Friday, December 5, 2014

Hands Up Gesture by Rams and Lawmakers a Pathetic Ruse to Divide the United States

Recently members of the St. Louis Rams and also some members of the United States Congress made a mockery of the decision made in Ferguson, Missouri not to indict Darren Wilson for the death of Michael Brown.  In an obvious attempt to incite and divide, many people have used an unproven report of Brown's "hand up" to justify protests alleging to be about police targeting and brutality of African Americans.  Is this an act of responsibility or gross irresponsibility as an American citizen?

The pristine nature of the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence innately binds Americans with a covenant to honor the flag and the rule of law.  It denotes that we will stand as Americans and the greater good of the nation.  At the heart it means that we are to be separate from the carnal portions of the world that delve into self inflation and apathy.  We, as common folk and lawmakers, are to be unifiers and not dividers of this great nation.

As for the lawmakers, there were several unworthy individuals bent on inciting the public who took to the floor of Congress with "hand up" gestures.  New York's Hakeem Jeffries and Yvette Clark along with Texas' Sheila Jackson and Al Green all puffed up their support for the rebellious action of the St. Louis Rams' "hands up" gesture on the field.  Right or wrong this is completely irresponsible for any lawmaker to do.  They are not being impartial and patient nor are they honoring or trying to understand the decision of the justice system.  No lawmaker should ever give in to frenzy in order to score points.  Leave the scoring points to those like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.  Your job is to unify the nation and understand all points of view before making any decisions.  In my opinion these members of Congress should have been chastised for their reckless behavior on the floor of the Congress.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Hillary Clinton a Worthy 2016 Presidential Candidate?

What qualifies a person to run for the Office of President of the United States?  Aside from the cold hard facts outlined in the Constitution of the United States are there other apparent qualifications to consider?  As we observe President Barack Obama extending back through the line of the Presidency we should also reflect on ourselves as simple American citizens.

I was rather disturbed and put out recently at a report I heard of the requirements that Hillary Clinton imposes on an organization for her to come and speak.  I will stick in there a side note that most of her speaking engagements of late have lacked in attendance big time.  Anyhow, there were absolutes of available sodas, temperatures, rooming, travel and even hiring of an aid.  The former Secretary of State has the audacity of requiring only a presidential suite of multiple rooms.  The former public servant demands a specific minimum requirement for a private jet.  The elected Benghazi dodger also stipulates the hiring of a stenographer at the expense of the organization to record her speech seen only by Hillary Clinton herself.  What does this say about the prideful nature of some who seek public office?

The first historic example that comes to mind is George Washington.  He openly spoke of how he really didn't want the Office of President.  In fact, he rebuked officials who wanted to crown him a king.  There are other notable men and women in history who held the true heart of an American public servant.  That true heart compels the individual to action and that their views are what America and their constituents need at that time complimentary to the Constitution of the United States.  This "American heart" is essential and should far outweigh the eloquence of speech and the cunning mastery of deceptive statecraft.  In addition, it is the everyday American's responsibility to keep their heart connected to our founding principles enough to not be swayed by those other darker means which man uses to get elected.

They are unworthy!  If the American heart is not truly evident in the demeanor and record of an individual then they are unworthy to hold the Office of President of the United States.  If they are unwilling to reach out to the public when invited in the spirit of extending the hand of understanding and higher good of the people then they are unworthy.  If they charge exorbitant fees for their omnipotent presence then they are unworthy.  If they set frivolous demands for their presence then they are unworthy.

I don't like picking on specific people but Hillary Clinton is unworthy of the Office of President of the United States.  Her heart is turned inward at self gain instead of outward toward the American good.

Saturday, November 22, 2014

President Barack Obama Illegal Immigration Reform Grants Votes for Political Party

President Barack Obama has paved the way for millions of illegal immigrants from Mexico points south to reap the benefits of their illegal actions.  Contrary to the United States Constitution and in absence of the U.S. Congress he has granted "tokens of gold" to untold numbers who have crossed our southern border from Mexico.  To some this is a reprehensible action worthy of impeachment.  To others this is worthy of placing Obama on a mantle of godhood.

A couple days ago I watched a statement by White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest.  It is important to be objective especially over explosive issues like immigration.  So I watched Earnest and others like him.  Shortly thereafter I even watched a passionate statement by journalist Geraldo Rivera.  What I had witnessed was appalling and completely unworthy of the posts they hold.  There is a growing trend among the realms of the United States elected officials and appointees.  So dangerous that it threatens to tear the fabric of our flag.

From our past our leaders spoke with honesty.  They spoke on issues and tried to orate their positions by persuasion to the people.  Their intent was for the good of the people as a whole in moving a nation forward toward prosperity and justice.  In large part we may have lost this since Abraham Lincoln.  The notions of addressing the people as a worthy President sprung back a time or two since, yet still the looming political power grew in influence.  Our Framers addressed a common people who voted to separate from British rule and become a nation as one.  Of course corruption existed, but it was evident that specific men of character and courage were raised up to set the stage for a great nation meant to lead the world.

Every person who advocated what President Obama had done set any and all blame on the immigration plight squarely on the Republican party.  That isn't my opinion.  That comes straight from the lips of the omnipotent President Barack Obama.  This is the first red flag.  You cannot have full faith in your initiative and have it become a feeling of peace in the hearts of those you are trying to persuade if you are doing so by deliberately factioning out the country.  As a President who claims this stroke of the pen to be a moment of solidarity and wonderment for millions of people cannot possibly bring about peace by planting contention and divisiveness in the hearts of Americans and illegals alike.

The second red flag was the excess use of "compassion."  How rude and condescending for anyone to address the American taxpayer in such a way!  We are the most compassionate nation on earth and our President and his blind supporters dare to tarnish the good heart of America, and further the agenda of making all of us feel ashamed and dirty because of our association as Americans.  Now if that don't spell Communism then I don't know what does.

The platform was that this initiative was a kind and compassionate thing to do for vast numbers of families.  That to not do so would be stripping children from their parents.  Not only was this literal camel fodder but to have journalists come on the scene with fish hooks in their mouths was very distasteful.  As they say, hook, line and sinker!  Compassion and justice can be found in abundance on all sides of the issue.  How juvenile it is to address compassion only through the eyes of an illegal.

Compassion!  What compassion is there in this illegal executive action for the thousands of taxpayers whose children have been murdered by illegals?  What compassion is there in this illegal executive action for the millions of taxpayers who are bound to pay for health care for those who have knowingly stealthed across the border?  What compassion is there in this illegal executive action for Americans whose insecurity as a protected nation has grown exponentially?  What compassion is there in this illegal executive action for Americans that daily live in a legal manner to reap the meager living they earn while so many in illegal situations are benefiting off of them?

Let all Americans know that the victory for elected officials in this entire issue of immigration reform is in votes!

Yep, not a victory for America, but rather a generational victory for select political parties.  That's what it is.  Were it not so our borders would've been shored up long ago.  Were it not so our beloved President wouldn't find the need to sell us a blanket initiative on the fabric of "compassion."  It has nothing to do with compassion.  Compassion presented as a platform for a political speech is always the last thing truly considered in the action itself.

Another red flag is gridlock.  Though we have many newly elected people in Congress there are those speaking out that Congress is in gridlock.  They use this as a crutch to legitimize the President's "buckaroo lone wolf" action of doing it alone contrary to the established frame of the Constitution.  Americans choose!  Do you want a President who is so willing to act on his own at the peril of America's most sacred edicts?  You would know full well that this would be setting the stage for all future Presidential actions.  The other choice is the "gridlock."  Is it better to let the chips fall where they may and have Congress endlessly debate issues while still functioning within the frame of the Constitution?  I would vote for the latter because we must exist as a nation under the rule of law.  Our survival should not leave any room for flying solo in the highest office in the world.

The objective of the Office of President of the United States is to lead - not rule.  Our President Barack Obama would do well to prayerfully consider this.

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Mexican Drug Gang and Conspirators Labeled Domestic Terrorists?

Cold-blooded murder is a disgusting display of civility.  Our modern reasons differ little than in times of old.  This story of a Mexican drug gang, with possible government official ties, murdering dozens of students just rakes me to the core.  When will mankind actually get tough with ISIS, Al Qaeda and equally inhumane - drug cartels.
Mexican Drug Gang Burn Dozens of Students
This reminds me of a movie I recently saw again with Will Smith.  It is called I Am Legend.  Like many it is a story of the end of civilization due to a biological epidemic.  The main character, played by Smith, tries to save mankind by using possible antidotes on those infected.  From a display encounter with an infected person he states that all human characteristics are now totally absent (or words to that affect).  In the true case of the Mexican massacre I don't see how this is any different.  How can an individual, or in this case possibly several, blatantly set out to commit murder and then to purposely burn them so they cannot be recognized yet still claim a degree of humanity?  It is unconscionable for one victim - but over 40!!!

This is mass murder!  We've all grown up hearing of corruption in the Mexican government and how they cannot be trusted.  Yet, would it not be proper now at high tide to official label these drug gangs as domestic terrorists?  Though it is a term coined by the United States I'd say it would be proper for the U.S. to use in this case as well as other cases.  As I ponder what it would take in the human heart to pull such a plot off, I discover being beside myself in solitude.

This should further ingrain the need to seal the border.  Though not a cure it would be a sure step in the right direction, and a token to all people throughout the world that the free people of the United States will not be intimidated and will protect and serve the best interests of it's people.  We cannot combat murder through guns or drugs without defining a line.  That line must be the secured physical borders shored up by the rule of law.  That is not only a battleground but it is also a symbolic gesture in the American mind that helps guide our decisions in the matter.  Perhaps if the border was secure it would make decisions on drug cartels and illegal immigration not so gray and blurry, but instead clear and decisive.

I sort of got off the point but I just wanted to put down in words my own grief in how low mankind goes to satisfy their malicious agendas - even to the murder of others.  

Saturday, October 18, 2014

New Evidence of Jesus' Miracles Not in Bible?

This account of Jesus in Nablus is quite intriguing.  Without direct Bible reference it leaves one cautiously skeptical or optimistic.  The story is not unlike the famed Shroud of Turin.  Question: Does evidence newly brought to light put Christianity up against the ropes, or does it liberate it from the boundaries we've constructed for it?

Here is food for thought.  There are Christian sects out there that profess other ancient texts that testify that Jesus is the Christ yet not fully included in today's canon of the Bible.  The Book of Mormon of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of them.  They are scorned and outright called non-Christians.  Are we so blind as a people of the civilized world to believe that what is contained cover-to-cover in the Bible is the "albeit" of Christianity.  How stupid and ignorant that concept is!

Of course there are hundreds if not thousands of written and unwritten accounts of the life of Jesus Christ.  It's not like Jesus and the disciples had a cell phone or Ipad to record with.  What to write down and record was done with sparing scrutiny.  What about those short writings from common folk that wrote of an account of Jesus after the fact when they were able to find or acquire writing material?

I would encourage all people to highly question with boldness any professor, pastor, priest or cleric who proclaims the Bible as the only evidence of the Word of God.  Is it really a true and fully inspired place to be when the leader of a congregation erects such psychological boundaries for Christianity?

No, I don't know for a surety of the account in the following link is true.  However, for a truth I do know that humans are faulty.  We forget and we fail to act on most things.  I do believe that Jesus is the Christ and possesses a true divinity.  I do believe that he chose to experience this mortal probate that He may bridge the gap between the children of men and the Eternal Father.  Now..... with that HUGE concept being said, can I honestly say that the only accounts of Jesus' dealings with man are only contained in the Holy Bible.  NOT!  First of all, the canon was formed by a legion of faulty men with separate agendas and desires.  Second of all, there are books that were contained in the Holy Bible but has not been for many years.

Imperfect man has desecrated even the volume of accounts of Jesus that was included in the Bible.  Let us not forget that man has instituted his own faulty sense of understanding into the very language of the Word of God.  Thus the NIV was born!  Now, we don't even have to strive to prayerfully find inspired meaning in the holy scriptures.  Lo and behold, we have new scriptural wording written and produced by your corporate opportunists.  For the record I am a champion of capitalism.  However, when you inject the potential profits into a production meant to attach itself onto the very faith of an individual you blacken or molest the very purity of that attachment.

In my opinion the Word of God is written in a language meant for man to question and strive to understand according to his readiness to receive it.  It is meant to overcome the coarse soils of man and be invited into his heart.  Anyhow, here is the interesting link of a possible authentic Jesus account.
Document Recently Found Has Eyewitness Account of Jesus Performing Miracle

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Syrian Kurds in Kobani Reflect the American Revolutionary War

Syrian Kurdish fighters are valiant in the lessons of perseverance.  Syrian Kurds are fighting for their lives, homes and community.  Though void of any assistance from the Syrian government, they do receive some assistance from the United States military airstrikes.  Debatable the effectiveness of these airstrikes may be, there is evidence that at least radio correlation is maintained between the Syrian Kurdish fighters and the U.S. military officials.  This is evidenced with the now U.S. bombings inside the Syrian/Turkish border town of Kobani proceeding the pull back of Kurdish fighters.  Will the fighters' resistance will out, or will the dreaded ISIS imps prove too clever for not only the Syrian fighters but the whole world as well?

It struck me as I was on the treadmill this morning at the fitness center how strong the Kurds really are.  As I was completing my third straight mile jog (a new record as of this morning - thank you!) I marveled at the latest live news out of southern Turkey of the fighting.  The Internet and media attention of the ISIS beheadings of national citizens of coalition support has multitudes trembling where they believe even angels fear to tread.  As a human being many are unprepared to face evil head on and crush the head of blatant inhumanity.  They dare not to stand firm in what is right, true and correct.  All the news the world receives are the reports of refugees fleeing their homelands of generations in fear of ISIS, Al Qaeda and other such venturers.  What makes the news out of Kobani of the Syrian Kurdish fighters so different?

The epic battle in Kobani is a page taken right out of the American Revolution over a 230 years ago.  Obviously the details are worlds apart.  However, the heart really isn't that unrelated.  The revolutionary fighters were outmanned and outgunned for much of the war.  I'm sure on many occasion their outlook was bleak.  It was pure divine intervention that George Washington was such a strong and influential leader for these men.  The Kurds are also fighting for their happiness in resisting being under the thumb and threat of ISIS.  It is truly amazing what the heart can accomplish when the will is properly motivated.

Don't get me wrong.  This is a travesty against basic human decency.  It should not and should never happen.  Yet, it is happening and I believe it is for many reasons.  One of those reasons is to serve as an example to the American public of the innate heart that we have but continually deny.  We increasingly reject the compelling power to resist the infractions preventing the pursuit of happiness and justice.  We've become complacent.  With willing blinders we choose to view life's issues through only one lens.  As predicted and prophecized, the waking voice won't make us quake until one day we rise from our beds and realize our rights and liberties have been stripped away.

In relating affect we'll then be under the oppressing thumb of ISIS.

Let us pray that we as Americans and the world at large will take note of the events in Kobani.  Let us learn from the Syrian Kurdish fighters.  Let us learn that in the face of the dragon there is power to conquer.

In the Revolutionary War we received aid from the Spanish, French and the Dutch in the struggle against the Great Britain.  In the short and long run it cost those countries dearly.  Yet, the end result has proved a huge benefit to the entire globe.  Now we must ask ourselves who will come to the aid of the Syrian Kurdish fighters in their struggle against the venturing apes.

Let us never forget........ we are fighting the same war....

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Flood Prevention Awareness of Farmland

Floods affect virtually every part of the United States let alone most of the world.  Homes are destroyed and many lives are lost.  Farmers also take a massive hit.  Recovery for anyone burdened by a flood incurs not only mental anguish but also inflated expense.  There are several techniques that farmers use to lessen the affect of dangerous floods.  One of those is maintaining a fly strip.

No, this is not the kind of fly strip from nostalgic times where a glue strip hung from the ceiling about 3' making it a curious obstacle course to avoid.  Yes, they are still available.  Yet, this fly strip does act in pretty much the same way.  It is a row of trees or a stretch of trees of varied width that runs along a stretch of river.  This stretch helps in several ways in case of a flood.

When water levels surpass flood levels breaching the banks of the river it destroys precious land and weakens natural or designed river beds.  Maintaining a fly strip helps restrict erosion of soil.  This also aids in returning the water to its original course within the natural levees when the waters subside.

Another good use for fly strips is the prevention of debris littering any entire field.  A swath of vegetation and/or trees are great for catching not only logs and brush from natural result of flooding but also man-made rubbish as well.  Plastics, aerosol cans and fabrics wreak havoc on the ecosystems of farmland and fields.  This can kill useful life species as well as suffocate the ground of germination during critical crop growth seasons.

Though we are eons away from preventing all kinds of damage of floods there are some things that we all can do to minimize the results.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Fly Ash a Valuable Byproduct of Coal Burning Combustion

Fly ash for some is an odd term.  It is a byproduct of coal burning that has grown to be of great use in construction.  Up until probably 20 years ago it was mostly given away by coal burning power plants.  It was a burden to discard such immense amounts of this fly ash.  Fly ash or flue-ash is a byproduct produced in the combustion process of coal burning.

Fly ash is captured just prior to exiting the plant through the chimneys.  It has the consistency of talcum powder and has great use in construction.  As a mineral filler it has found its use in road construction and in products involving cement and asphalt.

Fly ash is much more prevalent in some areas of the United States than others.  There are areas where the soil is best suited for crop growth and not necessarily for building on.  In times past and in many instances today the ground has to be worked and settled in order to provide an adequate foundation worthy for constructing on.  Fly ash provides a mineral filler in the cement mixing process that results in a much more durable and pliable grade of cement and asphalt.  This results in a much shorter time in producing not only buildings but also roads.

It is good to see more and more byproducts find its use in other markets.

Friday, October 10, 2014

North Korean Kim Jong Un Gone Walkabout

The Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea is missing.  With virtual blackout conditions with media accuracy of news within North Korea there is only much speculation on the whereabouts of Kim Jong Un.  In the midst of the media frenzy there is one epic best selling probability of where the Supreme Leader might be.

Much speculation is circulating of worsening medical conditions.  Still others say he is the victim of a quiet coup.  Neither renders truth when we factor in the history of this North Korean.  After a long identity crisis in his adolescent years he succumbed to the passions of his comrades in modernizing Pyongyang for the ongoing media blitz while inflicting servitude and destitution among the poor who are shunned from the cities.  He struggled to find happiness in torture.  He even found peace in separating the legs from granddaddy longlegs.  Oh, a poisonous man he became!

In silence he adopted a secret passion as a young man.  Being extremely displeased with his homeland's climate he sought comfort in far away lands.  At the age of 18 and using the famed Internet Service Provider Netscape he came across the hard rock music of the Australian Aborigines and became intrigued.  Being a modern young man he was a lover of online dial up.  Though a simple man of compassion he indoctrinated himself in the Aborigine ways from the confines of his closet.  Not being able to travel to his beloved Australia, Kim Jong Un was not able to partake in the ancient teenage rituals of the Aborigines.  This began a long struggle from within that lasted many years.

In the late Summer of 2014, Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un had a mental breakdown when he used his ultra high powered telescope to view children's balloons floating the skies above Yeoncheon, a South Korean border town.  His super powered webcam atop the Tower of the Juche brought him to the knowledge of a childhood he never had.

In a stunning upset Kim Jong Un fits a mannequin under his bed sheets and scurries to the coastline to rent a kayak bound for Australia.  As of that moment he went Walkabout!

So, gaining his youthful right of passage, though now in his 30s, the Supreme Leader of North Korea is on an Australian Aborigine Walkabout for possibly the next six months.

In the meantime, the mannequin remains....


Two Ideas to Use at the Fitness Center Treadmill

The fitness center is a wonderful tool for weight management and muscle building.  Through perseverance, endurance can be learned and mastered.  A stronger body can be obtained whether on the treadmill, weight bench, rowers and steppers, barbell or any number of other fitness center equipment.

Especially for newcomers to the fitness center results want to be seen sooner rather than later.  They want their numbers to improve overnight.  Although this may be possible for many, for most results can only be seen after improved endurance over a period of time.  I know this since I've been attending out fitness center consistently for about three months now.

I have two suggestions for improved endurance on one piece of equipment.  This is one of the most popular tools for body toning and that is the treadmill.  Now, I am not a runner by any means.  My flat feet make running the treadmill sound like a duck running for its life.  I am antsy and I also expect results.  I can sway my attention from the digital screen for only so long.  When my eyes do wander down I expect good numbers whether it be how far I've gotten or the time in which I got that far.  For my psyche, undesirable numbers tend to pop the steam from my balloon rather immediately.  To help prevent the temptation of looking at the screen I've noticed a couple things that have helped.

  1. Television - Many fitness centers offer cable or satellite television in front of many of their stationary equipment such as treadmills, stair steppers and spinners.  I use this intently for concentration.  As an added reason it is also the only time I can get my fill of world news.  I tend to watch Fox News.  Watching television helps keep your mind in one place while the body is doing something else.  To a minimal degree this disconnects the mind from much of the pain the body is enduring.  As an extension to this idea try turning on the CC or Closed Captioning.  I find this to be really helpful.  Not only does this lessen the burden of noise for others it also increases your concentration exponentially.  Reading requires much more focus than just watching.
  2. Tape - Still, after a while when the idea gets into my head I can feel my brain straining my eyes to look down at my numbers on the treadmill digital screen.  I would suggest applying a piece of masking tape to the screen particularly over the display you are most concerned with.  If you want to avoid the entire screen then initiate the white out operation.  In other words throw a towel over the display.    

It does take time for the mind to be agreeable with the current status of the body.  Getting them both to work in concert together is a daunting task.  Small ideas like this may seem stupid and worthless to many - perhaps even most.  Yet, there are those few out there, like me, who need these simple small ideas to make all the difference in their weight management routine.

Friday, September 12, 2014

Joan Rivers and the Hypocrisy of America

Joan Rivers is considered a beloved comedian by many Americans.  Early on the name Joan Rivers became a worldwide sensation.  Obviously in the world of modern social media any death of a celebrity becomes exponentially inflated in a very short time.  In our pursuit of self actualization, I ask what good will it do to pay reverent homage and vigil for a celebrity when real people die every day right in your community?

I was on the treadmill the other day down at the fitness center.  Low and behold on my news channel they were talking about an investigation into the outpatient care Joan Rivers was getting.  This is crap and I wanted to wretch all over the treadmill!  How low and pathetic to inflate a celebrity death into some kind of martyr ritual or cause for kind and compassionate care.  It was inconceivable to me that the reporters and guests continued without shame or hesitation in the name of "reporting the news".

The woman is dead!  Yet, because of her money we now raise her to a more worthy status.  Thereby, invoking sainthood upon this woman will bring validity and authenticity to the sufferings of millions in similar outpatient care.

It's just crap the direction we've taken.  Just crap!

Thursday, August 21, 2014

ISIS in Iraq, US Southern Border, George Washington and Ferguson, Missouri

The American journalist and war reporter for GlobalPost James Foley was beheaded this week by the cowardice of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) in the Middle East.  Instead of being an epic calamity of proportions of moral superiority it is carpeted on relatively subdued action.  In fact there is much more attention given to the local issue in Ferguson, Missouri than there is in atrocities committed against Americans abroad.  How is it that we've become numb and indifferent to such graphic murders that in President Ronald Reagan's time would've caused a decisive and quick end to such a terrorist organization?  What is there to learn from this?

Since 9/11 Americans have been inundated with images of beheadings and Hitler-like barbaric acts against human beings that defy belief and the very nature of our species.  No doubt it is also a part of human nature to be lessened in outrage with consistent examples of atrocious behavior from extremists before our eyes.  Perhaps Americans need to reacquaint themselves with that part of the innate American spirit that would never allow such things to happen to not only Americans themselves but also the truly oppressed abroad. 

We are Americans and we are better than what we've become.

We human beings are very slow to learn.  One would think that especially after the Jewish Holocaust in the 20th century we would've learned how to prevent or at least not tolerate such actions again.  Now we have Syrian video of people purposely being enslaved and starved in camps.  We now have ISIS in Iraq exterminating and exiling Iraqi Christians to the mountains.  With the induction of the Internet, social media and portable communication devices we are now seeing in real time the ruthless nature of man going on around the world.  

Do we need another George Washington to morally and militarily lead us back to humility and the purity of our American endowed power and authority - and responsibility?

Though domestic events such as the recent Michael Brown in Ferguson are important, it is ever crucial for any sitting President to discern what his level of mantle should address and not address in domestic issues.  His mantle should be last in the line of recognition and spoken disdain.  Unless there is a natural or economic calamity within our borders that affects the whole of this country, the President should resign himself from public statements unless all other channels such as state and local authorities have broken down.  This is key in maintaining order in the United States of America.  This is key in tempering the passions of the people who do not have all the facts in the matter.  The focus of the President of the United States should foremost be on the sovereign protection and prosperity of the United States and the guarding of the Constitution of the United States.  

Briefly getting back to foreign policy, diplomacy can work and can be good in dispelling further killings of our people abroad.  Yet, is there not a point when action must precede diplomacy?  As we've heard in recent years of that imaginary "red line" in the sand being crossed, is not public beheadings and happily admitted murders qualify as such lines?  In response we wait for the rest of the world to act.  They won't - at least not in large part as has been historically proven.  It is our duty to avalanche the murderous from their oppression of the innocent.  Not in pockets of action, but in a decisive move the world cannot deny.  A nation must take a leadership role in instances that are truly black and white - good and evil.

Administration puppets boost votes and approval ratings by turning attention to domestic issues.  They spend millions sending legions of federal agents to investigate into a local case.  This is not to suggest the sustaining of suppressing an important issue, but rather enhancing the justice of it.  Preying on the passions of the people corrupt the nature of any investigation.  Even if an investigation and/or jury finds in defense of Officer Darren Wilson, in the local and broader public eye he will be marked and convicted simply because the highest of authority clear down to the lowest denominator of activists such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have prematurely stuck their nose where is shouldn't be.  This isn't order and serving the greater good of the United States.  This is being paid to prey on the passions of the people whether monetarily, politically or in proxy of someone else and their agenda.

Obviously this post jumped between foreign policy and domestic issues primarily Ferguson, Missouri.  The purpose and intent of this post was to bring awareness to a quiet yet larger problem of proper leadership.  A unique leadership that the United States needs in these perilous times is in likeness of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and even Ronald Reagan.  We are in desperate need of a leader who is willing to stand up and seal the border to Mexico allowing only proper channels for freedom-minded and happiness-minded immigrants.  That should be among the primary duties of the President, especially since the commencing of vocal threats from ISIS to create havoc on U.S. soil and their involvement with the drug cartels in Mexico.  

We have a moral, economic and military responsibility to the world.  It starts by securing the home front first.  When will we receive an exceptional leader that will have the likeness of some of the above-mentioned former Presidents manifested in their speech?  When will we receive a man who will awaken the pure spirit of what an American is in each of us?  

When will we be worthy to receive?

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Will Border Collapse be Prelude to American Dissolution

The border crisis along the Mexico/United States line has similarities with the conflict along the line between Israel and the West Bank.  The southern border of the United States of America is one of those topics and has become explosive in many corners of the nation.  Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants stream across the border from the south.  A bulk of which are children.  Many of these children are sick with Chicken Pox and even Tuberculosis.  The health risk grows in children and adults from many countries.  Not only do we have Mexican, but also Nicaraguan, Honduran, Guatemalan, Costa Rican and even further south.

Many demand to send them back immediately south of the border.  Others say be compassionate and welcome them in.  The politicians opine according to the voter block.  I believe we are making this issue more difficult than it is.  There is a way we can use reason as well as compassion.  In any event, order can only be restored first by securing the border.

History is filled with examples of borders and lines not to be crossed.  It is how peace and order is maintained.  It is how empires govern their peoples.  It determines taxes and social services.  Borders organize the human mind into workable lifestyles.  It is my own personal belief that we all existed with God before our birth.  I believe that Lucifer and his minions were cast out for rebellion thus becoming Satan.  It is also my belief that he and the fallen worked hard to tempt and influence us to follow them.  I believe that those who chose to remain strong with the Father formed lines which couldn't be crossed.  It was the barrier which continues today.  That membrane, those borders we recognize every day protect us and our happiness.

It was recently illustrated in the media that the Statue of Liberty stands as a beacon that welcomes all who wish to enter.  The United States has welcomed people with dreams from all parts of the world among all walks of life.  Yet, in concert and companionship to the Statue of Liberty stands Ellis Island.  This is the place equally famed among people near and far as the gateway into prosperity into the New World.  This is where immigrants penned their name in registration and began the process of becoming new citizens of the United States of America.
Ellis Island
It is a miracle!  It is truly a miracle that the United States hasn't been attacked by individuals and groups who may have pre-planned crossing the southern border.  In many ways we actually have.  It doesn't have to be in style of 9/11 or even Oklahoma City.  We've been suffering an incursion of drugs and gangs as well as an unprecedented taking advantage of the American tax payer in health benefits and welfare.  The United States actually rewards people for illegally entering the most promising nation in the world.  Will this all cause a collapse in social services under the guise of laws deceitfully passed to pacify certain voters?  Yep!

One of the prime objectives of Israel, and by extension the IDF (Israel Defense Force) is the destruction of all tunnels leading underground from the West Bank or Gaza Strip into Israel.  These tunnels are used by Palestinian Hamas supporters to smuggle weapons and to launch ambush attacks on Israel.  This infringement on the sovereignty of Israel is not too unlike what the United States is experiencing with it's Mexican border:

  1. Yes, there is bloodshed though not to the extend taking place in Gaza and along the 1950 Armistice Line.  Border Patrol Agents as well as illegals are dying in skirmishes and violence outbreaks.
  2. Drugs and weapons are being smuggled from Mexico into parts of Texas, California and New Mexico.  Heroine, cocaine, marijuana and other exotic toxins are being funneled into the United States in frightening quantities.
  3. Gangs and criminals commit incursion into the United States for the express purpose of harm toward it's citizens.  Our prisons are overrun!  Lighter sentences and even arrests without incarceration is exercised throughout the U.S.  
  4. Though it may not be the case in Israel, tunnels from the Mexican border are also used for prostituting and slaving young females and males to U.S. buyers.  This is a billion dollar industry and many poor and destitute families are willing to sacrifice a young child for the few dollars or rations to feed the family.
  5. Illegal immigration and unlawful crossing of the borders pose an imminent threat against the United States just as in Israel.  To deny a clear danger or imminent threat to American lives from the collapse of the border is to have literal closed eyes.  It is to say it is dark when the sun is at noonday.  
The character, or lack of, of our elected officials in Washington is completely un-American.  They've chosen not to work for the greater interest of the American public.  They've chosen not to listen to their constituents and the outcries of their posterity.  Here we have all 5 points listed above taking place on southern border and the Senate elects to take a hiatus.  This is wrong!

We have got to wake up.  There is no way a prosperous moral nation can survive with open borders without any accountability or registration process.  It is physically impossible!  The risks are not only too great but - inevitable.

On a final note there is a generational danger in undocumented illegals.  We are in the midst of an unprecedented awakening of family history.  Searching for family members and family lines are among the top related searches on the Internet.  People want to know who they are and the scores of whom they are the culmination of.  Hundreds of thousands donate untold numbers of hours without monetary compensation to index names.  What is indexing?  Indexing is the process by which physical records, whether paper or microfiche, is interpreted and arbitrated through a second hand before it is permanently loaded searchable on the Internet.  These records are census, war and a host of other kinds of records including immigration.  

Identifying your family line is imperative.  It can help you understand your own medical history.  It gives you access to photos and stories that contribute to who you are.  Especially with these kids being sent over the border, don't you think they may someday want to search for their roots in their own inevitable journey of self identification?  There is a deeper and more meaningful reason behind being documented than just being able to be taxed.  

To be documented is to be opportuned to acquire that integrity that enables one to thrive nobly in society, and to invoke fond dignity from their ancestors as one magnifies their own family lines.  It isn't inhumane to enforce documentation of immigrants.  It is a service which we have cannot comprehend the full benefits of.

Friday, August 1, 2014

Islam Established Caliphate Iraq and Middle East

It is a dangerous excursion into genocide, holocaust and outright extermination that mankind has taken over the past 100 years.  Whether Jew or Gentile, the threat is and has been real dependent on which year it is.  The 20th century on into the 21 have proven wondrous by way of medicine and technology yet grotesque in the treatment of other races and faiths.  The Jewish Holocaust was a gruesome display of what man can do to another.  Though as of yet not as brutal, Christians around the globe are being targeted for expulsion and death - especially in Iraq and the Middle East.

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Islamic extremists have been dealt with far too much as fellow diplomats.  Those with only hatred in their hearts cannot be reasoned with or trusted.  They cannot be relied on to promote and represent the common good of the people.  They will kill, and they will do it in belief of going to heaven if they do it.  It is truly a mutilation of basic human reasoning that has become a severe handicap over the past 100 years.

These extremists want to erect a caliphate state or a state ruled under an Islamic religious and political leader.  They are producing such with a foundation of terror, death, intolerance and ethnic cleansing.  Sure..... that's a great way to ensure a prosperous and happy future for the people of that state.  These extremists are so terminally short-sighted that I only ask one thing.  What then after you've established a bonafied "caliphate" state?

There are no productive plans.  In all reality, when the land has been purged of all faiths other than their own they will end up sitting on their thumbs not knowing what to do or how to prosper their people.

It is amazing how with all our human "progress" we are still Neanderthals in our treatment with each other.

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Israel and Palestinian Cease Fire

The land of Israel is a turbulent one.  The Palestinians in Gaza have a much different take on the future of Jerusalem and the entire region than does the Israelis.  At least this is true for the Hamas which has taken control of the Palestinian authority.  How else should the Jewish land of Israel react to decades of threats and violence?

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We can argue Middle East history till dawn and beyond but what cannot be disputed is the fact that the Jewish people have been under constant threat of annihilation for thousands of years.  It is true that the nations have converged against Israel.  If you were a trapped animal wouldn't your survival instincts take over?  It's the same here only the Israeli people still put their faith in that Higher Power to sustain them and to justify them in the end.

There is a point of "enough is enough" and the pursuit of engaging the enemy must and should progress till the end.  In any conflict there will be innocent casualties.  HOWEVER, let us not forget which side uses their own people as shields not only to protect their own weapons but also to gain global sympathy.  Let's not forget that as the world readily condemns Israel for the massive amounts of innocent dead.  Let us not forget!

Being of the tribe of Manasseh I am proud to have the association of Israel.  The Palestinian people are blessed as well but the world needs to understand that we all have the right to survive as long as we covenant to coexist in peace.  Being all our planet, those who cannot sustain the foundation of coexistence should be suppressed in their expansion of terrorism and moral decay.

The Hamas tunnels are an imminent threat toward Israel.  The operation of Israel's offensive is to render mute these tunnels.  It is my belief that Israel has the right, and obligation to it's people, to expand their offensive until the mission is declared finished.

I am all for the cease fires that have and continue to take place.  It should be used by both sides as an opportunity to reflect on the right course of action not for the present but rather for the long term.  It is to bury the dead with dignity and tend to the lame and infirm.  It is to assess the future of both peoples.  Will the cease fire hold in the end.  Probably not any time soon.  The religious extreme and anti-Semitism is strong and has a foundation on many people.  To learn to coexist is to have a personal conversion to a light they've never known.

Hoorah Israel is my take, but hoorah true peace is my hope and prayer.

Friday, July 4, 2014

Slovakia Eastern Europe: Destruction or Destiny

Parts of Eastern Slovakia suffered a devastating forestry loss during a storm in the first part of 2014.  Its estimated that 40% of the landmass of Slovakia is forest.  As evidence, the economy suffered and recovery is slow.  Two separate storms within a week both wreaked havoc with extremely rare wind velocities.  Slovakia borders Ukraine on the east, Poland on the north and Hungary on the south.  All the media attention was centered on Vladimir Putin and the Russian aggression into Crimea and the Eastern Ukraine.  Death and destruction there in Ukraine paled the natural events in Slovakia's weather.

Surprisingly less damage was placed in the lower valleys of the former Czechoslovakia.  The economic and natural disaster occurred in the higher elevations of the hills and mountains.  Hundreds of thousands of trees blown over dot the view in huge swaths of land.  A delegation from Shenandoah, Iowa observed the devastation to the landscape in Tisovec, Slovakia.  There will be no facts and figures in this post but an interesting thought to be shared.  This thought derives and is inspired by the scenes viewed of entire acreages laid waste that was once lush with green vegetation.
In a couple of heavy duty vehicles we set out on a trek up the mountainside with a local Forestry Director as our guide.  We stopped on the road not long into our journey.  In awe we pulled out our cameras and captured the ruin by the roadside.  It was easy to empathize with the feelings and concerns of the local residents.  One may think, as I did, that this event would be good for the department.  My thinking was that the trees are now brought down that eventually would need to be.  The Forestry controls the wood supply to the community and promotes future growth in a rotation schedule just as many farmers in the States do with corn, wheat and soybeans.  Instead of being a good thing this wound up a calamity in logistics.  This storm further upset the rotation and blocked important roadways for their work.  The storm had an adverse affect on an already troubled forest.
Trees uprooted straight from the ground and laid over.
When we had an up close look I marveled how the trees were wholly uprooted and laid over.  So much so that I asked if the trees were mechanically pulled up for safety reasons from the crippling affect of the storm.  No, the trees went straight over without any help from man.  It wasn't until the next day that I learned an important truth about the trees here in the Tisovec area and about man in general.  A parable if you will.

The next day a couple of us went out with another gentleman whose livelihood deals in trees and forestry as well.  He explained further the problems facing the forestry here and the infestation taking place.  Many of these trees are being plagued with dangerous insects like bark beetles and diseases.  It was explained that up until a hundred years ago the native Birch tree was used in all wood purposes whether it be heating or building.  Around that time the Spruce was introduced.  The Spruce grew just as tall as the Birch and provided an added resource.  However, nature seems to have fought back.  The Spruce roots do not go deep in the rocky ground of Slovakia.  Though tall this also makes the tree very unstable.  This is part of the reason why so many trees seemed to be uprooted  from the storm.  Their roots didn't go deep and were susceptible to the wind.  Unlike the native Birch the Spruce doesn't provide the elasticity to sway with the Slovakian winds.  Evidently, this intrusive introduction of the Spruce has brought the modern problems of insects and disease.

This learning experience brought me to reflection.  In pondering this parable of life it was clear that I was supposed to come at this particular time to learn and bring back certain lessons to the United States.  We have a growing problem in the United States and that is in personal identity and moral decay.  Too many are mutilating their minds and bodies in an outcry effort to have an identity.  Lost in the crowd and the grays of confusion many of our young and middle age seek out artificial individuality.  Regardless of popular belief I know this to be evident in the spike of body piercings, tattoos and other activities that enslave the mind like Internet gaming.  What we lack is a firm foundation that provides man stability and a lasting happiness.

Every generation has its own unique opposing problems to conquer.  This generation doesn't suffer the pains of physical labor like our ancestors or the engineering skills to map out a nuclear bomb shelter.  This generation's obstacles suppress and fog those activities and principles that generations past have utilized to gain a firm footing in life.  Our fathers and mothers, authors of our lineage, used family traditions, religious values and honesty as their compass.  If they were without wisdom they at least knew how to seek it.

Our people today thirst after that which matters most to their inner being.  Yet, they fail to find the will to search for it.  To fill this vast void, unhappiness finds alternate Band-aid quick fixes to satisfy their self worth.  It is true that this is folly because they have no comprehension of what these permanent "fixes" will do to them in the long term.  Adverse powers tell the mind to seek immediate satisfaction.

This journey into the perils of the Slovak forest was a visual parable depiction of the storms of life.  If we lose hope and fail to provide strong roots for our being we will be at the mercy of the smallest of change in the wind.  We will not have the better chance to stand like the native Birch, but one-by-one we will fall because our small roots did not provide a sure foundation in the rocky terrain of life.

The gentleman on this second day in the forest said that its not destruction what took place here but destiny.  Storms will come and go, and what we have done to ourselves and the land provide the destiny that storm gives us.  There will always be clean-up and moving on.  Those activities are a part of life, yet equally as important is learning the lessons from the tempests that plague us.

When you have acquired your foundation and after the storm passes then you can ask yourself - is it destruction or destiny?

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Holocaust from Budapest: A Journal Entry From Their Footsteps

Have you lived through the Holocaust?  Have you been schooled in what its all about?  Have you visited a Holocaust memorial or museum?  Do you know of the atrocious nature of the Nazis and the Russians at the time?  Your answer to these questions are an accurate gauge of your true understanding of the plight of the Jewish experience during World War ll and even thereafter.

I recently had the opportunity to visit Tisovec, Slovakia on City business.  Our plane came in and out of Budapest, Hungary.  We stayed the last couple days prior to our departure plane in Budapest.  I had the grand and somber occasion to visit two separate Holocaust memorials.  I hold to the fact that one cannot leave either building with smiles or even happy thoughts.

The first building we visited is the Terror Haza or commonly termed the House of Terror.  It is the actual building where Nazi and later Russian fascists interrogated, tortured and even murdered Jewish citizens whom they purposely deemed and framed as vagrants and resistors.  It was first used in 1944 by the Hungarian Arrow Cross Party.  Each floor deepened the empathy in each visitor for those souls who suffered cruel indignity and death.  It's interesting that the curriculum we are taught elsewhere in the world including the United States pales in thorough information that is only known through going to those places.  I did not know the depth of the twisted nature of the evil regimes of the Nazis, Russians and factions such as the Hungarian Arrow Cross Party.  In fact, to learn of history from a different land can only bond you to the actual event only so far.  But, to walk the very city, to walk the very footsteps of millions of doomed men, women and children is most humbling indeed.  Doing so cannot be compared to.
House of Terror
As with all dictatorships and rise of liberty-stripped populations the empires start with small seemingly insignificant events.  The Jewish community was industrious, happy and included many business leaders.  Out of hate and fear the Arrow Cross restricted their prosperity, and eventually instituted policies regarding the very nature of man including procreation between a Jew and a non-Jew.  Then this now isolated people had to wear the Yellow Star of David.  The categorization of this people had already begun.

Officers at the House of Terror quickly became known as masters of life and death.  In infamy the address 60 Andrassy Boulevard became.  The knot in the noose of fear and terror housed the horrors of what men can possibly do to another from 1944 through 1957.

The other building was the Holocaust Memorial Center.  It also was very somber.  It listed several torture techniques that is unconscionable to even fair minded human beings.  There are reports of crushing a man's testicles and crushing a woman's uterus as a token and an assurance that a Jew cannot procreate.  My Holy God!  The dredging feeling in the heart is wrenching.  Also disturbing was individual life stories being told.  Many stories of couples and families happy and prosperous one day and in the camps the next.  You see pictures of happy couples smiling and in love.  It was difficult to see such happiness and to already know their demise in such short few days, months or years.  The lasting symbol tribute to the Holocaust victims was the Tree of Life outside the Holocaust Memorial Center.
The Tree of Life
It was difficult indeed to comprehend especially with the connection I personally have with the departed.  The experience forces the organization of the mind into deep reflection.  I left the building and returned to a fast-paced busy world of Budapest.  I watched as people walked to and fro and drove like mad men (as is custom in Budapest) to their respective destinations.  Many are used to the Holocaust memorials in their midst.  Many are oblivious to them and express their disinterest.  I marvel how we as a people can forget and fail to humble ourselves to such events that took place literally not even 60 years ago.

As far as God and human events are concerned I believe two things.  God allows things to happen or God invokes or causes things to happen.  It is clear that those dark years were allowed to happen.  If something is allowed to happen then we are to learn from it.  Right?  As I reflect as people went about their business I have to ask myself - are we or have we learned?

History marks the way.  That which is failed to be learned is doomed to happen again.  9.75 out of every 10 persons would say that such things can never happen again.  It is impossible with our modern sense of morality and technology.  Yet, I bet the populous thought the very same thing in 1935.

I am here to tell you that it can happen again.  With our technology and might I foresee such an event happening swift, quick and on such a widespread scale that will shadow even the fiery chambers of the death camps.  May we ever learn the lessons of the Holocaust and hold sway the adverse forces that seek it.

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Rocky Mountain Oysters an American Delicacy

At the risk of sounding irreverent I must step in and post my thoughts on this.  Rocky Mountain Oysters are seemingly a delicacy especially shined in the United States.  Before a month ago I didn't know what they were.  When I heard the term I assumed them to be regular oysters that somehow came from the Rocky Mountains.  Notta!  As I was processing a special request for a customer, revelation came across my desk that such delicacies can only be manifest from the testicles of primarily beef, pork or turkey herds.  Needless to say I was in shock and sat in my chair in utter nauseated disbelief .


Now when I was a young boy, my family lived next to a farm for a few years just outside a very small town of Avoca, Nebraska.  I did have the grand opportunity to view the castration of swine or pigs.  I don't recall the term "Rocky Mountain Oysters", yet I do remember the consummate finality of the process and the sheer sympathy for the pain.  It's one of those epic moments in a young man's life that sticks with you especially if it's not an everyday occurrence.

Rocky Mountain Oysters seem to be more of a taste for the more masculine of the human species.  I special ordered these "family jewels" for a client that swears her husband and his friends love them.  She will not touch them or even cook them.  Note: she is a very accomplished chef.  Though talented in the preparation of formal dining she is repulsed by Rocky Mountain Oysters - no matter where they originated.

Now, I have the utmost respect for the American cowboy and ranchers from which many attribute this succulent dish has gained popularity.  I applaud the use of as much of an animal as is possible if it must be killed or slain.  However, there just seems to be something sacrilegious about it.  Perhaps its the pain or the intended original use - I'm just not sure.  As I ponder this universal question of "why", I know in my heart that them oysters shall not be processed through my system.

Saturday, May 31, 2014

How to Lose Weight in a Formal Suit for Men

"Lose weight fast" is always a great gimmick.  The infamous "before, after, before, after" advertisement in the mirror makes you drool.  There are even miracle pills, wraps and lotions claiming to shrink your waist size and make you more attractive.  Agreeably, since we all have different metabolisms and bodies one may work for you and not for another - even including the scam potions.  I will tell you a few various ways to forego the gym shorts and the foil sweat pants, and acquire the slender you while in your formal suit.  Granted, this works best if you are often in a suit, for instance, church or white collar occupations.

Having wore a suit for most of my earthly Sundays and on-and-off through the week I've acquired some insights of losing weight and improving overall health.  Here are three techniques that you can initiate at home, church or the workplace:

  1. Anxiety - If you are wearing a suit it may be for a reason you are not used to.  It may be a wedding, funeral or even a plain church service.  Against all better advice I'd recommend that you make it a habit to conjure up extreme anxiety whenever you put on the suit.  Perhaps you are afraid of weddings or funerals make you too somber.  Going to church might manifest the "wrath of God" and strike you down for your sins.  Whatever the reason may be, you'll find that it is a great source of regularity, thereby flushing your body of all impurities.  As a disclaimer just make sure restroom facilities are readily available.
  2. Wear a tie - You may have a puzzling look right now.  How can wearing a tie make me lose weight?  There are all kinds of ties out there.  You can choose one according to your character and personality.  You can wear grandpa's old rusty tie from 1762 or a modern one with cartoons on it.  Whatever you choose you want to make sure it is tied correctly and properly.  The key to losing weight is in making sure it is tied tight.  That way when you sit down you run a good possibility of passing out.  Hence, passing out equals no food intake = weight loss.
  3. Good shoes - Ah, yes, nothing expresses a suave man as a nice pair of formal shoes.  They come in great colors as black, tan, burgundy and even navy blue.  Formal shoes don't have the traction as cleats or tennis shoes.  This is a plus for our weight loss endeavors.  As you stroll on the sidewalk take the opportunity to jog or have an all out run.  The absence of sole traction increases your possibility of falling by at least 72%.  This is also good, and puts you on the track further than anything Richard Simmons could provide.  As you snatch that 72% and fall, it is good to learn the rolling technique.  Doing so may prevent damage to your awesome suit.  Anyway, what does falling cause?  It causes you to go through the agony of getting back up.  The process of falling and getting up can result in burning countless calories for you.  Who knows, maybe even up to 120 calories per fall depending on your portliness.  
This post is not designed to make fun of anyone overweight except myself.  Though I am not grossly overweight or obese I do have some portliness - or "porkliness" as the case may be.  If we cannot learn to laugh at ourselves then what is the point of living at all?  Don't take offense to these light-hearted words that are only meant to bring levity to a harrowing plight for many of us.



Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Retribution Honor Killing for Faith and Love Marriage

Many nations in the Middle East continue to practice archaic traditions including honor killing.  Modern technology has given way to a whole host of new ideas and ideologies to everyone around the world.  Human rights and by extension women's rights have opened doors to vast numbers and has threatened centuries of traditions.  In consequence this has resulted in the death of many women.

Honor killing is what they call it when a family murders one of their own to protect the honor of the family.  Obviously this is inflicted overwhelmingly on women.  In many of these countries arranged marriages are the norm and are strictly adhered to by traditionalists.  Just like Islamic extremism, to go outside those pronounced boundaries can cost you your life.  Though concentrated in South Asia and the Middle East the practice exists all around the world.  Estimations are upwards of 20,000 women each year losing their life due to homicide at the hands of their own family.  If a young woman chooses on her own to marry a man because she loves him and does so outside the consent of the family she reaps the consequence of severe affliction.

Honor killing fallback reasons include homosexuality, sexual misconduct outside of marriage, marriage outside the consent of the family, refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, participating in public life especially propagating women's initiatives, inappropriate dress and even being a victim of rape.  Needless to say that the "art" of honor killing denies basic human rights, recompense, agency of choice and the ability to live within those choices.  In essence, to superficially protect the family honor all faith in the pursual of personal happiness is null and void.

Let us keep in mind that many of these nations have "adopted" legal processes "designed" to protect the rights of women.  Most likely this is purely for the image seen by the world and not because of actual government adoption of human rights.  To be seen as protecting the rights of all citizens invites the aid and funds from other countries especially from the United States of America.  They will actually turn a blind eye to these traditions as long as its not a public display.  The link above is the exception as it was a public display thus prompting the legal process to save face of Pakistan.  The legal process will seem more bold in this instance up until the media dies down.  Once it does, mark my words, judgement will pass to dismiss the case or place a small fine upon the family.

Governments can get in on the action as well.  As a show of force and unwavering extremism they will trump up charges against women to protect the edicts of the central faith of that country.  Such is the case with Meriam Yahya Ibrahim, a Sudanese woman.  A woman who marries a Christian, converts to Christianity and is heavy with child is sentenced to death but only after nursing her child for two years.  In the meantime she must endure 100 lashes.  This practice is such BS!  I wholly understand that such traditions are a mindset in these cultures and is a normal practice, but these are the kinds of things that engaging simple civility should extract people from.

Women and men here in the United States cry "inequality!" in their daily life as Americans.  Take one look at the recluse life women have to endure in many other countries and then look at your own prideful heart.  Gee, perhaps there are people out there in much more peril than you.  Perhaps this is a call to reach out even more in our humanity.  We need to teach people of human happiness and that it can be achieved.  We need to extend that as an option and invitation to those who hide in the shadows of their own blood.

Could it be that by looking beyond ourselves we can change our own lives by helping to change the world?

It may be difficult to compare honor killing with women's rights, but there are places out there where the latter leads to the former.  Using personal judgement and choice to marry out of your love for another is a right assumed by those who feel the ancient pressures of strict traditions.  I only pray that the world will take a more civilized approach toward the personal choice of their citizens and families.  If you feel such brutal and gruesome practices need to be vanquished then what will you do?  What will you do?

Monday, May 26, 2014

Dental Bitewing X-ray a Royal Oral Pain

Going to the dentist is very important.  It has been proven that regular dental checkups are directly tied to your overall health.  A dental exam is among the top visits that instigate a recoil affect on the patient or prospective patient.  It is seen as a horror even among many regular patients.  This is one of the main reasons teeth and overall oral condition deteriorates exponentially within the populous.  This post is short so it is not a "how to" or even an educational tool.  I have a pet peeve about dental visits.

Several years ago I went to see a dentist.  It was the first in many years.  I was told I had periodontal disease and I took it very hard.  I imagined my jaw falling off within a year followed up with maggots making a home in my face.  It was not what I wanted to hear.  However, I was told that regular visits can halt and even improve the condition.  From that point on I've been religiously tending to my dental checkups every six months.  It's probably going on a decade now.

Everybody knows that it isn't "normal" to have foreign objects of metal, let alone someone else's hands, inside your mouth.  For many the thought is equal to sticking a live electric wire inside your mouth while the dentist and the aides dance around you like ravenous wolves.  Do we gleefully walk into a den of wolves and expect good news?  I say nay.  Like a snake we flinch and retreat into our comfort zone.  In other words we curl up in fetal position and suck our thumbs.

Don't you love watching the approach toward the infestation of bacteria and plaque that's nestled in the oral abyss?  Do you cringe in you mind as you know they are reaching for that one spot that gives you trouble?  You know in your mind that eventually their sorcery with the metal hook will snag that sweet spot of nerve and send you into an eternal orbit.  Yet, when all is said and done, and after a few therapy sessions with a psychologist, you feel better that you've gone.
Nasty! Note, this is not my teeth. I wasn't that far gone.
These things still affect me as well, but for some unseen reason there is one aspect of the dental visit that irks me the most.  Once a year I am reminded that I am due for x-rays and if I'd like to have them done.  Being a loyal student of future happiness I always oblige.  What annoys me to a mildly painful degree is biting down on the x-ray bitewing.  Not only do you feel like a cyborg whose body has been violated, but you have something in your mouth that is totally non-oral friendly.

I just got back from a dental visit and wanted to share my plight with the world.  May your shaky dentist inflict your roots with rusty jagged tools.  May you do so with the open knowledge that you willingly subjected your self to it.

That last part was just for humor.  Actually, I encourage you to achieve the effort to visit the dentist office regularly.  You will feel better.  There may be a lot of work at first and it may require several visits in a short amount of time.  Have the vision though that it will be all worth it.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

National Debt to Islam Extremism as Reagan Without Script

From the United States President Barack Obama clear back to the Founding we've seen immense occasions of scripted addresses.  Over the years toward the present they've been increasingly empty, and without inspiration both for the speaker as well as the people listening.  Historically, sitting U.S. Presidents have been termed "leaders of the free world."  I believe there is so much more to that phrase than rotting it with empty scripts.  Every word should be bold.  Every word should command attention.  Every word should show resolve.  Every word - should count.

Most often leaders court the camera.  They fear vocally mistaking their words.  They fear every question they are unprepared for as equally as they do the misplaced follicle of hair.  To me it seems to have manifest from the era of President John F. Kennedy and continued onward as a staple to the Presidency.  Though they seemingly have perfected the art of oration they lack the substance thereof.  Much beyond the content a leader must be able to speak from the heart.  Listen to the difference in tone and conviction.

Listen to an address by then Governor Ronald Reagan.  He did use scripted addresses but was among the top who at times did not.  This entire address is classic but 2:18 - 2:25 is of particular interest and describes most of us today.  Reagan had a way of connecting to the heart of the American as well as the countless in other countries around the globe.  He commanded respect as he commanded the elements of truth.  Today, leaders bypass the heart and head straightway to appease the mind or public sentiment.

In my own experience it is knowledge that dictates influence over the hearts and minds of the people.  It takes confidence and a determination to preach your point.  As an early ecclesiastical speaker I relied heavily on my addresses all scripted out in neatly printed form.  Though my words were eloquent they still did not pack the same "punch" as an address prepared from the heart.  I tried an experiment.  I studied in very particular subject matters so that I would be well prepared when conversing with another or in a more formal speaking engagement.  I found that if you give your full attention to the audience you will be able to express your heartfelt desires through your researched knowledge.

Its no revelation that you lose most of your audience when you look at your script.  However, in the above referenced video Governor Reagan sought out the hearts of the people.  He knew his stuff and felt the need to warn the people.  He took no word processed address.  He used no teleprompters.  He only took his knowledge, courage and heart and presented a powerful oration to the American people.

Knowledge, courage and heart are the qualities every true leader hangs his faith on.  A leader is willing to hold tight to the rope believing in rescue though suspended over fire.  A true leader piddles not over petty papers with words probably scripted FOR him, but rather learns and studies and focuses his passions for the betterment of the people above his own.

We've had Americans murdered in Benghazi, Libya with no attempted recourse for justice upon the heads of the perpetrators.  We have Russia reclaiming sovereign lands at will without being challenged or stood up to.  We have the government staking firm vast lands for the claimed sake of protecting gecko turds or some other "off the wall" cause.  We have a government happily willing to bolster foreign militaries while dismantling our own.  We have an American pastor by the name of Saeed Abedini who has been tortured in the regime state of Iran for the past two years.  I say to you where is the leadership!

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Christian Pastor Suffers Torture in Iran Hospital

A recent report from the capture and detaining of American Pastor Saeed Abedini brings to light the depravity of man's compassion and outlook on the life of another.  Due the mere proselyting efforts of this pastor in his homeland Iran he has been detained for two years now.  Though Christianity, let alone the evangelizing thereof, is illegal and forbidden in Iran the lecherous clutches of Islamic extremism promotes the continued beating and torture of Christians.  A step further, legal and encouraged, even the murder of Christians altogether.
SAEED ABEDINI CONVERSION
There are many who say that Saeed Abedini reaped what he sowed by willingly and knowingly going into enemy territory of Christianity.  On the surface I would agree.  However, this is not a simple case of deportation, warning or slap on the wrist.  This is outright ongoing torture!  It is apparent that these perverse souls are beating Pastor Abedini to within an inch of his life only to do it again when "almost" recovered.  This is perversion and gaining arousing pleasure from the usurped power over another in its most basic form.

In a recent report the family was actually permitted to visit Saeed in a private Iranian hospital.  As in this report they witnessed him pulled from his hospital bed, beaten and hauled back into prison.  Such fiend action - in a hospital!  After two years where is the leadership and where is the outrage?

Regardless of where he came from this is still American the United States.  Remember, this nation derived from immigrants and peoples from all lands, colors and creeds.  We are to welcome and hail those still continuing to search for a better life here in the States.  As one who has taken the Oath with the arm to the square he is entitled to all the privileges and rights of an American citizen.  With that in mind would we sit back for two years if a sitting United States President was detained by morally corrupt and brutal imps?
ADDRESS ON RESOLVING DIFFERENCES Start 12:10 - 13:20
Also recently, blogger Raef Badawi knowingly and willfully built a site with an agenda to spread awareness and criticize a system of government where religion reigns within the government of Saudi Arabia.  So far I have sided against Mr. Badawi because the law is being carried out.  Law that should have been expected.  The law includes lashes and imprisonment.  Though most other parts of the world including the United States condemn such extreme measures it should hardly be surprising when one is charged and the law is carried out in such instances.  In this case, yes, regardless of how noble the cause is he did reap what he sows.  It would be different if there were reports of repeated beatings and torture beyond any legal process or law.

We as a civilization have a long way to go in accepting diversity in the world.  Even more the cancer is the degrading responsibility of moral and even military leadership.  Countries and tyrants need a mantle to look toward for inspiration as well as fear.  President Ronald Reagan led the world in transforming the Soviet Union into a nation more receptive to capitalist and human rights.  How would Reagan handle the brutal persecution of a U.S. citizen being tortured in an Iranian prison?

The above video is representative of the kind of leadership that would stand up to tyrants and free a simple Christian pastor even Saeed Abedini.

Friday, May 23, 2014

Water Boarding Upgrade

Deep in the secret government headquarters in sub-floor 47.5 b new experimental forms of torture are invented and made manifest through human testing.  There are gruesome examples of twisted techniques that maim and dehumanize even the common man.  What tortures can you think of?  Whatever you can come up with I guarantee there are more inflictive ones conjured up by entities in "high" places.

Black and white torture is used in retrieving prisoner information.  That is not a racist comment.  Black torture are forms of physical magnifications of pain.  White torture are psychological affecting the mind often in permanent ways.  What's important is that we should scarcely separate the two.

For the most part this was meant to be a light-hearted post about using "watching paint dry" as a legitimate form of white torture.