"Lessons of My Father"

I want to share a video this morning. It's available on YouTube. It is part of a series and you can find the rest if you want to.

Are you a father? Have you taught your kids the right way to be? This video talks about the concerns of not passing down what is important in life. When was the last time you sat down with your son and said, "This is how your granddaddy taught me to ...(you fill in the blanks)."

It doesn't matter if you agree with Nutnfancy or not. What matters is how we teach our children to live.

The Life of a Slave

"Freedom is an illusion," as the song goes. I've contemplated on that idea. Looking back of the last 50 years, I see that as much as Americans scream of being free, we aren't. It's an empty promise that we have been forced to believe has been fulfilled. If you look, you can see the degrees that freedom has been given, taken away with the illusion that they have been returned. We have become dependent on others for our lives.

After the ratification of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, Americans were the most free they have ever been. There is the exception that not all men are truly made equal. Until after the Civil War, Blacks living in the United States were slaves by most definitions. After the surrender at Appomattox. freedom was taking away from some Americans and given to others. There can be little argument that the Reconstruction deprived many Southern Americans from freedoms they had enjoyed before the war.

With the coming of the railroads, America spanned the continent. White Americans seized the opportunities to press Chinese laborers in to deep holes in the ground in which to run the tracks. There was no freedom for them. Likewise, the Mexicans became second class citizens in the region their Spanish ancestors had taken. There was no freedom for them either. The immigrants from Europe felt the harsh reality of being free in America. They were treated with contempt and forced to do jobs 'beneath' others. Black Americans were still forced to live under a thinly, veiled belief in freedom, only to be denied it's full meaning.

The Great Depression brought huge engineering works. In the Tennessee River valley, the government forced thousands of families away from their homes so dams could be built. Generations of farming families were forced to relocate, some against their will, into cities or to unfamiliar farm land. The freedom won by their ancestors at King's Mountain was taken away from the very government it created.

Now, we have the internet. We just can't live without it. We are forced by the government to pay for garbage collection that we do not want. The money saved in Social Security accounts is being used by the government as a carte blanche to fund wars, while the money put away for retirements is being given to those who have not earned it. The rights of States noted so importantly in the Constitution have been replaced with the larger, non-localized federal bureaucracy that has lost touch with the individual. The government is taking land under the guise of immanent domain for the general good. You can't drill for water on  your own land.

We are no longer free men. We have become slaves to our government. The country that has given us freedom from one tyrannical government for another. We have become slaves.

Take a moment at 12:01

Today is Memorial Day in the United States. Unfortunately, Memorial Day has become the heralding of the summer season. It is the first party day of summer. A good many of Americans where I live spend it on the rivers and lakes around the area. Some never give a thought about what Memorial Day is about.

Memorial Day is set aside as a national holiday to mourn, celebrate and to give thanks to those brave souls who died in the service of their country. It does not matter if the conflict was popular or not, these men and women took up the challenge. They volunteered, or were drafted, the did what they considered  their patriotic duty.

Today, Monday, May 27, 2013, take a moment at 12:01 pm and give a moment of silence to those men and women who gave all they had. 

I did find it interesting about some numbers of soldiers serving in Vietnam. The draft called over 2 million Americans to serve in Vietnam. An additional 8 million volunteered. Whether they were drafted or the volunteered, many returned to subsequent tours.

Love your family

We all have events in our lives that we wish we could have done differently. I know I certainly have, in spades!

A close family member has been in the hospital. My household has been visiting daily. Some visit regularly  Other close family members have visited once but not returned.

I missed opportunities in my past that I don't wish to repeat. Please, love your family and visit or talk to them regularly. A time will come that you will no longer be able to.

Anonymous

Anonymous comments are no longer accepted (or shouldn't be). No vulgar comments. They will be removed. If you post a comment sharing a link to porn or any off topic website will be deleted. Links advertising "teen" porn will be reported to the owner of blogger.com.

However, you are free to comment. LOL!

F.A.M.I.L.Y.

Recently, a family member posted this on Facebook about what the letters of the word 'family' means and that they follow it.


F-forgiving
A-affectionate
M-meaningful
I-irreplaceable 
L-loving
Y-years of laughter

I see it! I get it! However, what they failed to admit that they do not follow it. Here's an example...

A senior family member is in the hospital. This person only visits once. Using the meaning posted about family, They can take out the "affectionate" and "loving." If you have love someone, and it is possible to visit them in the hospital, you should visit. Visiting them in the hospital shows that they are "forgiving" and have affection for the sick. The sick do not hold much meaning to them because this person don't call or visit. Oh, a promise was made to come back and visit but never did. The senior family member has been replaced.

Modesty forbids me from telling what I have done.

The proof is in the pudding about how you feel about family. No, no one is perfect. Still! Don't boast about something you don't do.

Free Choice

No private organization should be forced or coerced into changing their beliefs. Furthermore, no organization should change it's beliefs based on public opinion. The Supreme Court ruled in Boy Scouts of America vs Dale that private organizations can have restrictive membership based on the Fist Amendment of the Constitution. In these cases, membership rules. Changes in membership of an organization is done from the inside but not from outside. Recently, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) have changed their long standing membership restriction to non-homosexuals. This seems to be a reaction to outside groups trying to interfere in BSA business.

Several groups have kowtowed to the fist of socialist liberals besides the BSA. Outside pressure forces compliance to the socialist agenda. The Augusta National Golf Club has allowed women membership. This was only after a hail storm of criticism from women rights groups because those silly green jackets weren't given to women. Several religious organizations has changed their beliefs so that women are equally eligible for the priesthood. Once again, someone from the outside wanted in but ran into opposition from the status quo. More religious organizations made changes to allow openly homosexual individuals into the priesthood. In this case, pressure mounted from the outside forcing organizations to change. If an organization wants to make changes from the inside I have NO problem. I object to outside forces creating an atmosphere of fear and hate forcing an organization to change.

I think that one reason people dislike the Westboro Baptist Church is that they refuse to change what they believe. Conspiracies abound about Masons because they refuse to open their doors to general membership. There are still some churches that believe that homosexuality is a sin and refuse to adopt a more permissive stance. Individuals are harassed daily for their beliefs. Why? I can tell you why. The socialist agenda does not like and cannot tolerate exclusiveness. Yes! It is all about restricting the individuals right to free speech, religion and association.

To me, it would have been better for the BSA to close it's doors than cave to those outside it's membership. No group is worth having if it does not stand up for what it believes.

Mars? We were promised the Moon!

When I was growing up, I was captivated by the Apollo missions and their visitations to the Moon. It was to lead up the establishment of a base on our satellite as a jumping off point to the other planets. Movies showed us what living on the Moon would be like and how they would be built. The science fiction TV shows of the time, Space: 1999 and U.F.O., showed moon bases, where people lived and worked. At the time, I knew I would never get to go to the Moon, but I had hopes that my children would. Well...

The Moon has taken a back seat. Now, everything is focused on Mars. I have thought up a few reasons why the Moon should be colonized before there was an attempt to land Man on Mars. I'm not a planetary scientist or an astronaut so don't get hyped up if I make an error.

Obviously, the Moon is close. It is possible to reach the Moon in nine hours. The New Horizons probe made that trip. It was unmanned and it would take a manned vessel under ninety-six hours. If there was a human presence on the Moon and an emergency arose, it is possible to mount a rescue operation before the crew was lost. Resupply would not be an issue either. Unmanned vehicles have been supporting the International Space Station for years and the Soviets supplied Mir the same way. This is a scientific principle that is well known and completely doable.

The Moon is an excellent science platform. Because there is no atmosphere on the Moon, it would make a great location for telescopes operating through all the bandwidths. The lack of atmosphere would be good for telescopes using the visible part of the spectrum. Wouldn't the Moon make an fantastic place to use radio telescopes. On the dark side, there would no interference from radio noise from nearby sources. Since the Moon is inhabited, any repair work that was needed for equipment would be easily made. SETI would benefit, also, because the radio noise leaking from Earth would be negligible.

Defense. The Moon is practical for a defensive platform. One would automatically assuming that I mean 'aliens.' As far as we know, there is no need to defend Earth from an 'alien' attack. Naturally, that could change without warning. I was really thinking of using the Moon to detect near Earth asteroids. Once again, because of it's lack of atmosphere, the Moon would be an ideal location for the detection of near Earth Objects. If necessary, the Moon would be a good platform for mounting an operation to prevent earthly impacts.

The catch? It would be expensive. Maintaining living conditions on one or several moon bases. It has been proposed that Moon contains the requirements for the production of energy, atmosphere and water. In time, a moon base would be able to manage it's own existence for ordinary subsistence. The base would still have to be supplied from Earth, but only monthly (eventually).

Small steps. All explorers have a base between the starting point and destination. There has always been the 'last outpost' in human exploration. I think of the frontier forts of the Americas westward expansion. On the journey west, pioneers left their homes and headed for the starting points like St Joseph and Independence, Missouri. As Americans moved west, they built new starting points.

The Moon should be the new starting point for Man's outward movement into space.

The Truth and Justice Matter

Former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has been quoted as saying, "What difference, at this point, does it make?!" during hearings over the killing of American ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi on September 11, 2012. I have to question Hillary's motives for making such a statement.

In the United States, the people expect the government to be press for justice for the victims of their fellow citizens killed in service to the country. That is the difference Hillary! We deserve and demand justice for the four Americans killed by terrorist in Libya. We expect the U.S. government to use every means 'legal' and possible for justice. If you commit a crime in the United States, the federal, state and local law enforcement agencies are expected to bring perpetrators to justice. For the crime of murder, those agencies work very hard to find, apprehend and prosecute criminals. This is no different. We demand justice!

It remains to be seen whether or not there is a conspiracy to cover-up mistakes made by the Obama administration in the matter. We want to know the truth. We can even handle the ugly truth. I hope justice, integrity and the truth do not become political ammunition for either Democrats or Republicans. Stand up and take your medicine if you made mistakes.

Hillary, it makes a great deal of difference to the American people about what happened in Benghazi.

Am I a monster?

The easy answer is no. I am not a monster. As the title of this blog plainly states, I am an ordinary person living a somewhat ordinary life in a small town in America. This does not make me a monster. However, there are those who would make me out to be a creature of disdain, often hatred and horror. Here's how...

I am part of the 75% percentile of Americans who have some religious faith. I am a Christian and puts in the majority of religious beliefs in this country. Even narrowing it down further, I'm a conservative Christian. I self-identify as a fundamentally conservative Christian. Oppss! There's a nerve! I believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, the literal interpretation of the Bible, and the other tenants that fundamental Christians hold true. I am not a Bible thumping Christian. I keep my religious beliefs to myself, but occasionally express my beliefs. Expression in the form of a quiet voice and a willing audience. Do I have the answers to the frequently asked questions? No. There are many things about faith and religion I do not understand.

Am I a monster? To some, just believing in the Bible is a very narrow minded view. Fundamental Christianity beings up images of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas. That is a narrow minded view. The only thing I have in common with Fred Phelps is the belief in God and Christ's death on the Cross. I don't rant and rave about singular sin and the downfall of the United States. I don't condemn an individual for his actions. I do believe that sins, as described in the Bible, will be punished at the reckoning of the soul. If this makes me a monster, so be it.

There are some meat an potatoes to the argument some would say makes me a monster. I'll lay it out. I believe homosexuality is a sin. It is listed as such in the Bible. I won't mince words about it, either. However, I won't stand on a street corner wearing signs condemning homosexuals or gay marriage. Killing another is a sin. Cheating on your wife is a sin. Stealing money from your companies 'kitty' fund is a sin. They are all equal and have the same consequences. One cannot be singled out for judgement because of a singular sin. You have to read the Bible to understand this position. If you believe differently, I won't say much about it unless asked. I will stand my ground on my beliefs.

I believe that all men, naturally woman, are created equal. Every person has the same rights as guaranteed in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Let me say that again, "Every person has the same rights as guaranteed in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights." It makes no difference the color of ones skin, one's sex, what country one is from, or even who they sleep with at night. I must, however, insert a caveat, equal rights unless someone breaks the legal agreement between the individual and the State. Don't understand? As long as a person does not violate the law, they are free to move about this Nation and live in peace. Violators of the law are subject to punishment.

Now, to some, I am a monster. If you disagree with what I have said, well too bad. There is the First Amendment and I will exercise it in accordance with the law (as long as I don't violate the user agreement of Blogger.). If you want to exercise your First Amendment rights, please do as long as you don't violate the law (and the user agreement).

I have been known to call liberal Christians hypocrites. Well, I have stopped doing that. It is not constructive to their faith, nor mine. I seldom, after much thought, tell someone is 'wrong' for their beliefs. If asked, yes, I will tell you that your interpretation maybe in error. I will show examples in the Bible and leave it to those concerned. I think that is fair. Jump up and down, condemning a contrary interpretation to my views.

So there, I am an ordinary person living life as best I can. You think I'm a monster? That's fine. However, it is unfair to lump select individuals with others without the proper framework. I am an individual. Free to make choices.

Yo no habla espanol

This is short, but sweet. I refuse to learn Spanish. You go to France, you speak French. You go to China, you speak Chinese. I don't see that the United States is any different. Is that racist? No! Is it stubborn? I can be. Some things I learn, some things I won't.

Equality

Equality is for everyone or no one!