsible for the Benghazi situation.

This is a disgrace. The President and his minions are so fast to condone action against Christian churches for sticking to their moral and religious principles while refusing to question the abhorrent actions of the extremist elements of Islam both here and abroad. Another such example would be his penchant for throwing police under the bus based upon his looking at an issue through tinted glasses. Prime examples of this were his actions several years back concerning the Cambridge Police when they arrested his Harvard professorial friend and now in Ferguson, Missouri and they make it obvious where his bias places him. After all, Eric Holder didn't send a squadron of FBI agents pouring into Ferguson after the shooting of Michael Brown strictly on his own initiative, that is for sure. And now after riots and repeated threats, it is becoming clear from the forensic evidence that Officer Wilson did indeed tell the truth about what happened on that fateful night in Ferguson.

This leads us all to the very simple and logical questions that America has about this man, a man who is supposed to be national unifier but instead has become a divider. Mr. President, why do you walk so meekly around issues such as extreme Islamic terrorism, the need for police to protect the safety of good people from bad things and the need to allow Christians their right to freedom of religion as the Constitution clearly requires? Are you lacking a moral compass or are you just so biased that you can't handle truth and fairness for all, but just your selected favorites? I think it has come to the point where Americans must be given your answers to this question because your very actions and statements are tearing this nation apart.

We Americans don't hate you, Mr. President, and we certainly don't want to do you harm, but we do want you to live up to your obligations to protect our society as a whole, defend the Constitution as it is written not merely as you wish, while defending each citizen's rights as required by the laws you swore to uphold. Is that too much to ask from the you?

We don't think so, Mr. President. So please put your dogma and your ego away, open your heart to the beauty and spirit of an America that has blessed you so much and finish off your term with a resurgence of American strength and energy, not the destruction of the greatest nation ever built. Do that, Mr. President, and you still have the time to salvage something of value as your destiny instead of seeing it go up in flames in the pages of history. And may God help you find the way while He also blesses the United States of America. May she always be free.

Canada Gets It Right!

10/23/2014

In the middle of the morning yesterday in Ottawa, Canada, our "Neighbor to the North", a Canadian honor guard soldier, Corporal Nathan Cirillo, was murdered at the National War Memorial, shot in the back in cold blood l by a man firing on him at close ranged with a shotgun. The assailant then entered the Canadian Parliament building, firing his weapon in the entryway. In a meeting room nearby, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was holding a meeting with MPs.

Quick thinking action by Parliament Sergeant at Arms Kevin Vickers resulted in the gunman being killed on the spot, although it is thought that as many as two other gunmen may have been involved. The killer was wearing an Arabic scarf bandit style over his face and the Canadians were quick to make the connection with radical Islamic terror. Sure enough, it didn't take more than a few hours to find out that Michael Zehef-Bibeau, a recent convert to Islam was the shooter. Zehef-Bibeau had his passport confiscated earlier for plans to travel to the Middle East to participate in jihad.

Just this past Monday another convert, radicalized and similarly desirous of travel to the Middle East with passport revoked, murdered a Canadian soldier when he hit him with his car and then shot him to death as he suffered helplessly on the road. This suspect, Martin Rouleau, has not been apprehended yet and is thought to possibly now be in the United States.

This latest tragedy involving Islamic jihad shows vividly just how dangerous our own citizenry can be when they have no moral compass and are swayed by what they see as the glamor of nomadic, murderous Islamic terror. In the United States and Canada there are thousands of young immigrants from countries such as Somalia and other African and Middle East nations who are developing a dangerous devotion to radical Islam through the teachings of radical clerics who have free reign in our society. While our government puts pressures on our Christian ministers to conform to lifestyle issues which we deem both immoral and ungodly, the radical Islamic mosques are becoming hot beds of hate and discontent while law enforcement looks the other way. This is being shown to be clearly dangerous to our society, yet it continues on.

But at least Canada has quickly recognized the connection in this incident to Islamic terror, while our President continues to avoid facing the reality of who is responsible for so much of what has happened in America. At some point he must come to grips with the fact that atrocities labeled as workplace violence or man called disasters such as the Fort Hood shootings by Major Hasan or the beheading in Oklahoma are nothing more than the actions of hate permeating a portion of Islamic society. Political correctness and looking the other way will never solve any of our problems generated by hate; only the truth, the real truth can do so.

And one other thing has been pointed out clearly by this event. Gun control doesn't work. Canada has some of the strictest gun control laws in the world yet a young radicalized and troubled man obviously had little difficulty getting a weapon with which to kill. Had one concealed carry citizen been nearby, perhaps the situation would have ended with a soldier standing his post at a Canadian national shrine still being alive this morning. I think that's something to think about.

Our prayers go out to the families of the two dead Canadian soldiers and may God grant healing and peace to their families. And may Americans and Canadians all redouble our efforts to insure that both of our lands are kept peaceful by governments that honor the will of the people, not fall under the spell of political hype. Freedom carries responsible, let's all do our part to maintain and strengthen it.

Will We All Get to Heaven?

10/22/2014

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus, sing his mercy and his grace. In the mansions bright and blessed he'll prepare for us a place. When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory?
-When We All Get to Heaven, words by Eliza Hewitt, music Emily Wilson, 1898

So which is correct: When we all get to heaven or will we all get to heaven? The first is the name of a traditional hymn and the second is a question that hasn't been answered yet. The hymn is one of glory describing what it will be like for we Christians if we make it through the Pearly Gates. The second is the question which we must answer by our commitment, or lack thereof, during our earthly life to Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior.

I ponder this question this morning because so many of our mainstream churches today talk about peace and love and, of course, the modern day buzzword of social justice but in so doing they are missing the key ingredient to our salvation. For make no mistake about our salvation, it is determined by our faith. We must believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the only perfect man who walked the earth as a God and man and yet suffered the most horrific death of all to give us the opportunity to live eternally. And while there is plenty of evidence, should you want to believe, of his existence, the ultimate truth that you are expected to reach is one based upon faith not science.

Sadly, some of us will not truly believe at the end of our life on earth. Oh, we might say we do and we might live a decent life and try and treat others well, but without the commitment of faith to Him, a faith strong enough to put Him first in our lives, we will not succeed and will not inherit His Kingdom at his side when all is said and done.

So how can we make our faith alive so that we will totally accept the truth of Jesus, not just an appearance. First, we must humble ourselves before Him by opening our heart to Him and asking both for His forgiveness for our sins and His help in keeping us on the straight and narrow. For some this is easier than others. Some might be "blinded by light" as was the case of the Apostle Paul when he was on the road to Damascus to arrest believers for the High Priests of the Temple. For others it is a more time consuming experience, gradually building upon itself until the Holy Spirit fully infects the individual with the peace and understanding of Jesus Christ and who He was as a man and is as God.

We can accomplish this by a combination of prayer, worship and study of His word. It is a cumulative thing, the more we do it and open ourselves to it, the wider our heart opens to accept His love and grace. And while the faith that is thus developed is the source of our salvation if we achieve it, we will, as James the brother of Jesus writes in the Book of James, spend our life working for Jesus in all that we do.

Surrender your heart and soul to Him and you will be saved. Refuse to do so and you will not. It is really just as simple as that. It is all up to each of us as individuals using the free will that God granted. And so will not all get to heaven unless we respond accordingly.

Where do you want to spend your Eternity? Seated in Heaven in the Glory of the presence of the Father and His Son, our Savior, or in an eternal pit of death from which there is no escape? The choice is yours. Make it wisely and live forever. Hallelujah!