Ben Stein’s Confession… September 30, 2008
Posted by JP in Discussion, Venting.1 comment so far
My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees.. I don’t feel threatened. I don’t feel discriminated against. That’s what they are: Christmas trees.
It doesn’t bother me a bit when people say, ‘Merry Christmas’ to me. I don’t think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrati ng this happy time of year. It doesn’t bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it’s just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don’t like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don’t think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can’t find it in the Constitution and I don’t like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren’t allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that’s a sign that I’m getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it’s not funny, it’s intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham’s daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her ‘How could God let something like this happen?’ (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, ‘I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we’ve been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?’
In light of recent events… terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O’Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn’t want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn’t spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr Spock’s son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he’s talking about. And we said OK.
Now we’re asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don’t know right from wrong, and why it doesn’t bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with ‘WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.’
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world’s going to hell Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send ‘jokes’ through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet?
The bailout & Congress’s failure… September 30, 2008
Posted by JP in Politics, Venting.add a comment
The bailout plan was flushed and the markets took a deep dive into the toilet, and all the lawmakers could do was point fingers at each other.
What they should have done is resign their positions as they certainly have failed to do their jobs. Spending more time blaming the opposite side of the aisle for their own individual failure to do what is necessary to keep this country from plunging into an economic morass.
At this point I do not blame the greed and corruption of Wall Street as much as I blame the stupidity and power-mongering malfecence of Congress. They have a responsiblity to do the hard thing to protect this nation from further financial damage, instead they decide to bitch-slap each other, point fingers, and leave the American public in the rubble they leave behind.
November 4th is coming up and if I had my way, every Congressperson and every Senator who is up for reelection should be shown the door - regardless of who gets voted in the position in their absence. The time of partisan politics, mud-slinging, finger pointing, and failure to do the job they were elected to do is over. They need to step up to the plate, swallow hard and do what needs to be done to protect this nation and this economy.
Funny thing is; if this county takes a financial dump, the citizens are the ones who will suffer, loosing jobs, savings, investments, etc. All the while the congressional members will still be getting paid and leeching off of the american people.
They have only their best interests in mind and they all suck.
The bailout… September 23, 2008
Posted by JP in Discussion, Politics, Stupidity, Venting.add a comment
Times are tough, no doubt. The financial markets are indeed in trouble and something has to be done.
The issues surrounding this problem are complex; the government (using the taxpayers money) is not equipped, nor should they be, to handle a bail out of the companies adversely affected by thier own greed and short sightedness, but they have to do something.
The markets are self-correcting, we know that, however the far reaching effects of that self-correction will be horrendously damaging to the economy. Not only will major companies fail, but the ripple effect throughout the economy would be devastating to many citizens - lost jobs as mortgage companies fail, lost housing buy’s and building would cost more jobs, the hit to the retail industry that many of us are already feeling would be exponentially amplified. Companies like Lowes and Home Depot would be very hard hit; layoffs, store closures, et al would damage the employment rate even further, and the subsequent loss of income for the average American would spread like a cancer.
So it is clear; something must be done, we cannot simply allow the economy to ‘adjust’ itself unaided.
However, what is also clear is that the operators of these companies which have placed the economy in such dire straights should not benefit from a bailout. CEO’s, COO’s, CFO’s (you name the acronym) should not personal benefit from one cent of taxpayer’s money. Save the companies, absolutely, but hold those responsible for the failures of these companies to a tight leash, and limited, extremely limited, benefit.
We are talking salaries and bonuses. If I run a company and through my efforts of mismanagement, that company teeters on the brink of bankruptcy, I should not expect, nor should I recieve, anything…
I hope and pray that congress takes this idea into consideration when hashing out the details of whatever ill-concieved bail out plan they come up with. No bonuses for the leaders of these failed companies. No high level salaries for these company officers. Limit them to a reasonable salary if they are staying in place, and put a caveat in the plan to keep those salaries limited until the companies in question pay back every single cent the government puts in their coffers.
Then the idea of regulation comes in…. I loathe the idea of the government regulating the ‘free’ market, but something has to happen, or these greed mongers and inept managers will do the same thing again; acting stupidly out of greed and destroying the lives of our citenzry.
Obama has lost my support… September 16, 2008
Posted by JP in Politics, Venting.2 comments
For the majority of this campaign year I have subtly supported Obama’s bid for the White House. As a registered republican this was not business as usual for me, but I normally put my support behind the candidate that I feel will be best for the country, regardless of party affiliation, and I felt Obama’s ‘newness’ and ability to bring about fundamental change in politics would have been healthy for the the nation.
I weighed the pros and cons of the republican candidates and the democrat candidates and through the primaries I quietly held hope and support for Obama.
The tide has turned now however. Obama’s lock on the idea of change and bucking the system all but evaporated with the two party picks for running mates; Obama chose a well ingrained DC insider as his running mate, effectively destroying all hopes of shaking up politics as usual in DC, and McCain (whom I don’t like a whole bunch) chose Palin, and true ‘outsider’ and someone fresh and unconnected with the status quo.
Simply with their choices of running mates the two Presidential candidates had changed my mind.
Now we are here, after the conventions and the campaign between the parties is in full swing, and I have to tell you that the Obama camp has further destroyed any hope of my believing they are in this race for the good of the country. Obama and Biden, and the whole dem camp has begun the mud slinging, name calling, lying, issue avoiding, scumbag behavior of the democrats of before.
The Clinton (Gore) camp tried to steal the election from the republicans by taking the will of the people to the Supreme Court, they lost and they have done nothing but whine, lie, and obfuscate ever since. When Hillary lost the nomination I was so thrilled I was ready to throw my full support behind Obama. Now in the daily reports of the crap he and Biden keep dishing out I cannot in any sense of a good conscience, consider supporting him for President.
The McCain camp was pretty good at pointing out the non-existent experience of Obama, and his camp retaliated with venom. Rather than address the issues, they conducted personal assaults on McCain/Palin. Rather than explain how they would make things better in spite of, or even because of, a lack of experience, they chose to attack a lady’s family and issue forth filth, lies, and acerbic sarcasm about what has been said and is being said.
When it all boils down to the nuts and bolts I am now faced with supporting a candidate that I didn’t much care for (McCain) and his running mate whom I believe is the breath of fresh air the White House needs, and voicing my strong dislike of a man and his running mate who have proven through their actions and rhetoric that the only thing that is important to them is gaining the White House at any cost and screwing the nation in exchange for that position.
Obama should not be elected president.
He’s been reading my mail… August 5, 2008
Posted by JP in Discussion, Stupidity, Venting.add a comment
I have this theory about men and aging. We have two ages: the age we really are, and the age we are in our heads. Most men are almost always about 31 or 32 in their heads — just ask them. Even Mr. Burns from “The Simpsons” is 31 in his head. One of the most universal adult male experiences is of standing before a mirror and saying, “I’m sorry, but there’s been a horrible mistake. You see, that’s not really me in the mirror there. The real me is tanned, throws Frisbees, and kayaks the Columbia River estuary without cracking a sweat.”
Sendler vs. Gore… July 28, 2008
Posted by JP in Venting.add a comment
Gorical propoganda wins the Nobel Peace Prize over the tangible efforts of a lady who actually saved lives in time of war? What in the world are people thinking?
The Gospel June 27, 2008
Posted by JP in Faith, Scripture, Venting.add a comment
1 Cor. 15:1-4: AND NOW let me remind you [since it seems to have escaped you], brethren, of the Gospel (the glad tidings of salvation) which I proclaimed to you, which you welcomed and accepted and upon which your faith rests, (2) And by which you are saved, if you hold fast and keep firmly what I preached to you, unless you believed at first without effect and all for nothing. (3) For I passed on to you first of all what I also had received, that Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for our sins in accordance with [what] the Scriptures [foretold], (4) That He was buried, that He arose on the third day as the Scriptures foretold,
The gospel is defined as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for our sins. Christ Jesus’ sacrificial atonement for our sins, granted by His grace through our faith. Nothing more, nothing less.
I entreat all of my brethren - follow the commandment of our Lord and spread the Gospel of Christ. Place this goal first and foremost in your hearts and minds, and put the doctrinal debates, the political debates, the social change debates on a back burner. Do not let the concerns of society, or of your particular denomination take the front seat in your Christian life, but strive to make the Gospel your first priority and responsibility.
Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary; use words.
What a pain… June 12, 2008
Posted by JP in Venting.2 comments
My friend sofyst had a blog ‘the protestant pub’ which is now defunct. Unfortunately, someone who is lacking class, connected the address to a porn site, subsequently, every link I’ve ever posted to the pub now led to a porn site. I’ve spent a lot of time this morning editing numerous posts to break the links. I hope I have gotten them all, but take heed:
If you see the pub linked to in any post here, simply ignore it…
Seeking Inspiration… May 21, 2008
Posted by JP in Venting.add a comment
I need your help.
I desire to write, to study, to post… but I am blocked. Technically I’m not ‘blocked’, but I am finding it difficult to find some topic that piques my interest in a way that pushes me to explore and expound. Much of it has to do with daily life - long hours at work, lots of stress, distractions, etc. I continue to sit here trying to find that kernel of something that would create a spark in my mind that says to me; “Hey, this is really cool, let’s write something about it”.
This is where you come in. Give me some ideas. Inspire me, guide me to explore a truth, a whim, an idea. Please.
Stress of life May 7, 2008
Posted by JP in Venting.add a comment
Times are tough, struggles are increasing in all aspects of life. Work, money, living, et al. It seems the ability to take the time to write something, anything, meaningful is growing difficult. I long for the days when I could take a goodly amount of time, push all the cares of the world from my mind and focus on an idea and explore it, study it, and write about it…
