PRESIDENT INEPT

People of a certain country became so enraged with their leader that they declared; we want a new leader to rule over us. He must be one who will serve our best interest, and adhere to our rules of government (except when he doesn’t want to).

As you might imagine there were many candidates for the job. Each one declared they would best serve the nation, for they had the best ideas. Finally, there were only two candidates left, and they each told of their plan for the country. One of the candidates was a faster and more excellent speaker than the other, so he was elected. He promised change and a better life for all.

As it turned out the new president was inept, and practiced ineptitude. His helpers also practiced ineptitude for they too were inept. The newly elected leaders did not understand how to run the government; they wanted to remake this land in their image, using some off the wall ideas.

Since they wanted to be elected again, they did what would help them to win another term in office. One of the inept helpers said; let’s take money from those who have it, and give it to those who have little. They all agreed that this was a stroke of genius, and another said; let’s also give them a free place to live and free food, and free doctors to keep them healthy. This will keep them beholding unto us.

Someone spoke up and said; in case there are not enough of them to guarantee our re-election, we should let people from other countries come here, and also give them the free stuff, and that will insure the vote count that we will need.

The president said; I will get on TV, and I will talk and talk until the people won't know what to think, and they will stop resisting this change, we are giving them. They won't be anything more than slaves to the government when we get through with them, ha ha!

And so it was, this country kept electing this president over and over, (For he changed the law so he could remain in office.) The people were taxed 50% of their wages plus other taxes so the poor class could have a comfortable life style. The open border policy allowed many new immigrants to come to the most generous country in the world and the new ones all prospered without working.

The workers were confused by all of the rhetoric, and continued working as usual, for the slave class can't think; they only do what they are told. That is because, they are informed, “This is the right thing to do.”

No one was left that could remember how the country used to be. If they found any information about a different time, and freedoms of the past, It was denied that it ever existed; for who could imagine a people so dumb as to allow a free country like that to be taken away from them.

KISS IT GOODBYE

Since I am a very negative person, it’s easy for me complain about the way the government is being manipulated. The power people are on the brink of political insanity.

There was a time when at least one of the candidates was semi-honest, and the choice was between good or better (there was no best). It was like shopping in the old Wards catalog where there was good, better and best, but now our political choices are worse and worse-ER.

The choice between Bush and Gore was no choice at all, it was either bankrupt the country by going to war and kill people; or save the environment and destroy the lifestyle of Americans. As it turns out we have gotten the worst of both.

Everett Dirksen usually said it best; “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money.” Reid/Pelosi has amended that statement by saying a trillion here and a trillion there, is no big deal.

Another by Dirksen; I have said, with respect to authorization bills, that I do not want the Congress, or the country to commit fiscal suicide on the installment plan. But the basic difficulty still remains: It is the expansion of Federal power, about which I wish to express my alarm. How easily we embrace such business.

Everett Dirksen; “Mr. President, that whimsical English professor, Dr. Parkinson, should formulate another Parkinson's Law relating to the public debt; since it so closely parallels his law on bureaucratic growth. Just as spending will always reach and overtake revenues so the public debt will constantly pierce the ceiling, and finally go into orbit”

Beginning with the Bushwhacker, and accelerated by Obama (the massa who lives in the big house), fiscal responsibility has been dead on arrival, and it’s going to take more than calling “911” to resuscitate it. It is easy to say,”Don't be so negative.” but for me it is not that easy, since I have been sold on the slave market by unprincipled leaders.

I'm in the debtor’s prison and have no way to get out. Not only that, but my grand kids are in here too, and next they are working on my great grand kids. We must endure a few more months of these indignities by these brutish villains when once again we have a chance to not change but to diminish the strangle hold they have on us.

The “changes” that are being made in America can never be rescinded, for they are like the feather pillow that is ripped open in a wind storm, it will never be the same again.

Like it or not yours and my America is gone with the hot air spewed out by people who propagate a philosophical fallacy. I am negative because I have known the good and now am living the bad.

Pucker up and kiss it goodbye.

TAKE HEED

Soon there will be another election. The party that is now empowered will do as much damage to the ole U.S.A. as they possibly can. There is a sense an air of arrogance among the opposing party, who is thinking; I guess they have got their fill of “change,” and now they will have to come back to us. Surely this attitude is not acceptable to GOD. He speaks out on these condescending ways through his Word.

Proverbs 6:16-19 (New International Version)

16: There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him

17 Haughty eyes;
The eyes are the windows of the soul; they reveal that which is within. You have heard, “look me in the eye when you say that” expecting to see into a person’s soul, and be able to view even their motives.

A lying tongue;
This is a form of demonic possession; the one possessed is unable to control his tongue, lying is like breathing and is necessary. Someone says to a man, “When you open your mouth lies come out.”

Hands that shed innocent blood;
There are some people who live to kill. Their conscience is no longer able to control their fury. Their EGO demands dominance. Its degrees go from being a strong influence to the ultimate which is murder.

18 A heart that devises wicked schemes;
This broadly based attitude of condescension, affects every aspect of life. It always is designed to take the advantage of one or more people, to use them for personal gain. The lie is one of many tools. It is a constant reinvention of ways to use people.

Feet that are quick to rush into evil;
I have known people, who were up for anything that was wrong. They lived to do that which was evil, it was more than sin it was evil. Evil is: angry, atrocious, bad, baneful, base, beastly, calamitous, corrupt, damnable, depraved, destructive, disastrous, execrable, flagitious, foul, harmful, hateful, heinous, hideous, iniquitous, injurious, loathsome, low, maleficent, malevolent, malicious, malignant, nefarious, no good, obscene, offensive, pernicious, poison, rancorous, reprobate, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, spiteful, stinking, ugly, unpleasant, unpropitious, vicious, vile, villainous, wicked, wrathful, wrong, but it is fulfilling to the those who serve Satan.

19 A false witness who pours out lies;
Imagine this; do you swear to tell half truths not the whole truth but give false testimony so help you GOD? Answer; “I DO.” One who deliberately gives false, sworn testimony, is high on the list of worthless persons.

A man who stirs up dissension among brothers;
This is a family matter; sowing discord will reap a harvest of dissension. It is called walking with a perverse mouth with perversity in the heart. It will return to him and break him without remedy.

The fact that GOD is capable of hating those who practice these things should be a wake up call to all people. This is a short list of things GOD hates. He hates anything that is (mark it down) contrary to his nature (his innermost being), such as stealing, robbing, lying, murder, adultery, fornication, drunkenness, homosexuality, worshipping other gods, failing to respect and honor HIM as the one, and only GOD, and all other sin. He doesn't dislike it, HE hates it. One day He will deal with it in the harshest terms. In the coming election there will be things that GOD hates, both said and done; those that will do so will not escape the wrath to come.

Just one other thing to remember; GOD does not run for office, you can't vote HIM out. Those things he hates will be obliterated from HIS presence.

GOD’S existence does not depend whether people believe in HIM or not, you can't, “not believe in HIM” out of existence.

Are you running for office? By your own words you WILL BE declared just or will be condemned. TAKE HEED HOW YOU SPEAK.

Once I had the idea that GOD had a list of my actions that would be reviewed for reward or censure, but now I think of it as a video with sound that can be played back of my entire life.

The operative word is; TAKE HEED

WHEN LEVIS WERE KING

Levis were first made in the 1800s; they were tough, stylish, and functional. Since I wasn't born then, I had to wait until the 30’s and 40’s to realize their impact on my school peers.

There were several things that made Levis special. The copper rivet, placed at the stress points, (they had to finally remove the one in the crotch for obvious reasons,) the toughness of the material, the special stitching on the pockets, the button up fly, the leather logo patch, and the red Levi patch on the pocket. All this and more made the Levi jeans, the pants of choice for most of the boys in school. The girls found out that they looked good in jeans and then they began to wear them also.

It was a tradition that before school started each year the boys would get a new pair of Levis, and then began the preparation of them. It was a ritual that when buying Levis you bought them with the legs about 8 inches too long so you could fold them up inside the pant leg and then fold them back again on the outside of the leg to make a cuff. In order for the cuff to stay in that position, paper clips were placed on them, after awhile they could be taken off and the cuffs would stay in position.

It also was a tradition that the Levis were to be worn the whole year without being washed. Since the boys used a greasy hair crème on their hair, the grease would get on their hands, which they promptly wiped on their pants. By the end of the school year those pants would reek from sweat and grease, and they also would be pretty stiff by this time. I remember being told by one boy, “When I take my pants off I want them to stand up in the corner by themselves.”

There were other additions to their attire; argyle socks, and knitted wool sweaters with designs on them such as a deer. One other item, that was a must, was wing tipped shoes that were dyed with cordovan dye. The dye had a pungent odor that drove some adults to distraction. The awful smell affected the manager of the local theater so dreadfully that he often kicked some kids out of the show.

What I have addressed so far is what the cool kids wore. My attire was somewhat different. My mother would not buy me Levis, due to the high cost of them. They were made by American women instead of the cheaper Chinese labor that other Jean makers were using. I had to wear these low-cost jeans which eliminated me from being a part of the cool set.

Not only that, but my jeans were washed each week. While I didn't have the “in” sweater, I did have the wing tips and I dyed them with the cordovan dye myself, so all was not lost. One final note, when you washed Levis the leather patch on the back would shrivel and wrinkle. One of my friends was very upset, because his mother had finally got fed up with his nasty pants and washed them. He was really beside himself; it was as if his whole image was now destroyed.

It’s a good thing I wasn't very style conscious for I would have been miserable, because I never had a pair of Levis, until I could buy them myself!

MULE DAY

I was born in the town of Columbia, Tennessee, and for many years the population was around 10,000. Columbia is about forty miles from Nashville.  Like so many small communities it was a farm driven economy. The mules and horses were critical parts of existence in early days, and in the early spring as people prepared to plow their fields they would buy or trade their stock. There was a day set aside for people to buy and trade in town. Below is a statement from the official mule day committee.

What is Mule Day?

”Mule Day is an annual celebration of all things related to mules, and is held in Columbia, Tennessee, the ‘Mule Capital’ of the world.  Begun in 1840 as ‘Breeder's Day,’ a meeting for mule breeders, it now attracts over 200,000 people and takes place over four days on the first Monday in April. In addition to mules, traditional Appalachian food, music, dancing, and crafts are featured."

The heavy involvement of Maury County in the mule industry has caused the event to grow over time into one of the largest livestock markets in the world.

A parade is featured with some of the most beautiful animals seen anywhere. There are Tennessee walking horses, matching mule teams that you could hardly tell one from another, that are decorated with the finest harness and tassels. The jackasses were always unruly, and had to have a twister on their upper lip to control them. Like most parades people were packed so close the only way you could move was to walk in the street. It is an event that must be experienced because the pageantry is more than words can describe.

During the time I lived there, the big day was in March, but on the first Monday of each spring and summer month there was a trading day where deals could be made on one particular street. Any deal made must be exactly as it was stated to be, for instance, a mule had to be sound, and not have any defects if so represented, otherwise the trade could be voided.

Next to the trading street there was a place called the “jockey yard” in there you could tell any kind of lie, the main purpose of being in there was to cheat someone. You might wonder why go in there when you knew there was no rules except “buyer beware”. Well some men like a challenge, and liked to play the game. I saw one fellow who bought a horse, and he realized afterward the horse was blind but here was nothing he could do about it. I could tell he was blind but I kept my mouth shut, because it was none of my business, and if I messed up the sale the seller might have whipped me; some of them were rough characters.

On Mondays and every Saturday, by the “jockey yard,” there was for years a black woman who would set up a bucket with a fire in it, and put a skillet that was half full of lard on the fire. She would batter some catfish, and fry it in the skillet, and sell it as fast as she could cook it. Those folks loved their catfish.

One last tale; there was some men that made a living just trading things. It didn't matter what they traded, they made money. One day my grandfather decided that he would make a good trader so he set out with a horse to start the trading.

Well to make a long story short at the end of the day, and after several trades he came home with a pocket knife for his horse. He never mentioned trading again, and I made sure not to question him about his trading experience; for I felt something things are better left unsaid.

Proverbs 20:14 It is naught, it is naught, says the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.

AND EVERYONE SHOUTED

The actual date that World War II ended is in dispute, because of different official signing of documents. Some have settled on September 2, 1945, as the official day, ending the conflict.

As I remember it, the end of the war occurred after the two Japanese cities were bombed with atomic bombs, and almost immediately the Japanese announced their surrender. It took awhile for all hostilities to end, but for all practical proposes the war was over. There was an official announcement made over the air waves and in the News Papers, that the Japanese had surrendered, and there was shouting, and dancing in the streets, people were happy and rejoicing for we had won.

I lived in California, and I remember the next day, when my uncles and aunts went to the Richmond shipyard to work, that they were told their job no longer existed. The shipyard was officially closed; half built ships were never finished; only a skeleton crew was still employed to shut down the operation.

Thousands were out of work at the shipyards, the union halls that had collected dues, told their members; there were no jobs anywhere. All was quiet, the shouting now became grumbling, and despair. Workers, who had spent their nice earnings each week instead of saving, were now broke. How to live on a few dollars of unemployment money was what they were now wondering.

At the age of fifteen, prior to the end of the war, I could get a job at many places. I was working at a cannery, when suddenly I was laid off because I was told I wasn't old enough to work there. The end of the war, finalized my job.

There were millions out of work; most of those who had been employed building the war machines were no longer needed. Even Marilyn Monroe worked in an airplane factory before she was discovered. My aunts were welders of prefabricating parts for the ships; that were later put in place and welded together to complete the ship. There wasn't much call for women welders after the war.

Compounding the problem was the hundreds of thousands of service men coming home, and expecting their jobs back, for the government had promise them; they would get their jobs back when they returned home.

I had been supporting myself from the age of thirteen, and now I couldn't get a job anywhere; times were tough for me. My uncles were lucky enough to get work as roofers, and later I also got a job as a roofer’s helper, doing the work no one else wanted to do. But I was glad to have something to do, and also glad to receive a paycheck for I liked to eat.

Ecclesiastes.9:10 What ever your hand finds to do then do it with all your might.

This is excellent advice, and I always practiced it during my working years.

THE CLEANEST GIRL I EVER SAW

I was living in Oakland, California, the year was about 1938, and I was playing in a vacant lot where me and my friends hung out. This was better than the school yard, because here we could build a fort to defend ourselves from our imaginary enemies.

The enemies weren't totally our creations, for we went to the movies every Saturday, and watched the serial flicks, where the bad guys were always fighting us good guys. We always included ourselves as one of the good guys, and lived the events on the screen as they were happening.

About the time we would get our fort built, and were ready to repel the enemies, some superior forces (older teen age boys) would come along, and destroy our bulwark. It always left us with an empty feeling of defeat.

Remembering back at the age of four I got busted for playing doctor with my girl friend, who was also four. The teasing I received was without any mercy, I just couldn’t take the resulting teasing I received, because it just went on and on without stopping. It got so bad that I swore off girls for life.

Now it was about four years later, while playing in the dirt with our fort, I looked up and saw the cleanest person I had ever seen in my life. I could hardly believe my eyes; this beautiful girl was standing on the sidewalk, looking in my direction. She was so neatly dressed; her hair was combed, with every blond hair in place. She wore a pretty blouse, nice sweater, and a skirt with bobby sox and dress shoes. Not only was she clean, but she was the whitest person I had ever seen. She didn't look like she had ever been out in the sun. I didn't know what to make of it, of course you must remember I was only eight, and hadn't been around very much.

I'm not sure what happened next, but when I looked at her, and then I took a good look at my self, I thought I better clean up a little, because I wanted to talk to her. I felt that my romantic days might not be over after all.

The first thing I did was to take a quick trip to the store, and buy me some hair oil; brilliantine was my favorite at this time. I soaked my hair in it and combed it, and thought I was looking good, until I noticed I must have put too much on, because it was running down my cheeks. Since I had so much dirt in my hair it had caused dirty streaks to flow down my face. I decided I had played in the dirt too long and would have to wash up, hair and all. After semi-bathing, afterward I reapplied a small amount of hair treatment, and combed my hair. Now I was ready for meeting, and talking to the cleanest girl I ever saw.

I REMEMBER

As I get older, I do a check up and see what I can remember. Of course if I can't remember something how do I know if I have forgot it? In any case I give myself a chance to see what comes up.

Yes, I can remember - - -

When hot dogs were made with real beef.

When cars got 10 miles to a gallon but could burn the tires off without moving.

When Pepsi-cola was 5 cents for 12 ounces.

When during WW2 shoe soles were made of paper and would last through one rain and it took 3 months to get shoes half soled.

When women washed clothes on a rub board, and still got them clean.

When we saved our new overalls for Sunday.

When I tried to court but didn't know how to do it, of course my girl didn't know how to either, so it didn't make any difference, so we just quit trying and got married.

When we figured out what caused kids and put a stop to it.

When you got rid of a dog that wouldn't hunt.

When anyone who got an eighth grade education was looked up to.

When I had some great grand relatives.

When you were unlucky if your folks were divorced because it was rare.

When your marriage license cost $2.00 with no blood test needed.

When I thought I was smarter than my folks.

When spooky movies would make me sweat.

All this remembering tires me out so I will close with - - -

You must remember this, a kiss is still a kiss, A sigh is just a sigh; The fundamental things apply, As time goes by.

IT ALMOST BROKE MY HEART

I suppose everyone has a traumatic experience where something they were involved in ended in a dishearten way.

As a child we moved often, and the goodbyes to friends were hard to bear.

Wearing out or growing out of a favorite article of clothes, and having to give it up could be pure pain.

A pet going to pet heaven, would cause the tears to flow.

When you have grown up, your list is almost endless, and we all have them written in our memory banks.

Very high on my list was something that happened to me while I was in junior high school. I had taken metal shop, but wasn't especially interested in it. This semester I was going to take wood shop. I had looked forward to this for a long time, and was very excited because there were so many different machines to work on. The saws were very intimidating, especially after the teacher told some stories about some kids getting their fingers cut off.

Before we could touch any tools we had to study, and pass the safety tests. Our teacher explained to us that following these rules, would keep us safe from injury, and we were all for that. It seemed like it was several weeks before I finally passed all the tests, and could at last work with wood. We had to pick out which project we wanted to make, and then design a plan on paper for it. Then it had to be approved by the instructor.

Some kids had projects that were more involved like a desk, but I decided to make a bowl. I glued up several kinds of wood, and eventually got it ready for the lathe. There was a long line ahead of me, and since I wasn't allowed to work on more than one project at a time, I would come to class and watch the other projects go forth. In the end I got my turn, and in about week I took the finished bowl home.

My second project was to be a lamp. I made a drawing, got it approved and began to construct it. It took me some time to make this lamp. I made the separate parts, and finally put them together. It was ready for the final inspection, and my grade was based upon my bowl and the lamp.

I got the instructors attention, and proudly showed him the finished lamp. What took place next happened so fast, I didn't realized what he had done! He looked at my beautiful lamp for about five seconds, and then grabbing a hammer, he smashed it into tiny pieces. I just stood there shocked, not making a sound, and after what seemed like an eternity he said; “Now start over, and do it right!”

All the other classmates who were looking at me didn't help at all. There was only a few days left in the school year, and actually no time to start over. I don't know if I was hurt, humiliated or devastated, I think a bit of all, and it almost broke my heart. Twelve year olds can be a little sensitive at that age. All I could see was the lamp broken into pieces. It wasn't the size of my dream, but the failure for it to come to pass, that hurt. While I couldn't forget, I could move on and so I did!

GRANDPA’S NEW WIFE

At one time my family had a large farm, it reached from the creek, unto the river which was quite a large span. With every generation it shrunk, because each person wanted their share of the land, when the parents died. This went on until my grandfather had what was left. It was now only about forty acres; a barn and a house.

For some reason the big house caught fire, and burned down. Grandpa cut down some trees hauled them to the saw mill and got the needed lumber to build another house. The new house had three rooms that were good size, with beds in the front room, a kitchen with 2 beds, and a catch-all room. Kerosene lamps were for seeing at night, a wood cook stove for cooking, and a fireplace for heating. If you were cold, you stood in front of the fire place and turned around and around, until you were warm. Oh yes, it had a front porch also.

Grandpa had eleven kids, three of which died very young. The other eight lived out their life. Grandma died in her early forties, leaving grandpa with five kids at home, three having gotten married. These were three boys, and two younger girls. The reason I told you this was to show you the situation as it was.

Some time had passed, and my grandpa being in his late forties, was lonesome for female company, with all the trimmings. It wasn't that he didn't have people around, but they were not the kind he needed. He heard about a girl that was single, and was a good prospect for a wife. He managed to get an invite over to pass the time, so he went, and they talked, and become friendly enough for him to be welcome any time.

Now there wasn't any courting going on as some would count courting, but things were progressing. The fact was that everybody knew what was on his mind, even it wasn't being discussed. After many visits, he finally got around to talking to her father about the reason for being there, and he got engaged country style.
Grandpa’s brother was a store keeper and grandpa ask him to pick out a fine gift and wrap it up for his finance, and his brother agreed that he would pick out something nice. Grandpa took the gift, and off he went to see his girl. When he got there he gave her the gift, and all the rest of the family wanted to see what she got.

When she opened the package there was a pair of ladies under drawers in it. Terribly embarrassed, she threw them down, and was not seen for the rest of the evening.

My grandpa was stunned, and couldn't speak or explain, and when one of her sisters picked them up and paraded them around the house, grandpa decided it was time for him to leave.

After a few days the embarrassment subsided, and grandpa went back and proceeded to woo that gal. It was kind of hard to court with the whole family looking at you, but soon after they got married.

Now this is the circumstance, you have just married a young woman age fifteen, and you have three sons, and two daughters living with you. The daughters sleep in the same room with you, three feet away. The boys sleep in the next room whose walls are made of one half inch boards, and you are on your honeymoon.

There was no privacy at all, and enough of this was enough, but what to do. Well grandpa finally told the boys they were going to have to move and get their own place. He didn't feel comfortable having the boys hanging around all day while he was working.

This was in part because they were only a bit older than Annie May his new wife. His young daughters were about her age, and were like sisters to Annie. The boys wouldn't move so grandpa rented him a house, and moved away, taking the girls with him. I can understand grandpa’s feelings. He went on to have four more kids with Annie May for a total of fifteen children altogether, and they were together until he died years later.

He who finds a (second) good wife, finds a good thing!

THE WORLD OF “IF ONLY"

I confess, I had / have a problem with living in the world of “if only”. It’s not the only world in which I have problems, there are the other ones like; the would’ve, could’ve or should’ve, and adding to those - - the words “If only.”

Once during conversations with friends a young man was talking about a girl he had been / was fond of, enumerating all her fine qualities and he rolled his eyes back into his head said; I could’ve have, should’ve have married her. His wife who was standing at his side said; “What am I? Chopped liver?

There is a song called: “The Land of Might-Have-Been”
Lyrics: Edward Moore; Music: Ivor Novello

Somewhere there's another land,
Different from this world below,
Far more mercifully planned,
Than the cruel place we know.
Innocence and peace are there - -
All is good that is desired.
Faces there are always fair;
Love grows never old nor tired.

We shall never find that lovely
Land of might-have-been.
I can never be your king nor,
You can be my queen.
Days may pass, and years may pass
And seas may lie between --
We shall never find that lovely
Land of might-have-been.

Sometimes on the rarest nights,
Comes the vision calm and clear,
Gleaming with unearthly lights
On our path of doubt and fear.
Winds from that far land are blown, whispering with secret breath--
Hope that plays a tune alone,
Love that conquers pain and death.

Shall we ever find that lovely,
Land of might-have-been?
Will I ever be your king or you,
At last my queen?
Days may pass and years may pass,
And seas may lie between - -
Shall we ever find that lovely,
Land of might-have-been?

These worlds are something I have sought deliverance from. They carry with them the pain from errors of the past, that is needlessly experienced repeatedly in our memory.

Perhaps there is a finalizing ceremony one can go through to negate the pain of yesterday, a forgiving of ones self for the failing of the past, a determination not to repeat the same mistakes again, nor stay victim to the past, and be held hostage forever.

There is a part of the world of “what if,” that can be helpful. A process whereby we examine the effects of doing things in different ways, evaluating them, and choosing the best way to proceed, this an exercise for the future, and not for experiencing the past again.

Perhaps I should’ve, and maybe I could’ve, but it is, what it is. But what it isn’t going to be, is a demeaning mental exercise of distress that I continue to support. For there is no going back to the Land of might have been.

Philippians 3:13 . . . one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things that are ahead.

HALF SENSE

One of our politicians claimed in her election introduction pamphlet that, “My mother taught me every thing I know.” All I can say to that is she must have had a smart mother because this gal graduated from both Princeton and Harvard. She has also been extremely successful in her business life.

I thought, “Well, I don't want to brag, but my mother taught me everything she knew. The only problem was, she didn't know very much, and half of what she knew was wrong.” I only understood about half of what she taught me, so I only ended up with less than half sense, but it is a good thing that I am harmless.

My attention has been drawn to the elections, and as I evaluate the incumbents I find that they must have had a mother like mine; for they have less than half sense also.

There is a big difference between them than me, first what they lack in good sense they make up with being egotistical scoundrels. I'm not sure that is a good trade off for the country. I think that early in life their conscience must have had a series of electrical shock treatments; (this is a requirement to run for office in California) that fried the part of the brain keeps them honest.

We were told; don't vote for her; she’s a lesbian, well I told them at least that is better than being a Democrat. I was being chided about being a registered Republican, and I probably voted for the worst president America has ever known, he was,”The bushwhacker.” Being honest I had to admit that he was the worst President that is until now; now he’s beginning to look like a piker.

I once was a Democrat, but after Truman there wasn't any candidate that could be trusted, so I switched parties. Well that is until Clinton. He stood head and shoulders above the uncaught Demos.

I'm thinking about moving out of California and go to Tex-mex. That used to be Texas before they renamed it. Well actually it hasn't been formally announced yet but will be soon. Since California is now called Alta Mexico it only leaves Arizona without a name change. But Reid and Obama are a working on it. How does Poncho Arizona sound?

Well I didn't have anything much to say but I said it anyway so, Adios Amigos (and Amigas also)

GOOD OLE ELECTION TIME

If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animated contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen. --Samuel Adams.

In the days when the constitution was being formed, such statements were thoughtful, and common among the framers of our rights under GOD. For those who have time to read the hyper link, though short in size, it is long on meaning.  http://www.iahushua.com/WOI/Our-rights.html

We who now stand against the form of government that is being forced upon us by the media, and are being bombarded with information about the greatest people on earth, those who are worthy to govern us. Not withstanding the fact, that they don't think much of each other.

There are many ways to select a candidate we can check his record that is if he has been in prison, otherwise we can listen to what others think of him. It’s amazing how opinion differs about someone, depending on who you talk to.

Another safe way is to vote based upon gender. Now everybody knows that men do not have the smarts to run the government, so the answer is simple, all we have to do is vote for women! An example of how efficient women are take a look at; Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer and Nancy Pelosi; they speak for the Democratic Party instead of the people they were elected to represent. How do you feel about that?

Since we can't really trust either men or women, we must come up with an answer to bring our leaders back, more into the main stream.

I propose an amendment to the constitution whereby for every ten political leaders we elect; we must also elect one hound dog. Now at first you might think that this isn't a good idea, but on further reflection you will see that these hounds will smell out the skunks in congress and tree them.

Now with the cameras in the chambers of congress, and with these dogs treeing and howling, those skunks will think twice about passing legislation harmful to the people.

Of course these dogs will have to be trained not to accept dog biscuit bribes; otherwise they would be as useless as everyone else is, in congress!

Story Time at Grandpa's

Early in my youth, I would stay at my grandpa’s house in the country. In the summer, when it was hot we would sit on the porch at night, and he would tell us stories, which were always true. Well at least we never questioned the veracity of them.

As soon as I had learned to read, I spent a lot of time reading stories. It didn't matter what kind they were, as long they were adventurous, and included kids. One of my favorites was about a youngster, about my age who went to stay with his grandparents, due to some family financial problems.

He was always under foot, but he loved it there. They had ducks, chickens, horses, cows, and above all a pack of hound dogs. Sometime the dogs would play with him, but most of the time they slept under the porch where it was cool.

His grandpa was very well known, when they would go to town, many men would say hello, and then in whispered tones would talk about something secret.

Every thing was a game to the boy, whether it was feeding the chickens or chasing the ducks, or pulling the dogs ears. There was something he never could figure out until later. He would see smoke coming out of the chimney, and he would think grandma was cooking. He would run into the house to find the cook stove was cold. He would go back outside, and the smoke would still be coming out of the chimney. Then he would begin to play, and simply forget about it.

About once a month grandpa would do something strange! He would go off to the woods, and bring back several galvanized tubs, and set them around the house, and fill them with water and fresh cowhides. It didn't take but a couple of days for them to begin to rot, and the smell would become overpowering. One or two whiffs of that, and you couldn't smell anything for several hours. During this time the boy and grandma would go, and visit other relatives for a few days and when they came back, everything had returned to normal.

Sometimes the sheriff would visit and he was curious about those cow hides; whereupon it was explained to him that they were soaking, and getting ready for tanning. The sheriff said; smells like you should bury them!
Later the sheriff found out that grandpa was the local bootlegger, and that he had some false rooms in the house where the stills were. The smoke he saw coming out of the chimney, was the mash cooking, and the rotten cowhides covered up the smell from the still.

The sheriff didn't really want to catch grandpa bootlegging, because he used some of the corn liquor for medical purposes, or so he said.

Kids love stories and I have discovered that the Bible is the greatest source for them. A story a day from the Bible is a good regimen to follow.

Proverbs 22:6 train up a child in the way he should go - - is a must for parents not just a suggestion.

Are there No Moral Politicians?

Where can we find an honest and moral Republican?

As a Republican voter I am getting tired of these republican whoremongers being in office. They seem to think that getting elected is a license for sex. They expect me to believe, that they will stand fast on their campaign promises, when the vows they made to their wives are something to be ignored.

I'm sick of these lying politicians, who are unfaithful to their wives, and think nothing of disgracing their families. Their kids must face their friends, and explain why their mother isn't enough for Mr. Stud, and is a demeaning task.

Before the next election, we need a new contract with America, which every one running for office must sign; “I will not whore around while in office so help me GOD”. And it would help if the males would consent to be neutered, as a show of real dedication to their constituents.

I am awed by the thought that they would hold me in such high esteem that they would always act in my best interest, when they denigrate their wife by their actions. Saying sorry is self serving and isn't enough, what I need is, don't let it happen in the first place.

For me, at present, there isn't an alternative to this arrogant bunch of Republicans. The Neo Socialist Democrats will soon finish their task of destroying our republic.

It is time for a third party!

WHAT TIME IS IT

As a boy I had many things of which I was proud, not the least of which was a pilot’s cap with goggles attached to it. There was a peddle car with battery powered head lights, and my first pair of long pants, which I got at age five.

The one thing that stood out above all others was my first dollar Ingersoll Watch. I possessed the "Radiolite" with a luminous dial that I could see in the dark. It was great to lie in bed with the covers over my head, and see my watch glowing out the time.

My watch filled up my pocket because it was a big un. I had it out a lot, hoping someone would ask; “What time is it?” When that would happen, I could proudly give them the time of day. For me, it couldn't get any better than that!

For the life of me, I don't know why I thought I was a watchmaker. I would take the back off and watch the balance wheel, and spring move back, and forward which was better known as the “rotary oscillating system." I was so fascinated by that, I decided to see what else was in the case. It didn't take long to figure out how to take it apart; in fact it helped me, because when I loosened some screws, parts flew everywhere in all directions.

Some people might have been startled by that event, but I just calmly picked up what parts I could find, and inspected them. Some time passed, and I thought I had better put it back together again, so I could have the time on me, in case someone asked. I started to put it together, and before long, panic began to set in. All too soon, it was apparent that the only thing I knew how to do was to snap the back on.

It still had the luminous dial, and hands, but it would never tell the right time again, well maybe it would - - twice a day.

I didn't puke, but was real close to it - - for I was sick.

I don't think I have ever got over that experience, for it was one of those things you can't forget. No longer could I be able to answer, it is, and give someone the right time.

A couple of years passed and I found out that Ingersoll had made a Mickey Mouse wrist watch. How wonderful it would be, if I could get one of those. I saved every penny I could get. In those days most soda bottles were reusable glass and there was a deposit on them. Every bottle I could find was returned, and the deposit money went toward my new watch. After some time I had begged, borrowed, and found enough money to buy it.

At the Montgomery Ward store they had many of the Mickey Mouse watches. There were pocket watches and Minnie Mouse wrist watches, and even Donald Duck watches. After giving it much thought, I selected the one I wanted, and on my wrist it went, wound up and the time was set.

Time is calculated in many ways, by hours, weeks, months, and years; by condition, health and usefulness.
GOD, who is a SPIRIT, is not governed by time, and space, but rather by an eternal existence. Still he relates to people within a time zone, and in a timed existence, in which our past, and future has its substance. The most important time man will ever know, is the day of salvation. Seek ye the LORD while He may yet be found for this is the day of salvation.

2Corinthians 6:2 For he says, behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

I DON'T GET IT LIST

I have a long list of things I don't understand. I keep adding things to it, more often, now-a-days.

This is in part due to all the new devices being invented every day. As slow as I am in understanding things technical, it would take me 36 hours a day to keep up.

My latest thing I have added to the list is; “Why is it that every thing that I like to eat, and is bad for me, is always on sale?” My will power is not sufficient to resist these bargains. It is almost like I go into a “gotta have it trance” and don't come out of it until I get home, and I have an attack of the guilties, that I snap out of it.

Once I'm aware of what I have done, then I really feel bad. I whip myself with the verbal whips of; “How could you have done that? You absolutely cannot eat that stuff, you have wasted your money, and you will just have to give it away to someone else”. It is almost like I am two people at this point, one accusing and one defending me, “the culprit”. The accuser has so much more ammunition than the defense, and soon I emotionally sink into my dark corner, hoping I can survive this demeaning onslaught of guilt.

After some time, all has been said, and the barrage has ceased, I begin to recover some resemblance of sanity. What to do with these bargain goods, is the task that I now face. I reason this way, this is perfectly good, nutritious food and it would be a waste to throw them away. I could give it to someone else but it wouldn't be good for them and I wouldn't want to do them harm. So what I determine to do is both sane and sensible. I will use them but in reduced portions that way they will not do as much damage. After all, we know that moderation is an acceptable way to go.

I must say that this plan works very well, at least until the first bite and then I am off into another feeding trance, that I don't come out of, until it’s too late.

Fat boy that I am, I think about dieting all the time, but for some reason it only makes me hungrier than I would normally be. If thinking about dieting would make me thin, I would be as skinny as Popeye’s girl friend Olive Oil.

Once again I'm going to make a resolution. I refuse to buy any larger clothes, and will keep using the same size that I have now. I will do this even though it shuts off my blood flow, and I will not be able to breathe.

You must agree this sounds good, even though because of the weakness of the flesh, it has limited potential. Don't judge me too harshly, because sometimes I try to skip a meal, but when I do I feel like I need to call 911 and say; “Quick bring me some Snicker bars.” (By the way, they are on sale at Raleys this week!)

I dare not look in the Bible for help, because it addresses the problem of gluttony in somewhat harsher tones.

Proverbs declares; Put a knife to thy throat if thou be given to appetite. (And I add) that is better advice than, put a fork to thy mouth.

HOW MANY?

My 15 year old granddaughter was telling me, she has had several boy friends so far. This was in response to me asking, if she had a boy friend.

Then she with an air of superiority she said, “How many girl friends did you have? Well, I could see this was going to be a numbers game that I couldn't win so I said, “Only one.”

Then she replied, “If you only had one, then you must not have been very cool.”

Then a great compassion welled up within me, I couldn't have this gorgeous granddaughter thinking, her loving granddad wasn’t cool, for that would be a great put down. Especially if her friends found it out, and taunted her with this fact. Imagine someone saying; yo granddad isn't cool, oh the shame of it all.

I tried to come up with a defense for my un-coolness, and started out with these facts.

The girls in the south didn't want to have anything to do with me, because I wasn’t a full bloodied red neck, I was a half breed.

I didn’t follow the hallowed traditions of true southern reds. Even though I celebrated thanksgiving, I didn't honor hog killing day. Hog killing as practiced by the true reds, was a ritual where people would put away their pork food supply for the year.

While this might take up to a month, one particular day was the celebrated event. The day varied on the calendar because it had to be cold enough to chill the meat so as for it not to rot. While I wasn’t against the hogs having their special day, I was rejected by the true redneck girls as a suitor.

There were other girls that weren't true reds, but they also had traditions. One was they had to dip snuff by the age of five. This was so their lip could stretch as they grew, something like the practice in Africa, where they used disks in the ears and lips. By the time they were courting age, (9 or 10) they had a well developed snuff lip. I always wanted a gal without a snuff lip, so that wasn't a plus for me.

Another ritual practice was the annual bathing, which took place in July, when the river got warm enough, so as not to take your breath away. They always took this annual bath, and changed their underwear, whether they needed to or not. I always wanted a gal who would wash up more regular than that. That eliminated the available gals within walking distance, and just left me out, to do without.

Finally, in desperation I moved all the way west to the Pacific Ocean hoping I might find someone to wed. The first gal I met seemed to fit all my requirements which were; didn’t dip snuff, and washed at least once a week. Since she met those stringent requirements, I wooed, won, and wed her right away.

I hope my granddaughter now understands why I only had one girl friend.

Lip Service

Lips are a very important part of a person. If you didn’t have lips it would be hard to keep your food in your mouth when eating.

Kissing probably wouldn’t be very high on your list, whereas not even your mother would avail herself of this pleasure.

It has been asked; “how can you tell if a politician is lying?” The answer is “His lips are moving!”

Lips don’t always reveal what is in the heart; they only reveal part of the intent of the heart. An example of this is, recently a President said; I will absolutely not raise taxes on middle class Americans! The lips did not say the full sentence which was; “I will absolutely, not raise taxes on middle class Americans, until I get into office!”

This was a case of inaction by the lips that gave a false impression. Another president said that a certain nation is going to use W.M.D. The result was the USA went to war with two nations. This was a typical case of Lying LIPS. The consequence has cost us a trillion dollars, and thousands of military men and women killed or injured, plus thousands of families destroyed, because of lying lips.

Isaiah cried “I am a man of unclean LIPS” For he was in the presence of the Lord.
One can only surmise that the reason men of all stature speak with lying lips is; because they never enter the presence of GOD. After being in His presence you desire your lips, and heart to be cleaned, and you then will place a guard over your mouth and lips.

The lips are the last line of defense from saying something that will harm someone; a wise person will place a guard on their lips and keep them from speaking guile.

Psalms 141:3 Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

Mark those who speak lying words, and trust them not, for all lies are designed to do you harm to one degree or another. The scripture admonishes us to be as wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. This means don’t be fooled by what men say, for they may not say all that is in their heart, but do good to all men as much as lies within you.

So say and so do!

Proverbs 17:4 A wicked doer gives heed to false lips; and a liar gives ear to a naughty tongue.

IF I WAS PRETTY

I wonder what I would be like if I was pretty!

Would I be uppity? Surely I wouldn’t look down on others, or would I?

Would I have more or less friends, and would I care either way. I wonder how I would dress. Would I want to look cool or ordinary?

I suppose I would have my teeth whiten. Would my parents think I’m something special, or be bored with me? Would I attract the opposite sex with my looks, or my personality, and how could I tell which it was?

Would being very good looking get me a better job?

How about marriage proposals? Would I get more or less or any at all?

What kind of car would I need to have, and what color would it be? Could I get fat and still be pretty, or must I stay skinny? Should I go out, and party a lot, or stay at home, and be reserved?

Will I be able to age graceful, or have to get liposuction, and face lifts, (and don’t forget the tummy tucks). Should I have kids, if so how many, and what if they are plain, could I fix them?

If I marry, and my mate doesn’t take care to maintain the good looks they were bless with; should I upgrade to a newer model? How much money should I marry for (how many millions)?

Boy, being pretty is quite demanding, so many vital issues to be resolved, but it’s worth it.

I was walking by the mirror just now, and I don’t think I’m going to have to worry about any of those things.

Phooey with being pretty, I will just be me!!

1 Samuel 16:7. . . Man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart!

My Unk

One of my great-great- great uncles had a woman slave that he kept for several years.

As near as I can find out she was treated like one of the family. In his will he set her free, and gave her a little start out money. I have a copy of his will along with brief history of the family. He was the only one in the family that was a slave holder.

Freedom is a word that all men cherish, but in reality it is at best only a limited freedom.

No matter which nation you have citizenship in, that nation has full control over you. You are controlled by the laws that are set forth by a few men.

So when we think of being free, it means that we can do what the laws allow.

The three documents we treasure most highly are the bill of rights, the constitution, and the declaration of independence. On these documents hinge all our rights. These rights are being nullified year after year by less than a thousand people, who control the government. A thousand people sounds like a large group. I suppose if you had them over for dinner it would be quite a bit of company at your house. When they control 340 million people it shows the power they yield

The Four Freedoms were goals articulated by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 6, 1941. In an address known as the Four Freedoms speech (technically the 1941 State of the Union address). He proposed four fundamental freedoms that people "everywhere in the world" ought to enjoy:

Freedom of speech and expression
Freedom of religion
Freedom from want
Freedom from fear

His inclusion of the latter two freedoms went beyond the traditional US Constitutional values protected by its First Amendment. They endorsed a right to economic security, and an internationalist view of foreign policy, that have come to be central tenets of modern American liberalism.

They also anticipated what would become known decades later, as the "human security" paradigm in social science, and economic development.

The experimental paradigm that has been set forth by the present administration, is the next step in changing our dependency on ones self, to a dependency on the federal government.

This concept makes me totally indentured for life, to ole Massa in the big house. It’s not true slavery, but the term will do, until a better name for the real thing comes along.

One could compare it to a form of serfdom where the feudal lord permits us to work the land, and then the lord decides how much of the crop he allows us to keep.

A quote from F.A. HAYEK says; "Most of the people whose views influence developments, are in some measure socialists. They believe that our economic life should be ‘consciously directed,’ that we should substitute ‘economic planning’ for the competitive system. Yet is there a greater tragedy imaginable than
that, in our endeavor consciously to shape our future in accordance with high ideals, we should in fact unwittingly produce the very opposite of what we have been striving for?”

This is the downhill path we are on at the present time.

His full article can be found at: http://Jim.com/hayek.html

Another don’t miss reading can be found at: http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html

And one more: http://townhall.com/columnists/JohnStossel/2010/02/10/hurtling_down_the_road_to_serfdom?page=full&comments=true

How does all this affect those who are of the Christian Persuasion?

It simply means we must be aware of what is going on, and be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

Conviction

It is interesting to note people who are under conviction (of sin), and how they conduct themselves.

The first thing they don’t understand is that they are under conviction, and that’s what’s bothering them.

Mark it down, one of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin, and He does a first class job of it.

From the dumbest to the highest educated among us the reaction is the same, they all want to fight back.

They don’t know how or what to fight, so they use what tools they have, which allows them to pass time, but does nothing to free them from their guilt.

Their guilt will sometimes change to hate, they hate everything. They hate religion; especially the demands Almighty GOD requires of them.

Their hate knows no bounds; they have enough of it for everything and everybody.

They will try everything to get rid of this thorn in the flesh. They will use drugs and alcohol to get relief; promiscuity is worth a try.

Their puffed up sense of superiority won’t allow them to humble themselves before GOD, and allow Him to supply their need, so they look elsewhere!

As to the creation, they deify their science teachers, and bow before their wisdom that declares evolution is the truth.

Still after they have given their allegiance to science, the thorn still remains. The conviction remains unscathed to continue being faithful its task.

This intangible force pursues the sinful person, night and day, even though being continually rejected.

All men wish they could rid themselves of whatever it is that is bothering them, but the answer still escapes them, for they refuse to accept the only remedy available to them.

They must have a change of mind before they can have a change of heart.

This is why GOD has said; preach the word! Be instant in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

As the word goes forth and is received conviction is lifted for the job is done, the guilt is gone, the old is gone the new is here.

JOHN 5:24 He who hears my word and believes in Him who sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgement, but has passed from death into life.

AFTER THOUGHTS

Have you ever had an “after thought?” You wonder; “Maybe I shouldn't have bought that because,” - - and then you make a list of all the reasons you shouldn't have? Some call it buyer’s remorse. In any case it’s “What do, I do now time? “

One fine day, my mother took me with her to buy a fur coat. She decided on one that was gray in color. In the store it looked great, of course that was with a lot of encouragement from the sales man.

Once we got the coat home, something had changed. My mother decided that the coat that was so fine in the store now looked more like a possum skin coat. To me it appeared the same as in the store, but there was no consoling her. She insisted that, it had to go back. The problem was the store wouldn't take it back. After a lot of whining, and begging it was decided, that it was a done deal, and the kind of done deal, that wouldn't be undone.

Asking my mother what do possums eat, didn’t help to relieve the situation either. Something I didn't mention was she always took me with her on these shopping trips. I hated the hours spent waiting, while she tried on most every dress in her size. Now she was adamant about getting a different coat, because she wasn't going to wear something that a dog might want to chase.

So once again, we set out; I carrying the possum look alike coat, and we hit all the coat stores. Now I didn't embarrass easily, but every time I had to pull out that coat, I could feel my face start to redden. Finally, at last, mercy was ours; a salesman agreed to take the coat in exchanged for another, with a few hundred dollars additionally. She found a brown fur she liked, and paid the extra, and after several miserable hours, I was home at last. I would like to tell you she had learn her lesson, but she didn't.

It seemed to me that the reason she bought things, was so she could take them back as an “after thought.”

While thinking about this, I began to wonder if GOD ever had “after thoughts.” What about when GOD created Adam, and there was no provision for reproduction - - or was there? It was only after GOD decided that it wasn't good for him to be alone that Adam was given the counterpart he needed for reproduction.

There is in nature a provision for certain reproduction called asexual reproduction. It is a do it yourself method of reproducing yourself; a partner is not required. This includes starfish and sea anemones for example, they reproduce by asexual reproduction. There are many invertebrates also, that do the same.

Whether Adam was originally set up to reproduce by himself or not, GOD (seemingly had an after thought,) decided to take part of Adam, and make a counterpart for him. From Adam, the bible says God took a rib, well ok, but that must not have been an ordinary rib, it must have had something extra attach to it, such as the feminine side of Adam. I'm not saying that GOD didn't think things through enough, and as an after thought he created Eve, whatever the case was, in the end God got it right and I am soooo glad!

I may be messing with someone’s theology so I better quit.

BARTERING

In the distant past there was a practice started called bartering.

It was used in many ways, the simple exchange of goods, or a more sophisticated system, using a third party. But for most purposes, it enables those who are lacking in hard currency to obtain goods and services.

Today, it might be called a swap meet, where no cash is involved, only goods or services are exchanged.

Bartering has many faces, world wide it is an eight billion dollar industry. Some States object to this economic process, because they want to tax every survival tactic people use.

Jesus made the statement; (paraphrase) what good is success if you go to Hades, and what would you give in exchange for eternal salvation?

This disturbing question haunts every one who has ever heard or read it.

It is as a specter, always diminishing their joy and happiness, because of the demand to give something they do not have. What could be worthy enough to barter for salvation? One writer met this situation as a person unable to perform, when he saw himself, empty of goods to trade, he wrote;

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
1. Let me hide myself in thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.


2. Not the labors of my hands
Can fulfill thy law's commands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and thou alone.


3. Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to thee for dress;
Helpless, look to thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.


4. While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See thee on thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in thee

To this I say, Amen!

MAMMY’S DAY

We just celebrated Mammy’s Day which is suppose to honor Mammies. When you stop and figure what it takes to be a mammy, it seems like everyday ought to be Mammy’s Day. Just think with me about this for a minute.

I can’t understand just what GOD had in mind when he decided how the process of becoming a mammy would be. First, she had to hook up with a strange creature called man. As if that wasn’t a demeaning enough thing to have to do, she had to try to please him (which is next to impossible). He wants her to be his wife, his mother, his home maker, his breadwinner, and his lover, regardless of how inept he may be!

Oh, the shame of it all. There have only been two perfect husbands ever, and I can’t remember who the other one is!

It takes nine months plus maybe thirty minutes to have a baby. It can be a joyful experience, being with other moms, and sharing the experiences each has had. With all those good stories, about how long they were in labor, and the birth pangs, one-ups-manship is the order of the day! ‘Mine was worse than yours.’ The one that has yet to have a child can only listen and wish.

Jim, a friend of mine, was injured and in the hospital for several weeks. His room was below the labor room with the windows open. He said at times he would hear the pregnant women moaning, and yelling. They would pray to the Blessed Virgin. Then after a period of silence, some would start into a tirade of cussing their husbands out, calling them everything but sweetie, and blaming them for this mess they were in.

Jim was allowed to walk in the halls and sometimes he would go upstairs. He would see husbands, wives, and baby all cuddled together as a family. Dad was no longer the villain, but the main man! All was forgiven, and not to be remembered, that is, until someone else was expecting, and then the whole experience would gush out. Of course, this was one of best parts of birthing - the telling, and embellishing of the tale!

Being a mother at times can be trying. While bearing the responsibilities placed upon her as well as having her love thrown back in her face by selfish kids, she calls upon inner strength that refreshes her before she can go on. Being a mom is not without rewards; they occupy a place in history that can never be taken away from them.

As kids grow up and go through the normal changes required of them to be an adult, there is one change that is important to a mammy. That is when the offspring comprehend what their mom is all about, and what her importance to them is. Until they draw their last breath, she will always be their Mammy.

The Things I am Going to Invent

I have a list of things that I am going to invent (when get around to it) for people with special needs.

My first will be, tooth paste packets, for rednecks with only one tooth. This will save a lot of tooth paste and extra spitting. When you only have one tooth, spitting is hard to do; you just try to do it.

For cats and dogs, a self flushing toilet with training Manuel. Size really matters when selecting your pet’s toilet for you wouldn't want to lose ‘em. Besides, cats don’t like water slides.

An implantable Taser, that all political office holders, must have implanted. It will be a lie detector that zaps them, even if they think about lying. And also will restart their heart in case they over use it.

A mirror that will show me, as I would like to look, and also have speech ability to say something that will make me feel good about myself. There will be two versions that will meet all needs, one for people with inflated egos, who need a bigger boost, and one for those with low esteem that can get by with, just feeling accepted.

A car, that doesn't allow the husband to speak, when the wife is driving. He will sit in an ejection seat that is voice activated. And guess what? Even body language will get him air borne. This will be helpful, especially in traffic.

A credit card that at the end of the month will automatically pay itself off by stamping the bill paid in full. It will be self renewing, and last for a life time, without a credit limit. There will be another version, for those who like to receive monthly statements, and demands for payment or else.

A stove that won't burn my food, and if I leave it on high while I go on vacation, it won't burn the house down.

Since these are things we can't get along without, I had better get to developing them. If you have a special need, let me know what it is, I will try to make it for you. It will take from six to eight weeks.

LUCKY LUKEY

I was looking out of my front window, and could see my guard dog, Lukey up at the front fence. We live on about an acre and a half, and my first line of defense is de fence, which is six foot tall. My second protection is my guard dog. There was a pickup truck parked in the front of the property and a man there also. Lukey was at attention, and wagging his tail as fast as he could. Now he was supposed to be growling, and showing his teeth, but instead he was being a welcoming committee. It was like he was saying, for a cookie; you can come in and help yourself.

Well I got fuzzed up about that, and was thinking, “That dog isn't any account, and I should just send him to the dog pound.”

On further reflection, and getting rid of my mad I remembered I had become fond of him. I didn't really want to get rid of him, even if he had disappointed me very badly, so badly it hurt me.

I would never forget him making up to someone else, because he was suppose to only be my dog, and no one else’s. While I can't forget, I can get beyond, and try to make him understand that was unacceptable to me. He must act in accordance with our agreement, where I agreed to take care of him, and he would take care of me.

Another thing occurred to me, and that is, if I got rid of him, I would have to get another one, and he might be worse than Lukey.

There are many disappointments in life, things we can't avoid or change. Things like losing a job, not getting a promotion, and kids not living up to expectations.

One of the worst disappointments is an unfaithful mate, since it is an affair of the heart, and it goes to the core of our being. What follows is a roller coaster moment that can go on and on. Shock, unbelief, anger and emptiness follow in succession, and what to do now? It is usually best to let the dust settle first, so that things can be seen more clearly. If things can be worked out, and vows restored with more emphatic promises made, it might be better to forgive what you can, forget what you can't and move on. Not to get bogged down, and stuck where you can't get past the past. While it doesn't always work out, what might be the right thing to do is - - at least to try.

Where Lukey fell below expectations in some areas he made up for it in others, and it seems to be enough. Around here, he is now known as, “Second Chance Lukey.”

To err is human, to forgive is divine, and to forget may not be possible, so move on and get by it. Above all, don't let the past destroy your future.     

More on Aunt MINNIE

I recently shared with you about my aunt Minnie, how she was my worst night mare, and my personal tormenter. What I didn't say was that she also was my best adult friend, at the same time. We shared so many fun things, and went to many places together. Friends will sometime do things to tease and aggravate you, and she certainly did that to me.

My friend Lizzey and I spent a lot of time playing together, either at my house or hers. One day Aunt Minnie thought she would have some fun with me. She told me that since I spent so much time over at Lizzey’s house, I should just move over there! She got a suitcase, and packed my clothes, and headed out the door, and across the street. This really freaked me out. I went ape as much as a five year old could freak, and started after her; begging her to come back. She just howled with laughter, and said, “Come on you are moving.”

We lived on a dirt road with plenty of rocks on it. Even at the age of five, I could throw rocks with the best of them. I started slinging rocks at her as fast as I could. Throwing those missiles at her had the desired effect, because they were coming at her too close, and too fast. She decided that, maybe I shouldn't move after all. With her mind changed, she unpacked the suitcase, and soon all was well again.

Aunt Minnie introduced me to the movies, and I was hooked after the first showing. There were so many movies that were of interest to kids. Shirley Temple was at her best, and the serials were exciting with many episodes. The hero was surely killed at the end of each episode, but somehow survived for the next one.

I had one quality that I perfected, and that was begging, and pleading my case until I got my way. I would beg for money for a movie ticket, and would go by myself, if no one would take me. It would be daylight when I would go, but when I got out it would be dark. Our town would, for the most part close everything up at about seven, and there were very few street lights. Going home was a frightful experience for a five year old. I would be really scared, and would run down the middle of the street several blocks, while eyeing both sides of the street. What a relief, when I finally turned on my block, and could see my house. I always forgot, how frightening the trip home was, the next time I wanted to see another movie.

Life is made up of so many small events, some stand out more than others. Everyone experiences them, and our memory records them for future reference.

Happy is the person who adds the memory of finding peace with GOD and the ongoing experiences with HIM.

THE WILES OF THE DEVIL

Pavlov’s experiments with his dog, was the beginning of mind control, and conditioning response.

The Russians, Chinese, North Korean, and Americans have used these techniques to change peoples mind set, and belief systems.

Today these tactics are being used in ads, public relations, and politics.

America is being totally changed, using these methods. Laws and rights are openly being violated under the guise of security. Security is touted as being more important than the constitution.

In the book of Ephesians 6:11 we are told to put on the whole armor of GOD. The purpose is, for being able to stand against the wiles of the devil. This verse indicates that we are in danger of being violated in some way. The context explains further the reasons for doing this. We are told what to do, what to use, and the reason for doing it.

When I think of the wiles of the devil, and that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, I see some abstract force with power to affect me. This is reinforced by demon oppression or possession. What I fear more than that is their influence over men, who in turn can dictate to me, what I can and cannot do or think. The freedom of the Christian faith is under attack using every devise available, and the attacks are having some success. It is our faith in God that must be defended, and our belief system. Our resolve to be unwavering in testimony, and we must not be compromised.

1Peter.3:15 we are commanded to remain steadfast, uncompromising in witness as to our belief in the Christian Gospel.

The link below gives some insight into the conditioning America is now experiencing, and it is affecting the church. I believe you will find it most enlightening!

Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeMZGGQ0ERk&feature=related

MY TORMENTER

In a past blog I spoke of my early experiences as a rot tot, and going to school the first year. Something I didn't mention was, where this was, which was in North Carolina. Having been born in Tennessee, and lived all over the south it was good to finally settle down in a town, and have a house to live in.

I had an aunt who moved in with us, whose name was Minnie Hazel. She was an awful tease, and appointed herself my personal tormentor. Early on, I was a private person who wanted to have secrets. Alas, she would find out about everything I had going, then she would tease me, to the point of torment, and I could hardly stand it.

Before she came to live with us, I had a friend I played with everyday, and she happened to be a girl. After my Aunt’s arrival, she started teasing me, about having a girl friend. I tried to not let her teasing affect my relationship with Lizzey, and In spite of Aunt Minnie we kept on playing together. The emphasis on boy, and girl by my aunt, pointed to the fact there were differences in us.

I decided to try to find out what the differences were. Things that weren't so noticeable before, all a sudden began to stand out, like her hair was longer than mine, and she wore dresses, and I wore pants. As I became more and more curious, I decided I should see more of her, and I suggested we play a new game called “doctor.” She liked that idea very much with no convincing at all. It was decided that I would be the doctor and she would be a patient. I started my examination of her, and boy was I surprised - - - I didn't have any sisters so this was a new education for me. Just as I was proceeding with my exploration, Aunt Minnie Hazel showed up and we were caught with our pants down.

The tormenting started, she made sure everyone knew, including Lizzey’s mother, that she had caught us. Life was miserable; I couldn't play with Lizzey for several days because I was a pervert.

I was daily reminded of the evil I had done. After awhile with much repenting, and declaring that, “I won’t do that anymore,” we were allowed to play together again. Since I was only five, I didn't need to register as a sex offender, because everyone already knew about it.

Needless to say my career as a doctor was over, at least for a few years, when I later resumed my practice.

Be sure your sin will find you out, especially if you have an Aunt Minnie Hazel.

MY DAYS OF YORE

I remember some of my days of yore, some happy and some embarrassing.

It seems I can remember embarrassing times better than my cool moves. Could it be that there were simply more of them? When I try to reach back in time I can only go back to my little monster episodes at about age three.

When shopping, I had turned acting “ugly” into an art form. Harnesses for kids hadn't been invented yet, and the only restraint was to hold your little brat by the hand. I'm not saying that all kids were brats, but we who were, always performed true to style. One of my favorite ploys when shopping was to bite mammy’s hand, until she had to let go or be maimed for life. Then I was free, and could shop on my own, by running all over the store. This was pretty good for a three year old.

You could always tell when mammy, and me had been shopping, for she would have bite marks on her hands, and I would have switch marks on my legs; something I received when I got home. The switching I would get after we arrived home, helped to preserve mammy’s sanity. She always knew she could get even with me, as soon as she could cut a fresh switch. I think I was the cause that some of our bushes never could grow, because mammy kept cutting the limbs off.

Another thing that helped mammy was, I lived to be five years old, and it was time to go to school. They had preschool of a sort in those days. Preschool was what you did before going to school, such as putting clothes on, and eating breakfast !!

I remember the first day of school, what a day of discovery that was. They gave me a desk where the lid would raise up, and the top had an indentation at the top to hold a pencil. It also had an ink well - - full of ink. I was fascinated by that ink well! You could put your finger in it, and your finger would turn blue, and then by putting your finger in your mouth, your mouth would turn blue, and would have the strangest taste in it.

Also another feature I discovered was you could take the inkwell out, and spill the ink all over your white pants, and be sent home.

I never missed a day of school the first year, but in the second year, I found that you could use something called absence instead of attending class. All you had to do was, pretend to be sick when it was time to go to school, and then after school started you could quickly get well and play all day! What a great invention that was.

About this time, I discovered that boys and girls were not exactly the same, and I would tell you about that now, but I don't have time. Perhaps I can tell about it later.

It is said; Spare the rod and spoil the child! I think my correction rod was defective, for even after using the rod quite a bit on me, it didn't help, for I was spoiled anyway !!

COUSIN JAN

I don’t know if you knew my cousin Jan or not, but if you didn't I should tell you about him.

When Jan was a little boy, I wouldn't say he was exactly strange, (Colloquial for odd ball,) but he was a little different from other boys. He was a quiet little kid, and hard to converse with. He would chew his fingernails down as far as he could just like his dad. I don’t know if it was in his genes, or just a habit he picked up. Any way both he and his dad would gnaw away on their nails. I always figured that it was their nails and they could do what ever they wanted to with them.

As Jan grew up, he became interested in raising small animals. His folks had some cats, and a monkey, so it was all right with them that he had this hobby.

He began to raise mice, and sold them to pet stores to feed their snakes, and Jan became fascinated with snakes. As he got older he learned how to handle them. He worked for me part of the time but he had a disease called bed-itis which symptoms are, not being able to wake up in time to go to work.

One day he was in my truck and we were on our way to a job when I notice he had a cloth bag, which I though was his lunch. As we rode along I saw the bag begin to move around. My curiosity was erupted, and I asked, what he had in the bag, and he said, “A rattlesnake!” Immediately I put on my brakes, and we had an informative discussion about never bringing along this passenger anymore! He lived in a bad neighborhood, and he explained that this snake was his bodyguard.

He loved to hunt rattlesnakes, and one day up in the hills, there was a house built on stilts on the backside, and you could walk under it. Jan was under it, and the owner saw him demanding to know what he was doing, and Jan said, “I’m looking for snakes.” The owner said there’re no snakes here, and before the owner told him to leave Jan pulled a large rattler from under the house and asked him; what is this? The owner freaked and asked to please remove it from the premises.

While Jan was still living at home; one day his mother thought she heard the shower running upstairs, and that Jan had gone to work without turning it off. When she got upstairs she looked into the shower stall and saw several crates with rattlers in them. What she thought was water running - - was in fact the rattlers shaking their tails.

Jan eventually moved in with his girl friend, into her mother’s basement. He had so many poisonous snakes that the mother would never go down in the basement. For many years he had a python that grew to over 12 feet. One day he decided to take it out into the sun and let it enjoy the warmth outside. Soon a crowd gathered, and started making a lot of noise poking at the python, and the snake began to wrap his coils around Jan and squeeze him. He couldn't get loose from it. Finally several men managed to pull the snake off him. Shortly after this the snake was gone for Jan had sold him.

One more thing I will tell about this boy was the time he bought three black bootleg cobras. They were only about 18 inches long but would rise up with a swelled up neck, and strike at you through the glass cage. He kept these cobras in the basement with the other snakes in glass cages. One night when everyone was gone, someone broke into the house to rob it. It didn’t take them long to realize that they were in a virtual snake pit. Becoming hysterical, and anxious to get out of there, they knocked over, and broke many cages open, including the cobras.

Jan’s girlfriend’s mother was beside herself, and left home until he had gathered up the critters, and caged them again. The next time I saw Jan, was after the break in. He was a bit concerned, because he couldn’t find the cobras no matter how much he looked. He was especially nervous because he slept down there, and the idea those cobras were still loose bothered even him.

Mark says; “They will take up serpents they will not hurt them.”

Paul the apostle had such an event occur when he was bitten by a poisonous viper with no ill effects, when all who witnessed the bite, expected him to die.

I don’t think what Jan was going fit that category. I haven’t seen him for years but I doubt if he has changed at all.

Life in the 40s

When I was in the California school system in the thirties and the forties, they were many ethnic groups there.

You might say, that’s nothing new, our schools today have the same thing. But what you don't know is, I came from the south where schools was divided into a color coded system, where whites went to a segregated white’s only schoo

I didn't think anything about it, one way or the other. Neither did I think anything about there being different races in my classes in California. There were Italians, Portuguese, Mexicans, some blacks, and many others. There were some other kids that seem to catch my attention and they were the Greek kids.

In studying world history, I found that the Greeks at one time were rulers of the then known world. Alexander the great was the conqueror of Persian Empire and established the Hellenistic kingdoms. He died at the age of 32, but made his place in history. When the Roman Empire captured most of the known world they also inherited the Greek culture, art and literature.

The reason I mention this brief history is because knowing about those smart Greeks of yesterday, I always wondered if the kids in my class was as smart as them. They had a little different accent from my southern talk and they had a little different complexion from me in fact theirs had a little yellowish cast, while I had the genuine red neck color.

Their first names were like Joseph but their last names were unbelievable!  It sounded like something they had made up just to be different. I knew them for several grades and we were friends, not good friends because they kind of stayed apart from the others.

There was one other thing that I couldn’t quite get, and that was, while we were about the same age, I had to look real hard to see if I had any peach fuzz on my face, while they were already shaving. Each day by the time school was out; they had black whiskers coming out of their face. Oh well, I didn't like to shave anyhow!

In many respects the world was a better place in the early years of my life. Compared to today, it was almost an age of innocence.

The scripture says now abides Faith (toward GOD) Hope (for all things) and Love, love being the greatest of these.

There is one thing I would like to add and that is Respect (of all men) for when these four things are in pre-eminence, all is well in the world

OLD FOLKS

People think old folks talk too much about the past, and not enough about the present and future.

Perhaps they are right, and maybe the oldies should enlighten this younger generation as to why they do that.

The past, in some ways deserves to be more important, and given consideration in conversations for several reasons.

One: the future is going to be shorter than the past, and have less impact on a life. That is unless you had a super dull existence without any experiences of any kind up until now.

Two: you have control over what you think about, unless you are an obsessive thinker. You can re-live the good, and the best times of your life, over and over again, and experience the joys of the events.

Three: it helps to avoid having to relearn lessons that you already learned in the past. It reminds you not to make the same mistakes again, and have to pay the penalties once more. Wisdom gained by experience can be experience lost, if not rehearsed occasionally.

Fourth: so far there is nothing illegal, improper, immoral, or demeaning in enjoying experiences of the past; as long as the actions discussed is fit and proper within the participating group.

Lastly the things you did today are now a part of the past.

The present: the present is limited in scope, for it is always in the now. What you are doing right now.

Anything that is later is not in the now, and belongs to the future.

The future: the future is or can be exciting. It’s a time of planning; perhaps a luncheon date, a dinner out, or a wedding rehearsal. It is the rest of your life just waiting to be lived. It is filled with uncertainty, but yet with hope. There are new things to enjoy, and disappointments to overcome, and only the prudent are able to live the future to its utmost.

Whether it is the past, present or future, it is all part of life and we should enjoy all of it. This is part of the reason the oldies like to relive the past, for to only enjoy the present, and future you miss too much.

Psalms 37:23-25 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholds him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

I HAD A DREAM

Being very tired and sleepy, I went to bed and had an extremely restless night.

I began to dream. I never woke up, but I wasn’t in a deep sleep. The strange thing was in my dream, I dreamed I was sleeping, and when I awoke I was in a third world country. The infrastructure was destroyed with; no power, no TV, no transportation, and very little food. My pockets were full of money, but it wasn’t enough to buy a soda cracker.

I was dismayed, “how did I get here? Where was I?” I didn’t recognize anything; I just walked around in a daze, and there weren’t any familiar faces, suddenly I was seized with fear. All I had was unanswered questions.

After some time, I saw an old man, who seemed harmless, and I got up the nerve to ask him what country this was? There was an incredulous look upon his face at first. Haltingly he said, “Why this is America of course!“

As he started to leave, I touched his arm and asked him what year it was. His answer was, “It is the year 2030,” as he unsteadily walked away.

This was America? This was my hometown? A closer look at some of the buildings revealed some old signs, yes a few things I remembered. I was at home; I haven’t traveled to some other country. This is where I lived all my life. All the questions started to pour in; how, what, it can’t be, yet it is?

After my mind settled down I remembered a story I read when I was a kid, called Rip Van Winkle. All at once I knew what had happened to me. I had been asleep or in a state suspended animation for 20 years. That had to be it, but this explanation only raised many more questions!

The first question was; what happened to this country? I searched my mind for the last thing I could remember. I remembered an election where the country was changing to a neo socialist agenda, and people were clamoring for open borders for immigrants, and where the government was the only employer, and nobody wanted to work because the government would give you more money for not working.

Then it dawned upon me! What I now see is the result of following a system based upon philosophical unsoundness, and we fell for it hook-line-and-sinker.

I awoke with a start, and found myself soaking wet from the trauma of the dream, and wondered if the dream was a precursor of things to come.

SOW DEM OATS

Thinking back to my oater days, I had one of the poorest harvests I know of.

This was partly because of lack of opportunity and I was in survival mode.

I was poor and sowing oats cost money. I never had to worry about a hole in my pocket, cause I didn't have anything to put in it. I only put my hand in it to rest my arm.

I did learn something from that experience; if you don’t sow you don’t harvest, but if you do sow you will reap what you sow.

Seeds will always stay true to their nature, and will thus reproduce themselves.

Sowing wild oats is a term often used to express different kinds of behavior which is unacceptable in some circles. It’s a lapse of good morals, a loosey goosey attitude toward societal standards.

Some dads swell up with pride when their sons kick over the traces, a chip off the old block feeling. They compare and relive some of their escapades in times past.

The feeling usually isn't quite the same when their daughters do it. Though the standards are blurring somewhat, it still isn't the same when the daughter comes home pregnant.

Seduction is a reduction in moral and spiritual values, at least for a given period of time, and can have results that last for a lifetime.

These wild oater times cause parents to vacillate from love, to disgust, and back to love again. Despite parent’s best efforts, kids will make bad decisions that will negatively affect the parents comfort zone, which the parents dislike very much.

My experience has taught me that much of living requires making the best of a bad situation, and requires a person to grow up a little more than they expected, or wanted to have to.

No matter how often we tell our kids how dumb their decisions are, they always think they are much smarter than we are, and they will try to prove it by experimenting on their own.

But that’s life, that’s the way it works, and the best a parent can do is to find those teachable moments when you can reach them. Those moments get farther apart as they get older, and too soon, they almost fade away. (Guess how I know that?).

What kids need more than anything else is an anchor of stability in parents, dependability, for without that there is a void, emptiness, a hole that desperately needs to be filled, someway or by someone.

God has given that job to parents, a job we must succeed at.

Proverbs 22:6 train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.

(But LORD help them during those wild oater days)

Remember even cars in the junkyard can be restored; all it takes is a willing car, lots of time, and much effort.