Don't Give Up!

By John Kubicek

In the last few days, I felt like I was in a rut. It was like all I do is go to work and then come home to the same old things, more or less. There's the dishes to do, laundry, cooking my supper, taking care of my dog Moochie and my cat RC, check and respond to email, occasionally doing a little cleaning or working out in the yard, and running errands every now and then. However, before you think I live a very dull life, I should let you now that isn't all I do. In fact, I do a lot more than that, and it is the extra projects that I'm working on that seemed to be making me feel like I was just spinning my wheels in life. Please allow me to explain.

Since the latter part of the previous century, I was seeing a very frightening trend in America where too many Americans were becoming amazingly complacent about the meaning of "the land of the free," and where this country was headed. It seemed to me that people were too willing to allow the government to become their nanny, and that we were no longer able to do things for ourselves. Personal responsibility for our own lives was being relegated to the dust bins of history, because it was expected that the government (Federal, state and local) would take care of our problems. And meanwhile, moral decay has been taking a firmer grip on society; not just in America, but everywhere in the world.

When I first started learning of the things that were going on, there were no personal computers or the Internet. In order for me to help spread the word about what was happening, I was dependent on personal and group vocal presentations and sharing audio cassette tapes,and eventually VCR tapes and CD's. On January 1, 2000, I started my website, johnny2k.com. A couple of years later, I got my forums going. My whole purpose was to be able to spread the idea of Freedom. My original focus began with trying to spread financial freedom by taking advantage of the good old free enterprise system. That's right, good ol' capitalism.

Along came the Internet. First, everyone set themselves up with an email account. Many of the more tech-savvy people out there then discovered the domain names they could get to have an "online presence." It didn't take long after that for people to discover forums, chat rooms, blogs, and now the social websites. I was one of those people, though usually a year or two behind the initial waves. Hey, but at least I do it now!

It wasn't long before I discovered that information dispersal was absolutely dependent on information retrieval. Well, no problem. I turned myself into a news junkie. I'm actually overwhelmed with the amount of information that I can consume in a short amount of time. And the fact is, despite my efforts, I can not possibly share all that I learn with the masses like I would want to. There doesn't seem to be enough time.

Clearly, when you think about all the others that are out there in cyberspace, there are a lot of players competing for the hearts and minds, and especially the eyes, of the potential audience - consumers - of the ideas that they desire to promote. And, I am one of them in the competition. That's where the problem began. I was aware of the fact that I am just a crumb amongst all of those out there. That revelation was damaging, as feeling like a little bitty crumb in the scheme of things meant that I could spend the rest of my life in obscurity and being limited to the obscenely meager income of my current job.

I have to admit, I was experiencing the reality of any of my hopes and dreams being crushed like Obama did to a fly. I honestly have to confess that I was wondering if there was any reason to keep on fighting. But then, last night, a good friend on twitter and blip.fm shared a great song with me. You can see the video to the song followed by the lyrics below:

Lyrics to, "Don't give up"
Sung by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush

In this proud land we grew up strong
We were wanted all along
I was taught to fight, taught to win
I never thought I could fail

No fight left or so it seems
I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
Ive changed my face, Ive changed my name
But no one wants you when you lose

Dont give up
cos you have friends
Dont give up
Youre not beaten yet
Dont give up
I know you can make it good

Though I saw it all around
Never thought I could be affected
Thought that wed be the last to go
It is so strange the way things turn

Drove the night toward my home
The place that I was born, on the lakeside
As daylight broke, I saw the earth
The trees had burned down to the ground

Dont give up
You still have us
Dont give up
We dont need much of anything
Dont give up
cause somewhere theres a place
Where we belong

Rest your head
You worry too much
Its going to be alright
When times get rough
You can fall back on us
Dont give up
Please dont give up

got to walk out of here
I cant take anymore
Going to stand on that bridge
Keep my eyes down below
Whatever may come
And whatever may go
That rivers flowing
That rivers flowing

Moved on to another town
Tried hard to settle down
For every job, so many men
So many men no-one needs

Dont give up
cause you have friends
Dont give up
Youre not the only one
Dont give up
No reason to be ashamed
Dont give up
You still have us
Dont give up now
Were proud of who you are
Dont give up
You know its never been easy
Dont give up
cause I believe theres the place
Theres a place where we belong

I guess we could say that this song hit the nail on the head. it was just what I needed to hear (and read). It taught me something. It's okay being just one of the crumbs. In fact, it also told me that while I may be just a crumb, it's important for me to keep doing what I'm doing, and hopefully touching one more person. That's it. That's all. But remember, we're NOT alone. There's a place where we belong. I'm not giving up!

UPDATE (a few minutes after I posted this on my blog):
This blog was not just for my benefit, though it helped. It was for you. It is my prayer that when you saw and heard the above video, and read the lyrics, that big ol' tears would be rolling down your face as I experienced. We must remember from this song, "Don't Give Up," WE ARE NOT ALONE! And yeah, I could really use a big hug right now, too!

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The Commercial You Will Never See Again

By John Kubicek

The video from jokecrib on Youtube.com takes me back to when I was a kid and there were commercials on TV that haven't been allowed for many, many years, for cigarettes. Some of them were the best ever commercials. I loved the Marlboro Man... Or, remember this one? "I'd rather fight than quit" (Terryton).

You see, those ads worked in my case. And that is not necessarily a good thing, for obvious reasons. I hate to ruin your day, but the sad truth is that I am still addicted to cigarettes. I've been hooked for many years, and it all started when I was just a kid, watching those cigarette ads.

I am all for First Amendment rights and free enterprise, but there are times when the government has to step in if it is found that a commercial is for a hazardous product or service. In the case of the commercials for cigarettes, the mandate to make the tobacco companies stop advertising on TV came way too late.

Somebody just alerted me to the following video, which is what got this rant started. I decided that if I was going to share it with you, I needed to make sure you knew that I wished that I had never started smoking to begin with.

It's just what they do (so consider the source!)

By John Kubicek

You know when you are winning, in the great battle for hearts and minds, when the other side has to lower themselves to the point of having to demean their opponents. And one more time, as would be expected, a liberal has to try to call the Governor of Alaska "dumb". Oh, how so original!

So, I'm watching Hannity tonight, and Sean and his panel are talking about Sonia Sotomayor, and the Senate hearings on Tuesday. However, out of nowhere, one of the panelists, left-wing Hollywood liberal Tom Arnold comes up with a slam on Governor Sarah Palin. It was completely off the topic. He had to slip it in, because that is what liberals know how to do best. They're all about denigrating the opposition. This had to do with Sarah's column that the Washington Post posted on Tuesday, "The 'Cap And Tax' Dead End" ~ By Sarah Palin.

I think that you should see this segment to get the gist of what I'm saying:



Let me ask: Do you see what is going on here? Do we dare question "the authorities?" Do we dare to say that man-caused global warming is not only a myth, but a dangerous and criminal scam on America? Can we dare to call a duck a duck, and mention that Barack Hussein Obama may not be qualified to be President of the United States under the eligibility requirements of the Constitution in Article 2, Section 1? How dare we ask him to produce his long-form birth certificate!

And while he may not even be constitionally eligible to be the President of the United States, he is purposefully... intentionally... and with malice aforethought, destroying this country economically. It is amusing to see how bad a person could be torn to shreds for suspecting that Obama could be a globalist, not to mention, a Marxist... even when it would seem to be true.

For over two years, I had submitted many stories from WorldNetDaily.com on to digg.com. Many of the articles I submitted were by Joseph Farah, Pat Boone and Chuck Norris. Rarely were there any negative comments on those threads that weren't completely derogatory regarding the authors. Those negative comments didn't discuss why the column was wrong in their opinion, other than saying the writer was irrelevant or in some way lacking intelligence.

There are so many more examples that I can produce to make my point. Where would I even start? Would it be with the way atheists disparage Christians? The way that Perez Hilton ridiculed Carrie Prejean for her courageous act of saying what she believes? And of course, I'd want to mention David Letterman's derisive joke about Sarah Palin's family not too long ago. But the most extreme illustration in supporting my case is during those eight years when George W. Bush was President. There was never any end to the contemptuous, disdainful rhetoric regarding the President's speaking gaffes.

Im hoping that Governor Sarah Palin, soon to be a private citizen, will understand that no matter what she does now, she will be be continuously assailed on a very personal basis. But there is a positive thing to come from the situation if she handles it right. All she needs to be able to do is deal with it, and teach us "tea-bagging rednecks from fly-over country that cling to our guns and bibles" that we will be attacked, too, and that is just what the detracters will continue to do.

So what do we need to learn? It's easy: Just consider the source!

If that isn't possible for you to develop a thick skin and ignore the guffaws from the cheap-shot section, then you better learn how to conform to the worldly vision of how America should be. When you are attacked for expressing your values, just consider the source, and brush it off. Some of the barbs that get shot our way will hurt. Get used to it, or get out of the battle.

RELATED STORY:
The 'Cap And Tax' Dead End ~ By Sarah Palin

Joe Biden: Mark my words...

By John Kubicek

I just returned from my one day retreat in Madison, Wisconsin, and a night off from work, to celebrate my "Christmas In July," my annual celebration of when I was given life, and when the Unites States was born.

The first four days of July, though, is my favorite time of the year, second only to the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays. Anyway, it was very nice to get away for a day. I greatly enjoyed my annual retreat up to Madison, especially since I had to miss the trip last year, somewhat due to the horrible Flood of 2008 in Cedar Rapids and nearly $4.00/gallon gasoline... and no job. I'm back home now, and need to get right back to work.

So, let's get started with this: Over the last months, I've been wondering what Joe Biden was talking about with his famous statement that he made in October of 2008, during the Presidential campaign, when talking to campaign contributors, as transcribed by Fox News from the Hannity and Colmes on October 21, 2008:

From Hannity and Colmes, October 21, 2008:

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We are about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old president of the United States of America.

Remember I said it standing here, if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we are going to have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. He's going to have to make some really tough — I don't know what the decisions will be — but I promise you, it will occur.

As a student of history that has served seven presidents, I guarantee you it's going to happen. I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

So, assuming that Joe-the-gaff-machine was talking about Obama's first 6 months in office, I wanted to know what he may have been talking about, when he said: "I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate." While the story about Biden's "prophesy" was widely covered, I think very few people realized what Biden said really wasn't that big of a head scratcher. Senator Joe Lieberman said it best: "SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (I), CONNECTICUT: Our enemies will test the new president early. 9/11 happened in the first year of the Bush administration." You see, Biden's comment was more of a statement of fact, rather than a prophesy. Most of our Presidents have been tested in the area of foreign policy early in their first term.

And here we have North Korea being overtly aggressive in "testing," as in possibly two nuclear tests, and their multiple missile tests (including the four short range missiles they launched today). That certainly seems to be testing Obama to see how he reacts. (I haven't seen anything from him other than a rare statement from various government spokesmen.)

And then, Obama is also dealing with the situation(s) in Iran. One situation is the good possibility that Iran's nuclear program could be covertly directed toward a weapons program, though Iran insists that it is for a "peaceful" reasons, for nuclear power plants. (Obama seems to have done nothing yet, other than to offer a little insignificant rhetoric that hasn't made any difference.)

Of course, there are also the demonstations following the election in Iran. (See above; and Obama really never came out and supported the citizenry of a tyrannical Iran... and now, it is barely covered in the news media. Is the situation over? Or, did the tyrannical Mullahs of Iran just stomp out any dissent?)

The jury is still out when it comes to how Obama handles or has handled these situations. But mark my words, remember I wote it here, if you don't remember anything else I wrote here (like about my annual retreat to Madison, Wisconsin), "Watch, we are going to have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. He's going to have to make some really tough — I don't know what the decisions will be — but I promise you, it will occur." And this could happen in the next few weeks, or even days.

This might be a good time to quit being obsessed with Michael Jackson, or other fallen stars (either the celebrities that have assumed room temperature or the Govenor that ran off to Argentina), and start watching how Obama is handling plenty of world events that may be of great danger to our national security. It's time to be following these events that may be potential threats to this nation. We can not afford to be burying our heads in the sand.

I think it's time to also be praying, both for the recently deceased celebrities, and for the decisions that Barack Obama has to ultimately make. We must pray that the "brilliant 47-year-old president of the United States of America" makes the right decisions when he is tested (in progress now).

(Editor's note: Please stay tuned as I will soon be sharing some videos on TheRealjohnny2k youtube channel that will be related to the possible "tests" that I discussed above.)

(Updated July 3, 2009 at 12:30 a.m Central)