Things like this just shouldn't happen in little old Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Unfortunately, though, it does. A police officer in Cedar Rapids suffered an injury that is life-threatening, right in my neighborhood. I shop at the grocery store just up the street from where this incident happened. Yesterday, I witnessed the ongoing police investigation of the nearby crime scenes as I stopped by that store on the way home from work. I had no clue about what was going on, until I saw the news last night:
In a world full of turmoil, we can easily lose track of the things going on in our own back yards. I decided that I wasn't going to let that happen today. Officer Tim Davis of the Cedar Rapids Police Dept. (CRPD) deserves more than that. He, along with his family, deserve our prayers.
Can we do anything to stop things like this from happening? I don't know if I can answer that question, but I know that it is very important that we have the right perspective about things like this. I hope to show in the remainder of this column why it is imperative for us to be aware of what goes on in our neighborhoods.
And then, there were the four officers in Oakland, California, that lost their lives trying to stop a very dangerous individual from doing further damage. Also, there was the young police officer in North Carolina that did his best to end a shooting spree at a nursing home, and was injured in the line of duty.
Well, here is the rest of the story. There are people out there, like our police, that lay their lives out on the line every day. I'm thinking that we sometimes forget about them, and forget they are people doing their jobs.... I was going to say, "doing their jobs, just like us," but that's the point. Our police, just like our military, do put their lives on the line all of the time. But we forget that, because it doesn't happen often.
It isn't just the police that face dangers and hazards most of us wouldn't want to deal with. How about the EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians), corrections officers, firefighters, military, or even private security officers? There are many more people that I could mention, too, that selflessly put their lives on the line for the safety of the rest of us. And sometimes, there may not even be a title by their names. There are even those times, like on Flight 93 on 9/11, where people just like you and I had a once-in-life-time "option" to make a difference to save lives.
But think about it. There are occupations, such as Law Enforcement, that a person must choose to do, and it is their loyalty to those they serve (us) to have to make the ultimate sacrifice if required. They deserve all of the honor that we can give them!
Well, I had plenty of things to do today. I suppose that ADD had something to do with it, but I found things to do and to think about that were completely off the page. My agenda of things I would accomplish went completely off the charts following an early Spring snow storm. And that is okay. It is times like this that give me a "fix" of learning more about God's gifts to us all.
So, let me bring you a video that I came across today:
This was a video that helped me to embrace multicultural relations all the more. But, it doesn't mean that I'm for some type of global governance. Actually, it is about sovereign people uniting and learning to accept and love cultures that are different from ours. We should all be giving a standing ovation for Linda Gentille, for doing what we should all be doing. It didn't take a U.N. Security Council mandate or resolution for people just like US to know how to get along with each other.
There are many people in the media and in politics that are proficient alarmists. Don't you have to wonder how they have become so terrific at being able to amplify fear and anxiety with all of their doom and gloom predictions?
Well, Glenn Beck has let the cat out of the bag. He has hired a Fear Consultant, in which we'll see in the following video that I smuggled out of Glenn's Star Chamber. (I think Stephen Colbert will be very jealous that he missed his chance!) You will notice that the quality of the video is pretty lousy, but I had to get it through all of those various x-ray machines at the security check points at the Fox News building (which is ACTUALLY Glenn's Star Chamber!).
So, back to the story. You do realize that much of the media and about all of the politicians have fear mongering down to an art form. As the above tongue-in-cheek Star Chamber segment illustrates, a lot of the doom and gloom alarmists may not even be telling the complete truth, but if it's bad enough, it sells (Think: books and DVDs). It helps the media (including this blog) get a larger audience. It is a powerful tool for politicians, too. Heck, look at how well it has done for Al Gore in the last decadent decade! Nothing like spreading fear like the Inconvenient Lies about poor little polar bears without an ice cube to stand on!
There are times when we must practice discernment, and do our best to take the doom and gloom stories with a grain of salt. If Chicken Little tells you that the sky is falling, you may want to check and consider all of the facts before you move to a cave. You may want to take into account what the ultimate intention could be for an alarmist when ever you hear or read about doom and gloom. You know, things like man-made global warming having the ultimate goals of global governance and socialism seems to come to mind.
To: Fox & Friends, I'm there for you. I know all too well how technology can come back to bite us. Thus, I can also feel for you, too.
Last Saturday morning, there was going to be this historic building implosion in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was historic because it was going to the very first ever building demolision in Cedar Rapids using explosives. And very cool, because the site being imploded is next to a hospital. Can you imagine the histeria radiating from that issue? Well, funny thing was, there wasn't any that I noticed. In fact, it was an event that was celebrated just like the fireworks on the 4th of July. The "crowd" was much smaller, only because many people didn't find out about it happening until later.
Lucky for me, the original time that it was to happen was at 7:30 a.m., and it was postponed until 8:00 a.m. I had to hurry home from work to make it home to set up my video recording by 7:30 a.m. that morning. That wasn't easy, either, because I had several stops to make on the way home. Fortunately, the time was moved up to 8:00 a.m. during my trip toward home. I was keeping up with what was going on, apparently better than the Fox & Friends producers.
The Implosion of Mercy
But, it only figures. While I was able to multitask and get all of the video that I was hoping for, I encountered my own technical murkiness when trying to produce the above video. It was a combination of sleep deprivation following software issues I had dealt with, and I finally had to call it a day last Saturday. So, it took me an extra day before I could upload the video to youtube.com. And now, it is several days later before I get it put up on a blog. But, there is a point.
There are times when the "news cycle" depends on immediate release of the story, and getting it recorded "live" as it happens. The masses love "live" coverage. However, there are times when live coverage doesn't happen, as hard as we try.
That's why I have to make a shameless admission that this story, though published long after the news cycle of the event, is actually being used to make a point. It is just like the Rahm Emanuel Philosphy: Don't let a calamity go by without taking advantage of it. (Not the exact words, but the gist of it is accurate.)
That last month, February 2009, was a very bad month. Nothing but doom and gloom. Cold weather. Fear and crisis. Irresponsible government spending. The 401k becoming a 201k... And we thought last summer was tough, at least here in the Iowa towns that were flooded out in June 2008.
The futility of it all...
And then, out of the ash heap of society, comes a new ray of sunshine. A new sign of hope! We haven't lost yet, because there are people out there that are waiting in the wings. They're going to be our future, and here is just one example:
Jonathan Krohn Addresses CPAC
Not only is Jonathan featured at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), he is now appearing on Fox News. And when you see this following video, you'll see why he'll be a regular Fox News contributor; and he rivals Ann Coulter:
Jonathan Krohn on Fox & Friends - A Fox News Contributor in Waiting?
Yes, there is hope. If you think that Sarah Palin, and then Joe the Plumber, were driving the liberals nuts, they haven't seen nothin' yet! Here's another JK - Mr. Jonathan Krohn - a future (or, maybe even a current) leader of the Conservative movement.
The CPAC was very interesting, and I'm wondering what took our Conservative leaders so long to be able to start articulating the Conservative values. At least now we have hope that there will be another generation coming along that will keep the American dream alive.
I'd love to go on to provide you with some great links, and show you some stuff that will keep your faith up. I will be doing that, but not today. You will want to stay tuned, though, as you'll be seeing things that may amaze you.
Keep the faith. Don't give up the hope for better times ahead - for us Conservatives.
There will be updates of all the great things going on in my other blog, johnnyk's "Blogging In Our Time 2 Escape" which will help you keep up to date with this movement. Yes, that movement, the one where The Revolution Is Just Beginning. And it has to give you hope when a 13 or 14 year-old kid is making this kind of difference.
Having a severe case of "writer's block" in tbe last few weeks may have been the best thing to happen to me. And then I read a great column, "What Do You Do With Writer's Block and Idea Gridlock?" I found out from that column that my problem was actually "Idea Gridlock." The now famous words of wisdom that I read were, "When writer's block and creative gridlock strike, as they have for me this week, sit down and write or draw or brainstorm or do whatever you do. Just by doing, words and ideas form."
"Just by doing": Those were the words I needed to hear... or read, in this case. Those words stuck in my head. I don't know why, and I'm not sure if that is good, or to my detriment, or just something like "food for thought" I could expound on today. So, today, I'm just hoping that what I feel like writing is just "food for thought."
Let me just start with telling you about my new banner. That's the part at the top of my blog page here that gives you the name of the blog, and what you may expect to read in the blog. What I did was to get away from the good ol' text banner, and saying this is "johnny2k Is Home." Oh, how interesting.... NOT. How about what I've done instead? How about stepping out of the box a little bit? I'll explain this to you, but please keep your fire extinguishers handy. I may go up in flames on this one.
First, the new graphic text you'll see where I designed a title; cool. Next, there was that sweet little description: "A blog by a patriotic Freedom Fighter". And will that bring in some people from the google searches? For sure. And it isn't fair, but that's how blogging works if you happen to care about the number of visitors to your blog. It is just about as lame as somebody can get when wanting to attract visitors. I don't deny it.
But, it gets better! How about the picture with the graphic text next to it: "We Surround Them." My graphic creation abilities came out in the open. But, do you have any idea what that is about? Probably not, unless you're a dedicated listener and watcher of Glenn Beck's radio and TV shows.
In that new banner, of course, is the obvious killer line: "The Revolution is just beginning." It is a case of an unbridled johnny2k making a statement. So, what is that supposed to mean? Isn't having a word appear ANYWHERE on a blog, like "Revolution," something that flags me, that will put me on some kind of list, one that is probably not one we want to be put on?
So, there you go, I think that I found the way to get out of a situation like "writer's block" or "creative gridlock." The true reason for having a problem with writing, for having a case of having "writer's gridlock," is just like overcoming any other phobia. Sometimes, we just need to find a way to put the fears aside. Sometimes, we just need to "JUST DO IT" as the good old Nike ad would say.
But of course, there can be consequences for speaking out. Just saying what you actually believe (whether right or wrong) can have detrimental consequences, especially concerning your employment. How careful we must be - we MUST be - when it comes to our speech at work, and even then, also when we are not at work. That's just the way it is now. But, then, maybe these words are more important than you may have thought: "The Revolution is just beginning."
At least at this time, nobody here is suggesting that you take to the streets, complete with torches and pitchforks. However, what I have said here is important in that we just have to be willing to dissent. It should be very apparent to you by now that dissent is frowned on. And it is understandable if you don't want to go outside of "acceptable boundries" of speaking freely. You have the right to do just that, but there is also plenty of reason to fear the expression of your 1st Amendment rights.
Really, it's about being "Silent No More" - while we can. But if that is something that you are uncomfortable with, for the safety of yourself, or your family, please keep in mind that actually, WE SURROUND THEM!
Be afraid? Forget about it. You are not alone. Don't settle for "eating cake." The Revolution is just beginning.
"It's for the children" is a phrase that has brought about a bit of passion in folks, including yours truly. As a radio host known as "Mancow" from Chicago says, beware when you hear those words: "It's for the children"
And maybe the word "passion" would be an understatement when it comes to the audacity of a new "star" in the radio talk shows and a personality that a few of us are able to enjoy on the Fox News channel. Glenn Beck goes beyond what any of us would expect to see on a cable news show. And that is a good thing. Here's why:
This is why I am writing today. It is time to turn, "It's for THE children" into "It's for OUR children." When you hear, "it's for THE children," it is most likely propaganda from the government to give them an excuse for another social program. But when you see the above video, there is something new for you to hear, and it better be, "It's for OUR children." That should be the emphasis of what you have to pay attention to. We're talking about just us lowly people that want to have the freedom to be able to speak freely. That is for OUR children.
Just yesterday, I updated my banner at the top of this page. Did you notice that? I hope so. In the top right corner, just to the right of that famous icon you have seen, you may have noticed a little bit of text saying, "We Surround Them." That's my tribute to what Glenn Beck has been saying. That is for OUR children.
Our freedom is at stake. Our children's freedom is even more at stake. Our biggest fight in the next few years is to keep our freedom of speech. Without it, it could be the complete end of our freedom. And as Glenn Beck mentioned, it may be the ultimate sacrifice that a few of us are going to have to make. And I have resolved to be part of it. I'm ready to do whatever is necessary, at least with the power of my speech as tapped out on my keyboard. It's my blog, and it's for OUR children.
When was the last time you saw or heard a newscaster show emotion and literally lose it on a live newscast?
What I saw a few days ago was something that took a little time to soak in. And now that it has, I find it difficult to write about. I don't know... is it because my eyes have misted over? No, it is much more than that. I am not sure if I can really explain it because there is so much going on these days. But, what I am seeing is certainly not comforting. I think I know of somebody a lot like me, to where it is overwhelming just to see what is going on.
The Archduke Ferdinand Moment - Part One
The Archduke Ferdinand Moment - Part 2 - Glenn says the Cavalry has arrived
Glenn Beck: I Mean what I say. The cavalry is here.
If you have been having some very scary feelings about what is facing us, as a nation, and as people that really care about where this country is now going, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
You can call it "The Archduke Ferdinand Moment," or "the tipping point."
All I know, though, is that what I've been seeing lately, and I'm afraid of where this country is headed. It isn't just that which is scaring me. What is really bugging me is how many people there are that are so oblivious to what is going on.
I just wish I had the space here to write all about the things that are really bothering me. It was my desire to try to write about that feeling that "something is wrong here." and I am afraid that the time is running out. What makes me so sad is that I may not have reached all those that I could have. I tried. And I know many you have tried, too.
Just when maybe you feel the way I have all day, when "Maybe we should all be crying," could we also make it our rally call? Even if these days are so much like what happened at the Alamo?
I think it was just last night, Glenn Beck made a big deal about what people were saying about his foul language on his new show on Fox News. That's good, because now I'm glad I'm not the only one that noticed!
To be perfectly honest, I was beginning to wonder how long Glenn Beck would remain on Fox News. There were times when the way Glenn was talking in the first week on the new venue that it was hard for me to accept his vocabulary. Strangely, I was was beginning to wonder if Rupert Murdoch was demanding that Glenn went to the edge, just to get them more ratings. I pray that is not the case, but....
There is something that also seems to be strange about this. It was just last weekend that Fox & Friends did their story on McKay Hatcher and his No Cussing Club. The young man is the one responsible for nocussing.com.
So, to Glenn, you were wondering what "charity" to donate the proceeds from your "No Swearing Jar" to. It's a no brainer, isn't it? How about donating it to McKay Hatch's No Cussing Club? Or, you may have already thought of that. Maybe that is what this is all about. If that is the case, all I can say is: BRILLIANT! What a way to show how getting people to quit cussing has a lot of merit. It sounds like a great plan to me. Set the example, Glenn, be somebody that actually means it when you say you've been a little liberal with the lingo. I just hope that jar doesn't get too full of Lincolns. That would defeat the purpose.
And if you agree with me today, please email Glenn and let him know about this blog: glennbeck@foxnews.com
I found two videos this morning that are "MUST SEE!" The very good thing is, these videos are not only very well done, but also excellent educational tools. Make your kids watch them 5 times a day, at the minimum!
The two videos show pictures of all of the Presidents, from #1 - George Washington, to #44 - Barack Hussein Obama. The pictures morph from one President to the next, and are great quality, for the most part (more about that later.)
Now, what I want you to do is to vote on which one you like the best. As of this writing, one of them has 2,687,275 views, and was uploaded on November 8, 2008. The other is at 62,309 views, and was uploaded on November 18, just 10 days later. So, does the one with over 2 million views deserve that number of views? Or should the other one, with just over 62 thousand views be the one you would really like to watch? You can comment on your votes here (delayed until I approve the comments), or on the digg submittal for this page. Now, let's get started. We're only talking about eight minutes of viewing time, so there should be no excuses, (other than you being on a dial-up line).
Of course, this is totally non-scientific research on my part. My informal poll is just that. But should there be a lot of comments on either of the venues, my blog or on digg.com, it should be interesting. Though the videos are similar in the special video effects (and kind of spooky at that!), they are somewhat different, both in video and audio. I really love both of the background music tracks, so on that "note", I was impressed with both of these. However, there were some differences in the presentation of both of these videos that I thought was interesting. My theory is that the number of views of these two great(est) videos on youtube.com may have been somewhat slanted based on the differences in presentation.
With that being said, I am hoping you will participate in this informal poll-based research. The responses, which you should make sure to read, will be the most interesting. It is a social experiment. And to think, I only took Sociology 101 and Politics 101 when I went to college. (Why did I have to go to college even before the personal computer was developed?) So, here it is in this social experiment. What say you?
Now, keep this in mind: History can be shown from different perspectives.
You may or may not be disappointed to find out that the video below is not about Barack Obama if you were going just by the title of this essay. No, this story is about young McKay Hatch, who came up with the "No Cussinig Club." The young man understands more about life than I can say about many so-called "adults." And here is the deal: It isn't just about cussing. This is about what bullies do to people. Wait, before I spoil the story, let me show you this video I saw this morning.
See what I mean? Imagine that, somebody - a young man, none the less - that says (paraphrased), "hey, I'm not into cussing, don't do it around me." Is that not audacity, or what?
And, why do I consider him an American hero? He's like a very young John Wayne. Know what I am saying? Do you know that most adults would back off from saying what they believe, because of the fact that they would fear being "different"?
So, give me a break, Americans. This guy made his statement, he's not backing down, and holy cow, he's letting the bullies know he's not going to take it without a fight. And this is a very, very important lesson we all need to take heed of, right now. Are we going to be afraid to voice our displeasure with what the government hands to us? Will we speak up about the global warming hoax? Stick up for our values? Are we going to allow ourselves to be bullied into not speaking up?
Here's to McKay Hatch, a young man who with courage, who has the audacity to go against the "norm" and make his statement. He said more in those few minutes than I've heard from Obama in the last two years.
Yes, there was that bonus tidbit from this video to enlighten us about courage, but that wasn't what McKay's mission was about. At one time, our parents probably would be giving us a good dose of a mouth full of soap if they heard their kids talk the way people do these days. That surely went out of style following some obscure U.N. Conference on various forms of child torture. Instead, the parents just cuss out the kids when they mess up. Go figure.
I don't know, but when we hear it often enough, as many of us do, it is difficult to keep from succumbing to the peer pressure of the very contagious potty-mouth syndrome. But that is no excuse. Take McKay's challenge, and sanction the language for awhile, especially when you are around kids, and especially if they are YOUR kids. Set the example. And believe me, for some of us, it could be a very great challenge. But, you will see great results from the effort!
Recently, I offered to submit a contribution for an upcoming issue of Generations. I had in mind an accounting of a recent and difficult trial in my life that the Lord is still bringing me through. For several weeks I toiled to produce something, but I could not put down in few enough words the accounting of what occurred in my life. The text of my story did not allow enough space to include God and what He had done for me. For days I pondered over what I wanted to say and how to say it. The truth was, I had writers block and I could not write what I wanted to contribute.
I had made a commitment to get my contribution to Generations submitted within a certain time frame. I wrote, deleted some, then rewrote a little more without any result. Frustrated, I asked God a simple Question; “What am I doing wrong? What would you have me say, Lord?”
His answer came to me very quietly. Quiet as it was, His answer was very clear. I was focusing too much on the details of my recent trials. Too much print was being devoted to my problems, while too little space was devoted to the Lord. Additionally, I realized that I was glorifying myself through how I had suffered through my problems, while I failed to humble myself in giving God all the glory for what He was doing to handle everything.
1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds us: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
What I have learned, what God has taught me, what I believe Him to be inspiring me to say is the following; Whether I am writing a submission for Generations, or in all else that I set out do in my life, I am to do it to glorify Him.
I must learn to kick my pride to the curb through humbling myself. I understand that whatever I do, all of my actions and thoughts are to be done to Glorify God. This is such a simple lesson, yet it is also such a gargantuan task for me as just a mere man.
In my business dealings, personal relationships and in all of my deeds and thoughts, I must do all things in such a fashion that glorifies God, not me. The task before me is monumental which I will undoubtedly foul up from time to time. I know that over time, placing God before me in all that I set out to do will become easier as it becomes habit.
Thank God I have the saving grace of Jesus, that when I fail, He is forgiving and loving enough to let me have another chance in honoring and glorifying Him in all that I do.
Tomorrow, you will experience the "change" you have been "hoping for." Before the change happens, though, I hope that you will watch the above video. At least once. I've watched it multiple times, and I lost count.
I heard and saw a few things in this video that told me that today was the day I needed to see this one, along with sharing it with my readers and friends.
It's just hours from right now, and change will begin.
Oh, and I still haven't figured out why Barack Obama decided to be emulating - to the point of obsession and infatuation - Abraham Lincoln, and not Martin Luther King, Jr. And I'm fine with either one of them, really... but haven't his handlers bothered to tell "Abe" Obama that both Lincoln and MLK were Republicans?
Because today is a holiday celebrating the great Martin Luther King, Jr., I dedicate this blog post to him. Yes, he was a hero. I am glad there is a holiday to honor him and celebrate his life.
I'd love to have a chance someday to step into a time machine, and go about 50 years into the future. I would want to be transported into a school library, to check on the one thing that would be the most interesting to find out about: How will history look back at the eight years of the George W. Bush (U. S. President #43) administration?
Before the step into the future takes place, I remind myself of who could control the academics in America when I step into the future. Would the text books be written by historians that have been "educated" (indoctrinated would have been a better word) during this time? While knowing that there could be a liberal bias in the way history will be written, I'll still be hoping that a blog, such as this one written in this time of history, will be found by an inquisitive research historian that actually wants to know all sides of the issues.
My prayer will be that, for those of you that may still be alive in 50 years from now, historians will have made an honest attempt to state the true facts. Whether or not that will happen, only time will tell. But, the reason why it would be good for there to be an accurate and unbiased recounting of this time of history is because of the two important lessons that will hopefully be learned.
In my analysis of the last eight years, there is a significant and definitive moment when the attitude of many Conservative Americans realized that the President they re-elected was not going to be what we expected. There were two distinct periods of this administration where it is divided between high expectations being realized, and extreme disappointment (which is the normal response to have when putting our faith in a man instead of the Higher Power that we should be praising and worshipping).
For many of the Conservative Republicans that voted for a second Bush term, there shouldn't be any reason to feel guilty. The radical change in the direction of the Bush administration came a little after the 2nd term began, and it took most of us by total surprise. (There will be some that will tell us that we shouldn't have been surprised, but that is a subject for a later column about the coming New World Order.)
If we were to find nomenclatures for the two George W. Bush terms, I think I can provide a good starting point for your consideration. The first term would be named the "9/11 Term." At that time, my President was displaying the kind of "September 12th kind of people" we needed to be. Many of us were very proud to be Americans, and we proudly displayed that love of our country.
But then, following George W. Bush's win over John Kerry in November of 2004, there was a change. It was a drastic change, and it resulted in great shame for many people that had always supported the President. While many on the left could easily point to the Hurricane Katrina time for displaying a great lack of compassion on the President's part, I can go one better: This is why I would label the 2nd Bush term as the "Ramos and Compean Term".
Yes, while President Bush was running against John Kerry in the Fall of 2004, I had no doubts about who I would stand up for. I actually worked for his campaign. I had a dream come true when I was able to meet both the President and the First Lady, at the base of the steps from Air Force One. I had no qualms about having the great honor to ride in the motorcade from the Eastern Iowa Airport to the downtown venue where the President spoke to his strong supporters. It was a very happy and proud moment of my life. My belief at that time was that the President was a lot like me. I believed him to be a strong Christian with values that would be very easy for me to share with him.
It was in the second term that things changed. In the midst of a war in Iraq that was beginning to go horribly wrong, we had Hurricane Katrina. It came within W's first year of his second term. Though I wouldn't lay all of the blame at the President's feet, I can also say I wasn't horribly impressed with the performance by the new Department of Homeland Security. And it wasn't long after that, the various conspiracy theories started to come out of the woodwork: Everything from the evil Cheney planning 9/11, to the suspicions that the dikes protecting the 9th Ward in New Orleans were sabatoged by the government. I looked past those loonie ideas as schemes to discredit my heroic President. It wasn't those kinds of things that made me change my opinion to the point of being extremely disappointed.
It was pretty early in 2006 that I started seeing the writing on the wall regarding the President's stance on immigration. It was bad enough that we began to see a departure from Conservative fiscal policies that we would expect from a Republican-controlled Congress. But, when we started hearing the talk about giving amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants, Conservatives went ballistic. The boiling point was finally reached when two heroic Border Patrol Agents, Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, were sentenced to prison time for their efforts to stop a drug runner.
It was all during these last two years of the George W. Bush administration that we learned what it meant to be a "globalist." Eight years ago, I never would have expected it. For me, it was all about George W. Bush being a "9/11" President. How sad it was for me to find out just how easily I could fall for such a pretender. For all the pride I had in the man in his first term, how sad it was to see that all evaporate with his 2nd term nurturing of the globalist agenda. No matter how well he will be remembered for his initial ability to bring Conservatives - for that matter, the country - together right after 9/11, it is all going to be forgotten in history based on what he did with his second term.
The Ramos and Compean case has become the theme of that distastrous 2nd term, as it illustrates the true legacy of the Bush 43 presidency. I hate to even have to write that. It is sad, because I saw a resurgence in the respect of the office for those first four years. What a wonderful change that was from the previous occupant in the Oval Room. It was a complete wardrobe makeover - from stained blue dresses to a man that always wore a suit and tie when working in the Oval Office. So sad, as all of that upward spiral in patriotism and seemingly high values and ethics all went down the tubes in the way that Ramos and Compean have been treated.
To the historians who will be writing the text books for our future generations that live decades from now: Please make it clear that we had a President that could have made a big difference in the course of this nation going in a positive direction, and he let it all slip away. We had a President that capitulated to a segment of society that felt that our national security would be better served by the global agenda. And please include the part how people found out that we could be fooled by politicians that were wolves in sheeps' clothing.
They say that the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same things and expecting different results. The textbooks of the future may never reflect the lessons that we have recently learned, should we continue to blindly follow the political system as it now stands. We must never throw the Bush 43 Legacy down the "memory hole," no matter how mixed-up it became. Quite to the contrary, especially now that we know what such a failure can lead to: An ObamaNation.
Two of the actors in Hollywood that came out of the 1980's are now facing all of our fears. John Travolta and his wife just lost their son. And Patrick Swayze is facing up to having a deadly form of cancer.
In a blink of an eye, life as we know it can change. If there were two of the stars from the past that can make a difference, it will be John Travolta and Patrick Swayze. Whether it is John, in losing his young son, or Patrick in facing the fact of losing his own life, you'll see a common thread. They will both show the value of life in the way they handle the losses that they are dealing with.
Our prayers go out to both of them and their families.
Highway robbery? I'll say! We're looking at a deal where it's "Heads - They win, Tails - We lose." The government seems to have us from either side of the coin. You'll see what I'm talking about in the two videos that I'll provide below.
On the one side of the coin, we have the various state governments desperate for financing needed work on the infrastructure, especially when it comes to transportation needs. The roads need maintenance, whether it is filling pot-holes or plowing snow and salting the streets. And yet, states are asking the Federal government for financial assistance, but not for the needs of maintainence of our existing roads or building new ones.
But wait, what about all the money they are collecting from us in the present gas taxes? Not enough? We all pay a federal gas tax, and then the states collect their cut, too, in varying amounts. Apparently, it is no longer enough, even for just normal road maintenance.
So, then, what about the fact that President-(S)elect Obama wanted to spend a lot of money on improving our infrastructure? Did he somehow forget to mention that the money for that would have to come out of our pockets, in the way of higher gas taxes? In addition to the income taxes and all the other taxes we pay?
I can easily illustrate the point I'm trying to make by providing the following video clip for you to view:
And then, there's the other side of the coin.
There may be a reason that the government is no longer getting the needed funds from us in the way of gas taxes. That's right: They have been wanting us to drive more fuel efficient vehicles, both because of trying to decrease energy usage and carbon emmisions. However, because of the very high fuel prices we paid at the pump last summer, people did cut down on driving when possible, we bought less gas, and because gas taxes were tied to the number of gallons, the gas tax revenues went down, down, down.
Wouldn't you think that the government could afford an economist that would have figured that out? I digress.
So, because gas tax revenues fluctuate, and are most likely still falling just because the economy is down, the government needed to find another way to get their sticky fingers on our money. Would a smart idea occur to them, as in charging a percentage of the sale price - like sales taxes - or, would they come up with something very lame? If you guessed the latter, you would probably be right. Here is the latest ingenious idea from the people we pay to represent us:
Oregon looks at taxing mileage instead of gasoline
Associated Press, January 2, 2009
PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregon is among a growing number of states exploring ways to tax drivers based on the number of miles they drive instead of how much gas they use, even going so far as to install GPS monitoring devices in 300 vehicles. The idea first emerged nearly 10 years ago as Oregon lawmakers worried that fuel-efficient cars such as gas-electric hybrids could pose a threat to road upkeep, which is paid for largely with gasoline taxes.
"I'm glad we're taking a look at it before the potholes get so big that we can't even get out of them," said Leroy Younglove, a Portland driver who participated in a recent pilot program. [Continue reading]
Oh, definitely, I can tell you about these "pilot programs," but it'll have to wait. The following video explains a lot more about what they have come up with now:
If you ask me, I'm thinking that being tracked where ever we go will not be something to make Americans a bunch of happy campers. It's pretty insidious, as Rick pointed out. Oh, what's he know? He's just the weather guy...
Of course, we would never think that the government would ever have a need to invade our privacy by accessing the GPS data that is collected in measuring our driving distances, right? And I just can't help wondering how they will bill you for those taxes, what happens if you cross state lines, or if the government officials that came up with this "brilliant" idea even asked any of the questions most of us want to ask? I have a lot of questions!
Now that you know about this ridiculous idea, don't you have to just wonder, "What are they thinking?" Or, maybe we should be wondering, "Is this a plot - sorry, I mean a pilot program - to erode our rights even further?"
Further highway robbery by the government may be just the least of our concerns.
My last blog of the year. To all of the Veterans, past and present, I honor you. With the following video, this is my salute to you all!
While I had wished many of my friends and fellow journalists a Happy New Year in several recent blogs, this is the one that is actually the most important. My friends, and my dear fellow patriots that take advantage of our 1st Amendment Rights, would not have that right if it wasn't for you, our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines. You all will be in my prayers, and I hope to see you home soon!
Happy New Year!
Wait, one last great tribute to our military men and women:
Thank you, Bubba! You are also a great inspiration for the rest of us that keep our military members in our prayers!
There are many people I want to thank for helping 2008 be a good year, and to thank in advance for a wonderful year to come in 2009. Many people have faced hardships and sorrows in 2008, but it was the friends I have that kept me encouraged to get through the storms I faced. I believe that without a doubt, there will have to be a lot of that love going around in 2009. While many of us may be spared from a devasted economy, wicked weather and other disasters, there will be the few that will need us to keep in our prayers.
Had it not been for WorldNetDaily, I would have never known most of the friends that I have now. I had been an avid reader of the site for quite awhile, when one day, there was this icon with "digg" on it. I remember that day, and always will, as it seemed like just yesterday, but it was in late April, 2007 when I first noticed it. It did not take me long to develop a network of my loved friends once I started submitting WND articles to digg.com.
And it has been a wild ride since then. I then became aquainted with the blogs. At first, I put a lot of time on blognetdaily, a WND forum. Writing about articles and the issues of the day was always fun, and just as enlightening when reading other's comments, or posts. And then came digg.com. Now, I'm not sure if Joseph Farah, founder of WND, would agree that digg has been a good thing. For all the positive things posted on digg.com regarding him and WND, there have also been a hefty and lefty share of WND-haters. The detractors. Uh, I just have to say this: "Can you digg it?"
You see, I love reading commentaries as much as I love writing them. If there has ever been a great advantage of having the Internet (thanks to Algore, of course /sarcasm), we have the ability to share our thoughts with each other. Once upon a time, it was when the printing press was invented that helped to shape civilization. And now, we have the ability to share our thoughts and concerns and epiphanies with each other at light speed. And now, it is a 24/7/365 Town Hall meeting. You gotta love it!
Thanks to my many friends at WND, I was introduced to this new way of communication. I don't know if there is any other way to show my great appreciation for what they do, other than to keep doing what I've been doing! And, right back at them, I hope that they also keep doing what they've been doing, too! And in a gushing way of saying it, THANK YOU, JOSEPH FARAH! You have chosen the greatest writers around to be apart of your crew. Everybody there at WND and Shop.WND deserve my greatest kudos!
More than anything that I've learned since joining digg.com back in April of 2007. I've learned the importance of the people that I correspond with, the importance of being committed to great friendships. I dedicate this post to all those on digg.ocm that have added so much to my life. (Hey, and some aren't even my "mutual friends" - some are people that I could argue with all day, but I love them, too!)
I was just getting my feet wet on digg for the first 8 months in 2007. It was when I started taking it seriously in 2008 that I saw how much it helps to even have some moral support. Stuff happened in 2008 that I hope I'd never have to experience again. The very difficult winter last year, my dog Moochie taking off for an unannounced vacation from her castle in February, a problem with excess water in Cedar Rapids last June, losing my job in June and getting it back in September, and of course the ongoing theme: wondering if what I am doing is going to help anyone... Oh, wait, I forgot - for a moment - about that election thing and the financial blow-out...
And so, am I saying that 2009 will be any easier? Uh, no. In fact.... Okay, I'm not going to go there, but I do believe that all of us together can help each other, just the way I was helped through my storm in 2008.
There's another point that I want to get to today, too. This Happy New Year's message also goes out to people that have not been exactly my fans. But, many of those that do not agree with me, well - I see a lot of good in many of them, too! For me, that has been easy to accept them as friends (to a point). I have personal experience with loving people in my family regardless of their point of view.
In fact, just yesterday I pointed out in a comment I wrote that I will no longer digg down comments unless they are so offensive that I am compelled to report it to digg.com as violations of the Terms of Service. That goes for anyone I know on either side of the aisle. I do believe in tolerance, but I will draw a line in the sand.
With that being said, let me reiterate the fact that my experience on digg.com has brought me in contact with many great people, who I only wish the best for in this next year. It may be difficult, but we can pull together regardless of our personal opinions. Kind of like we were right after 9/11. Know what I'm saying?
Christmas... Is it really "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"? Is it the "happiest season of all"? For some, it is. For others, it is not. Uh, no, I'm not going to provide any scientific research data. No numbers that you will have to dive through. This is just an observation based on the views of people that I know and love.
For me? Christmas is great! Was it always? Absolutely not!
The one thing that I found out was that many people seemed to have painful memories of this season. And yes, on the positive side, for many people, there have been many joyful memories!
I am one of the vast majority of people that can easily say that they've experienced both sides of the spectrum. There have been many good memories just as much as there have been very sad memories. And then, there will be years when this season results in mixed memories, both good and bad.
Well, I guess that's the way I've looked at this year, to a point. There were, and have been things this year that I know are affecting me, and much of that is knowing what others are going through. I know of people that have recently lost loved ones, and I know of people that are still suffering severe financial hardships from the Flood of 2008 here in Cedar Rapids.
It was after reading Glenn Book's Christmas classic, "The Christmas Sweater," just before Christmas, that I decided that this was going to be a year that I would enjoy every little bit of the Christmas spirit that I could soak in. I decided not to only enjoy the happiest Christmas memories of the past, but I would do everything I could to produce brand new happy Christmas memories. And, in my heart, I succeeded.
Early this week, I happened to come across something new. It was a musical group that I had not heard of before. I recorded it. I put in on youtube.com, and I believe that it is worthy of sharing with you on this great day of the Lord! Here they are, the Annie Moses Band:
Bethlehem, the House of Bread We Three Kings
Do you ever wonder sometimes how it is possible to be joyful in times of sorrow? There's a good chance that you haven't found a way to do that. I'm one of the lucky ones that has succeeded in that effort. I learned to combine the best of the old memories with developing new good times that I won't forget. Here is an example of that, brought to you by "Straight No Chaser":
It could have happened to you in the past... It could be happening to you now... Or, it could happen to you in the future. Whatever it is, I just hope that I can remind you that not everything that happens to you is YOUR plan. No, but you can be joyfull knowing that there is a God that has a much greater plan for you. Make what you want to of this season, but for me, that thought that God gave us the gift of that child, it is what makes this another Great Christmas!
I am a Conservative blogger - part of the vast right-wing conspiracy - that is not afraid to tell you what I think about both politics and my Christian beliefs.
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