I was reading an article about the sale of oil & gas leases (on BLM managed public lands) in the State of Utah. It shows Robert Redford "going public" to bring attention to this "outrage". My first instinct would be to discredit Mr. Redford, but I think that his history has shown he has done so well by his own efforts. Those who seem to have resonance with his annual hypocritical rants would never listen to the rest of us anyway.
The lives of many have been held hostage by special interests who purport to be looking out for our children's future by not managing our natural resources in favor of becoming enslaved to forces (of evil) outside of the this nation. These outside forces do not have any qualms about exploitation of their own natural resources and as a result have obtained power over us and our children for the forseeable generation. We have the power to control our own destiny, but have forfeited that power due to the influence of those special interests, like Mr. Redford. He is not a voice crying in the wilderness; he is crying for the wilderness that we will become.
Choose Freedom over enslavement. These resources can be managed and we must hold corporations (the boogeyman) accountable, but you don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Stop, Look & Listen
Stop, Look & Listen
You look to the left, And you look to the right
And you make sure, there are no cars in sight
You listen up, And you listen down
And you make sure there are no cars around
You've got to stop, look and listen
Stop, look and listen
Stop, look and listen
Before you cross that street
The old song that we learned in elementary school has a singular purpose, but an eternal focus. We were taught that you need to: Stop in your tracks, Look both ways & Listen for cars, before you attempt to cross a street. The same advice goes when you come to a point of decision in life.. You should stop and ponder, look behind you in the past, and look forward in the present at all the things that the Lord has done for you, and Listen to the still small voice for direction that you should take..
Why should we stop and ponder?
Moroni 10:3 - Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
Alma 62: 49 But notwithstanding their riches, or their strength, or their prosperity, they were not lifted up in the pride of their eyes; neither were they slow to remember the Lord their God; but they did humble themselves exceedingly before him.
50 Yea, they did remember how great things the Lord had done for them, that he had delivered them from death, and from bonds, and from prisons, and from all manner of afflictions, and he had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies.
When we truly look around, or “...both ways”, we have to give thanks to God?
King Benjamin (as recorded in Mosiah in the Book of Mormon) admonished his people:
“O how you ought to thank your heavenly King!
“I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another—
“I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls, yet ye would be unprofitable servants.” (Mosiah 2:19–21.)
2 Nephi 9:51 Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.
52 Behold, my beloved brethren, remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night. Let your hearts rejoice.
It has been said that “an ungrateful man is like a hog under a tree, eating acorns, but never looking up to see where they come from.” (Timothy Dexter, The New Dictionary of Thoughts, Garden City, N.Y.: Standard Book Co., 1961, p. 308.)
Much of the time we are not cognizant of the things that the Lord does for us. Be cause of our lack of understanding of his ways, we don’t recognize or acknowledge his hand in our life. The following story illustrates this point:
A family was eating dinner one evening and the little boy didn’t seem interested in his meal. He was having a frustrating time cutting the meat into portions that he could manage. He then got up from the table, losing interest in the food. The father took the opportunity to cut up the meat into portions the little boy could easily eat. The boy returned to continue eating his meal….not really noting that the meat had been cut up for him, or even asking who had done it, or giving thanks for making it easier for him to eat. To him it had just miraculously appeared that way.
This parable illustrates that though we don’t always acknowledge things that are done for us, they still continue to be done. Our lack of action, or belief does not stop these things from happening. How many times do we give thanks that the sun rises in the morning, or that Spring comes after a long winter? Do we just take these things for granted? How many times have we looked back at our lives and recognized the Lord’s hand in it? We may not have expected it, but that did not stop it from happening.
Do we ever acknowledge the small, unplanned diversions in the course of our daily lives that we have no control over?
I remember an experience once, when I was with some friends going to the temple, prior to a temple marriage. We were running late and some members of the party were stressed about arriving on time. By the time we arrived at the chapel, the session had already begun. It would be over an hour or so before the sealing was to begin. A temple worker approached us and asked if we would like to do some proxy sealings. We were promised that we would be finished in time for the sealing that we had come for. It was a wonderful experience listening to the words of the covenant and a chance to meditate on its meaning, which was why we were there, but it was also a chance for us to slow down and appreciate the things the Lord had given us, in his time schedule.
As long as we acknowledge the Lord, he will continue to protect us. Consider the Nephites during the time of Captain Moroni:
Alma 46:12 And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.
13 And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land—
14 For thus were all the true believers of Christ, who belonged to the church of God, called by those who did not belong to the church.
Now consider the Nephites during Mormon’s lifetime and how they had similar values, but didn’t put the Lord first:
Mormon 2:12 And it came to pass that when I, Mormon, saw their lamentation and their mourning and their sorrow before the Lord, my heart did begin to rejoice within me, knowing the mercies and the long-suffering of the Lord, therefore supposing that he would be merciful unto them that they would again become a righteous people.
13 But behold this my joy was vain, for their sorrowing was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of God; but it was rather the sorrowing of the damned, because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in sin.
14 And they did not come unto Jesus with broken hearts and contrite spirits, but they did curse God, and wish to die. Nevertheless they would struggle with the sword for their lives.
26 And it came to pass that when they had fled we did pursue them with our armies, and did meet them again, and did beat them; nevertheless the strength of the Lord was not with us; yea, we were left to ourselves, that the Spirit of the Lord did not abide in us; therefore we had become weak like unto our brethren.
The following story illustrates how sometimes, it is the small things that happen in our lives overcome the big things, and we keep them in remembrance, continually in our minds
Of the many wonderful Christmases in my lifetime, there’s one I will never forget. I was fifteen years old and lived in Colonia Dublan, Chihuahua, Mexico, when revolutionary soldiers took control of our colony. That night—still vivid in my memory—I was terrified!
On 23 December 1915, U.S. troops issued an edict for those in the army of Francisco “Pancho” Villa to surrender, and many of them did. We watched them as they passed by our place on their way to Ciudad Juarez, where they were taken into custody. Others of the revolutionaries stayed behind with Villa’s lieutenant and prepared for a trek to join their leader in the mountains.
The next afternoon, Christmas Eve, one group of Villa’s soldiers came to our door with flour, insisting that Mother make bread for them. A group of men made their camp on our farm, helped themselves to our grain for their horses, and housed the animals in our barn. Then a little later, at about six o’clock, another small group of soldiers came into the house. They ransacked the cupboards and trunks, shooting the locks off of them, looking for food and money, and taking what they wanted. Within a few hours, six different groups had gone through our house, taking anything they felt they needed for their long journey to join their leader.
As bishop, my father had just finished tithing settlement and was preparing to send the contributions to Church headquarters. The soldiers not only took most of our food, but they found the tithing money my father had locked away and took that too. They also took our sheets, blankets, and quilts.
Around midnight, Villa’s lieutenant and a group of soldiers surrounded our house, posting guards at each of the entrances. One of the guards fired a shot into the room where we were, breaking glass in a window. A piece of flying glass cut my head over my right eyebrow. When I saw the blood running down over my eye, I thought I had been shot, and I touched the back of my head to feel where the bullet had come out. I was relieved to find no hole.
When the soldiers had come into the house earlier, they had gone upstairs looting trunks and taking what they could find. They had noticed that all of the women and children were upstairs and the men were downstairs, so now they decided they wanted to go back upstairs to the women. But my father forbade them. When they asked, “Who would stop us?” Father stood in the doorway, blocking it, and commanded them by the priesthood of God not to go upstairs. The lieutenant and his assistant, suddenly subdued, said, “If that is what you say, muy bien.” And they left. Father showed them out, lighting the doorway with his coal oil lamp. The men shot the lamp out of his hand as they left. I can still see my father standing there, a pillar of faith and courage.
Because of the night’s events, we couldn’t even sing or hang up our stockings. We hardly even remembered it was Christmas Eve. We were joined very late that night by the John B. Robinson family, whose house the looters had doused with coal oil and set on fire, because the Robinsons wouldn’t let them in. We could see the blazing fire against the night sky as the Robinson girls and their mother cried, uncertain and frightened; they feared that members of their family had been lost in the fire. They were grateful when the others joined us later. None of us got any sleep that night.
When I see Christmas stockings hung, I am reminded of scenes from that night, and I am thankful for the Savior’s gifts to me—the gifts of life, faith, and hope. The terror of that night gave way to a profound gratitude, reinforced by the image of my father standing in that doorway after using the priesthood to rebuke those men. We had been protected by the hand of the Lord; I came to know that for certain. I have been strengthened by that knowledge throughout my life. (Anson Bowen Call Jr. and Thaya E. Gilmore, “Father and the Revolutionaries,” Ensign, Dec. 1993, 44–45)
I was reminded recently of humble gratitude when our Stake President mentioned in Stake Conference about a conference call regarding Proposition 8. When the instruction was finished, he was impress by Elder Ballard giving thanks, with deep emotion, for all the efforts of the saints and their participation in the effort. And then before closing he instructed the Stake Presidents to have each Bishop offer the closing prayer in each sacrament meeting, united in faith and prayer, and gratitude to the Lord.
He is not very far from each of us. We can more closely align our will to his, if we desire it. We are the ones that have to move towards him. He is always there.
I pray that we will take time to thank the Lord for his presence in our lives. When we look back on the story of our life, we will find that he was there, that he showed us his love, and helped us along the way. That we acknowledge it, is entirely our choice.
You look to the left, And you look to the right
And you make sure, there are no cars in sight
You listen up, And you listen down
And you make sure there are no cars around
You've got to stop, look and listen
Stop, look and listen
Stop, look and listen
Before you cross that street
The old song that we learned in elementary school has a singular purpose, but an eternal focus. We were taught that you need to: Stop in your tracks, Look both ways & Listen for cars, before you attempt to cross a street. The same advice goes when you come to a point of decision in life.. You should stop and ponder, look behind you in the past, and look forward in the present at all the things that the Lord has done for you, and Listen to the still small voice for direction that you should take..
Why should we stop and ponder?
Moroni 10:3 - Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
Alma 62: 49 But notwithstanding their riches, or their strength, or their prosperity, they were not lifted up in the pride of their eyes; neither were they slow to remember the Lord their God; but they did humble themselves exceedingly before him.
50 Yea, they did remember how great things the Lord had done for them, that he had delivered them from death, and from bonds, and from prisons, and from all manner of afflictions, and he had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies.
When we truly look around, or “...both ways”, we have to give thanks to God?
King Benjamin (as recorded in Mosiah in the Book of Mormon) admonished his people:
“O how you ought to thank your heavenly King!
“I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another—
“I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls, yet ye would be unprofitable servants.” (Mosiah 2:19–21.)
2 Nephi 9:51 Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.
52 Behold, my beloved brethren, remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night. Let your hearts rejoice.
It has been said that “an ungrateful man is like a hog under a tree, eating acorns, but never looking up to see where they come from.” (Timothy Dexter, The New Dictionary of Thoughts, Garden City, N.Y.: Standard Book Co., 1961, p. 308.)
Much of the time we are not cognizant of the things that the Lord does for us. Be cause of our lack of understanding of his ways, we don’t recognize or acknowledge his hand in our life. The following story illustrates this point:
A family was eating dinner one evening and the little boy didn’t seem interested in his meal. He was having a frustrating time cutting the meat into portions that he could manage. He then got up from the table, losing interest in the food. The father took the opportunity to cut up the meat into portions the little boy could easily eat. The boy returned to continue eating his meal….not really noting that the meat had been cut up for him, or even asking who had done it, or giving thanks for making it easier for him to eat. To him it had just miraculously appeared that way.
This parable illustrates that though we don’t always acknowledge things that are done for us, they still continue to be done. Our lack of action, or belief does not stop these things from happening. How many times do we give thanks that the sun rises in the morning, or that Spring comes after a long winter? Do we just take these things for granted? How many times have we looked back at our lives and recognized the Lord’s hand in it? We may not have expected it, but that did not stop it from happening.
Do we ever acknowledge the small, unplanned diversions in the course of our daily lives that we have no control over?
I remember an experience once, when I was with some friends going to the temple, prior to a temple marriage. We were running late and some members of the party were stressed about arriving on time. By the time we arrived at the chapel, the session had already begun. It would be over an hour or so before the sealing was to begin. A temple worker approached us and asked if we would like to do some proxy sealings. We were promised that we would be finished in time for the sealing that we had come for. It was a wonderful experience listening to the words of the covenant and a chance to meditate on its meaning, which was why we were there, but it was also a chance for us to slow down and appreciate the things the Lord had given us, in his time schedule.
As long as we acknowledge the Lord, he will continue to protect us. Consider the Nephites during the time of Captain Moroni:
Alma 46:12 And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.
13 And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land—
14 For thus were all the true believers of Christ, who belonged to the church of God, called by those who did not belong to the church.
Now consider the Nephites during Mormon’s lifetime and how they had similar values, but didn’t put the Lord first:
Mormon 2:12 And it came to pass that when I, Mormon, saw their lamentation and their mourning and their sorrow before the Lord, my heart did begin to rejoice within me, knowing the mercies and the long-suffering of the Lord, therefore supposing that he would be merciful unto them that they would again become a righteous people.
13 But behold this my joy was vain, for their sorrowing was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of God; but it was rather the sorrowing of the damned, because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in sin.
14 And they did not come unto Jesus with broken hearts and contrite spirits, but they did curse God, and wish to die. Nevertheless they would struggle with the sword for their lives.
26 And it came to pass that when they had fled we did pursue them with our armies, and did meet them again, and did beat them; nevertheless the strength of the Lord was not with us; yea, we were left to ourselves, that the Spirit of the Lord did not abide in us; therefore we had become weak like unto our brethren.
The following story illustrates how sometimes, it is the small things that happen in our lives overcome the big things, and we keep them in remembrance, continually in our minds
Of the many wonderful Christmases in my lifetime, there’s one I will never forget. I was fifteen years old and lived in Colonia Dublan, Chihuahua, Mexico, when revolutionary soldiers took control of our colony. That night—still vivid in my memory—I was terrified!
On 23 December 1915, U.S. troops issued an edict for those in the army of Francisco “Pancho” Villa to surrender, and many of them did. We watched them as they passed by our place on their way to Ciudad Juarez, where they were taken into custody. Others of the revolutionaries stayed behind with Villa’s lieutenant and prepared for a trek to join their leader in the mountains.
The next afternoon, Christmas Eve, one group of Villa’s soldiers came to our door with flour, insisting that Mother make bread for them. A group of men made their camp on our farm, helped themselves to our grain for their horses, and housed the animals in our barn. Then a little later, at about six o’clock, another small group of soldiers came into the house. They ransacked the cupboards and trunks, shooting the locks off of them, looking for food and money, and taking what they wanted. Within a few hours, six different groups had gone through our house, taking anything they felt they needed for their long journey to join their leader.
As bishop, my father had just finished tithing settlement and was preparing to send the contributions to Church headquarters. The soldiers not only took most of our food, but they found the tithing money my father had locked away and took that too. They also took our sheets, blankets, and quilts.
Around midnight, Villa’s lieutenant and a group of soldiers surrounded our house, posting guards at each of the entrances. One of the guards fired a shot into the room where we were, breaking glass in a window. A piece of flying glass cut my head over my right eyebrow. When I saw the blood running down over my eye, I thought I had been shot, and I touched the back of my head to feel where the bullet had come out. I was relieved to find no hole.
When the soldiers had come into the house earlier, they had gone upstairs looting trunks and taking what they could find. They had noticed that all of the women and children were upstairs and the men were downstairs, so now they decided they wanted to go back upstairs to the women. But my father forbade them. When they asked, “Who would stop us?” Father stood in the doorway, blocking it, and commanded them by the priesthood of God not to go upstairs. The lieutenant and his assistant, suddenly subdued, said, “If that is what you say, muy bien.” And they left. Father showed them out, lighting the doorway with his coal oil lamp. The men shot the lamp out of his hand as they left. I can still see my father standing there, a pillar of faith and courage.
Because of the night’s events, we couldn’t even sing or hang up our stockings. We hardly even remembered it was Christmas Eve. We were joined very late that night by the John B. Robinson family, whose house the looters had doused with coal oil and set on fire, because the Robinsons wouldn’t let them in. We could see the blazing fire against the night sky as the Robinson girls and their mother cried, uncertain and frightened; they feared that members of their family had been lost in the fire. They were grateful when the others joined us later. None of us got any sleep that night.
When I see Christmas stockings hung, I am reminded of scenes from that night, and I am thankful for the Savior’s gifts to me—the gifts of life, faith, and hope. The terror of that night gave way to a profound gratitude, reinforced by the image of my father standing in that doorway after using the priesthood to rebuke those men. We had been protected by the hand of the Lord; I came to know that for certain. I have been strengthened by that knowledge throughout my life. (Anson Bowen Call Jr. and Thaya E. Gilmore, “Father and the Revolutionaries,” Ensign, Dec. 1993, 44–45)
I was reminded recently of humble gratitude when our Stake President mentioned in Stake Conference about a conference call regarding Proposition 8. When the instruction was finished, he was impress by Elder Ballard giving thanks, with deep emotion, for all the efforts of the saints and their participation in the effort. And then before closing he instructed the Stake Presidents to have each Bishop offer the closing prayer in each sacrament meeting, united in faith and prayer, and gratitude to the Lord.
He is not very far from each of us. We can more closely align our will to his, if we desire it. We are the ones that have to move towards him. He is always there.
I pray that we will take time to thank the Lord for his presence in our lives. When we look back on the story of our life, we will find that he was there, that he showed us his love, and helped us along the way. That we acknowledge it, is entirely our choice.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Permission To Speak Freely?
As I go about my life, I find that my values and beliefs are under attack by the popular opinion, generated by the popular media. The values to which I refer have been constant for the known history of the world, that is the recorded history of the world. I realize that these values have not been held up by the majority of societies on the earth and the major powers of the world throughout history have not been known to uphold the concept of absolute truth (right vs. wrong).
Take, for example, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego illustrates how a culture and the behest of the ruler (government) required all the people to worship as the ruler dictated (I use the word dictate to mean the lack of choice or liberty). This worship was enforced or the life of the rebellious one was taken (remember the hot furnace?). The young men in this instance stood up for what they believed was true (which turned out to be true after all), and were ultimately protected by their God. There is a formula for faith in this. If the young men had believe in bowing to the worship of the King, would their lives had been saved as well? Maybe, or they possibly would have suffered the fate of others in the Kings court, when he tired of them. The point: Faith has to be based in the complete true, the whole truth, not partial truth, or falsities. You can have faith in something that is wrong, or it would be false faith. Back to Nebuchadnezzar...so he has to put the young men in the oven, because you can't disobey the King, at least when the King is in charge! In the oven a miraculous thing happened, the young men didn't burn. The King was informed by his officials that young men were not harmed. The King then confesses that they were servants of the Most High God, something he probably already knew, but would not admit.
It is the same today. There are absolute truths that have been with us since day-one, like gravity, right & wrong, but the supposed Kings tell us that wrong is right, and what is right is wrong...it is all about control and bondage. That is what we are facing in the world today. Seek for truth, but of course this is....just an observation.
Take, for example, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego illustrates how a culture and the behest of the ruler (government) required all the people to worship as the ruler dictated (I use the word dictate to mean the lack of choice or liberty). This worship was enforced or the life of the rebellious one was taken (remember the hot furnace?). The young men in this instance stood up for what they believed was true (which turned out to be true after all), and were ultimately protected by their God. There is a formula for faith in this. If the young men had believe in bowing to the worship of the King, would their lives had been saved as well? Maybe, or they possibly would have suffered the fate of others in the Kings court, when he tired of them. The point: Faith has to be based in the complete true, the whole truth, not partial truth, or falsities. You can have faith in something that is wrong, or it would be false faith. Back to Nebuchadnezzar...so he has to put the young men in the oven, because you can't disobey the King, at least when the King is in charge! In the oven a miraculous thing happened, the young men didn't burn. The King was informed by his officials that young men were not harmed. The King then confesses that they were servants of the Most High God, something he probably already knew, but would not admit.
It is the same today. There are absolute truths that have been with us since day-one, like gravity, right & wrong, but the supposed Kings tell us that wrong is right, and what is right is wrong...it is all about control and bondage. That is what we are facing in the world today. Seek for truth, but of course this is....just an observation.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Tout Your Own Flavor of Hypocrisy
Have you ever wondered why people that are against the death penalty for criminals are pro-abortion for the innocent? And of course the converse of that? What about the people that want the government to meddle in the content of fast food, but want freedom to use marijuana? Lately there has been the large outcry against drilling for oil and the oil industry's contribution to "Global Warming", but when the technology for a carbon dioxide scrubber is proposed, the protagonists cry foul, saying that it takes emphasis away from the cause of the problem....kind of like abortion takes away focus on the problem of sexual activity outside of a marriage relationship....oh, I get it? My favorite flavor of hypocrisy is the Hollywood elite. They parade themselves in the media like a bunch of peacocks, then cry foul, when the are constantly followed by stalkers and paparazzi. Granted, I wouldn't want that kind of attention, but I'm not a publicity hound. Those that are....publicity hounds, that is....shouldn't be surprised, when the media pursues them relentlessly to catch them in some kind of revealing situation, in order to sell their media product. No suprise, I guess. People that live in glass houses, etc.
We, as human beings, are far from perfect and can only attempt at perfection in this life. What is perfection? How can one be consistently true? I think that we have to discharge any thought of the end justifying the means (see previous commentary). When we are following truth, we are adhering to a consistent value, a true value; there is no backtracking, no hypocrisy. When we depart from the truth, then our end falls short and we are left without promise. Hypocrisy is then, its own reward, no more, no less. Everyone else suffers the diminishment as well. For now this is Just an Observation, without guile, without hypocrisy....
We, as human beings, are far from perfect and can only attempt at perfection in this life. What is perfection? How can one be consistently true? I think that we have to discharge any thought of the end justifying the means (see previous commentary). When we are following truth, we are adhering to a consistent value, a true value; there is no backtracking, no hypocrisy. When we depart from the truth, then our end falls short and we are left without promise. Hypocrisy is then, its own reward, no more, no less. Everyone else suffers the diminishment as well. For now this is Just an Observation, without guile, without hypocrisy....
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Why Haven't I Ever Received a "J.D. Powers & Associates" Award?
Have you ever wondered who gives out the J.D. Powers & Associates awards? I thought that it was some non-profit, or humanitarian organization that honor good corporate citizens for their company's products. Or at least, a Consumer Reports type organization that surveys all products for their redeeming qualities.
Their awards program amounts to a certification program conducted in behalf of their clients, with the information gathered independently.....but who pays for all this? The client! Does this means that if they get a negative survey, it will be released to the public for their scrutiny?.....H-No! Do they work the survey until they get a positive result? You be the judge, but for me, this is just an observation......
Their awards program amounts to a certification program conducted in behalf of their clients, with the information gathered independently.....but who pays for all this? The client! Does this means that if they get a negative survey, it will be released to the public for their scrutiny?.....H-No! Do they work the survey until they get a positive result? You be the judge, but for me, this is just an observation......
Monday, May 19, 2008
Religion & Government - Part II
As I mentioned in Religion & Government - Part I, secular government has been trying to supplant religion for a long time, especially in the modern era. This was brought to the forefront in the recent decision by the California Supreme Court to allow "Same-sex Marriages". First-of-all, Same-sex marriage would be an oxymoron, because marriage by definition, is between a man and a woman (opposite sex). In a recent interview, Ronald George, California Supreme Court Chief Justice, reflected on a visit to the southern U.S. where he saw evidence of discrimination . Many same-sex marriage activists have tried to equate their "struggle" with that of the civil rights struggles of the late 1950's to the early 1960's. There were many "churches" that were involved in this activism, just as there are many "churches" involved in the Same-sex marriage activism. I think that this means their efforts should be discounted as unconstitutional, because there is not a separation between CHURCH and STATE!
Much has been made in the modern era of the constitutional requirement against the establishment of religion, meaning a separation of Church & State. There is no guarantee in the Constitution, just a zealous interpretation of the Bill of Rights (the first 10 ammendments to the Constitution) by a minority of judges & lawyers. The truth is that the government has endlessly tried to attach and co-opt each and every tenet of religion for its own gain and power. Take, another example: Education. Schools were long the domain of the churches and a proving ground for religion to extend the experience of faith & learning in a more fertile atmosphere than the regular one-day-a-week meeting. In a more agrarian society, the youth were tied to the family's needs of providing food and nourishment for the family. This meant that the farm work came first over education. Even the school schedule that we have today begins after the traditional harvest time and extends to the spring to take advantage of the fallow time in the fields. In our current "urban-society" the focus is more on the youth to become educated than to work; an emphasis on knowledge over experience.
Another example of government intrusion into religion is in the field of charity. Religion has always been the prime mover in the need to help those less fortunate. Government, of late has seen the power that comes with being the one that doles out the goodies to the poor & needy of the earth and has found that it can also use charity to buy loyalty, votes, and even favors through charitable acts. Government has made itself the sole arbiter of what is, or isn't charitable giving. There is something pure about one person giving of themselves to another as a demonstration of love. The government is loveless and its form of charity breeds entitlements and expectations.
Back to the main point....Is it the government's right to dole out the power of undermining something that is a religious sacrament, ordained of God, because a minority of special interests have enabled it? Is it implied that the government is able to go beyond its prescribed boundaries of influence, just because there is nobody to apparently stop them? And simply because a minority of interested persons asked them to? Is a minority of judges able to refute the vote of the electorate, simply because they are zealous to the cause? It is time for a leader to stand up to the tyranny of the special interests and their conspiratorial influences. It is time to demand that politicians hold the public trust sacred, and not scorn it. I hope that most people can see through the flattery of public sycophants and follow the eternal truths....but of course, this is Just an Observation.
Much has been made in the modern era of the constitutional requirement against the establishment of religion, meaning a separation of Church & State. There is no guarantee in the Constitution, just a zealous interpretation of the Bill of Rights (the first 10 ammendments to the Constitution) by a minority of judges & lawyers. The truth is that the government has endlessly tried to attach and co-opt each and every tenet of religion for its own gain and power. Take, another example: Education. Schools were long the domain of the churches and a proving ground for religion to extend the experience of faith & learning in a more fertile atmosphere than the regular one-day-a-week meeting. In a more agrarian society, the youth were tied to the family's needs of providing food and nourishment for the family. This meant that the farm work came first over education. Even the school schedule that we have today begins after the traditional harvest time and extends to the spring to take advantage of the fallow time in the fields. In our current "urban-society" the focus is more on the youth to become educated than to work; an emphasis on knowledge over experience.
Another example of government intrusion into religion is in the field of charity. Religion has always been the prime mover in the need to help those less fortunate. Government, of late has seen the power that comes with being the one that doles out the goodies to the poor & needy of the earth and has found that it can also use charity to buy loyalty, votes, and even favors through charitable acts. Government has made itself the sole arbiter of what is, or isn't charitable giving. There is something pure about one person giving of themselves to another as a demonstration of love. The government is loveless and its form of charity breeds entitlements and expectations.
Back to the main point....Is it the government's right to dole out the power of undermining something that is a religious sacrament, ordained of God, because a minority of special interests have enabled it? Is it implied that the government is able to go beyond its prescribed boundaries of influence, just because there is nobody to apparently stop them? And simply because a minority of interested persons asked them to? Is a minority of judges able to refute the vote of the electorate, simply because they are zealous to the cause? It is time for a leader to stand up to the tyranny of the special interests and their conspiratorial influences. It is time to demand that politicians hold the public trust sacred, and not scorn it. I hope that most people can see through the flattery of public sycophants and follow the eternal truths....but of course, this is Just an Observation.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Alternative Fuels, or Alternative Distribution of Wealth?
Another disadvantage of the high price of oil is that when there is a concentration of wealth, there is a disproportionate amount of power. When the Standard Oil Company was broken up at the turn of the century, it marked the beginning of the breakup of monopolies by Pres. Roosevelt. The concentration of resources controlled by one group also represented a concentration of power. Today, this is most visible in the form of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). This group acts as a cartel to control the production of oil throughout the world. In this fashion it controls a source of energy for those that do not produce oil, or have sufficient production for their country's needs. Again, through the concentration of wealth, this body, benevolent or not, has attained a measure of power. The DeBeers cartel is another example of how a group can keep the price of a product artificially high by controlling the production of that product.
As alternative fuels are developed, those that harness or produce those resources begin to amass their own measure of power. It is possible that these alternative fuels producers could supercede the oil producers, if they are able to concentrate their power. Unfortunately, the oil producers already have the means to distribute fuels to the public and could hardly be supplanted for their ability to deliver the alternative products as well.
The socialistic response would be to tax the large concentration of power and redistribute that resource (read wealth) to those that are less endowed. Interestingly enough, many of the labor unions in the United States, have as part of their by-laws specific language stating that their purpose is to redistribute wealth to the poor and the downtrodden. I have never known a labor union to reach out to those that can't pay union dues....but I digress.
History has proven, time-and-again, that empires do not last forever. They come and they go, and as one disappears, another rises. The AT&Ts of the world have produced AT&T Wireless, and the Standard Oils (SOHIO) have produced ChevronTexacoUSA, Inc., etc. We may someday be running our vehicles on coconuts, and the fuels power would be amassed in more tropical climes as opposed to the desert moguls of today....Power and the amassing of wealth, seem to go hand-in-hand. Or maybe this transigence of power is only a fleeting thing. Maybe there is a greater, altruistic, egalitarian source of power. It will all depend on whom you put your trust. As for me and my house...this is Just an Observation.
As alternative fuels are developed, those that harness or produce those resources begin to amass their own measure of power. It is possible that these alternative fuels producers could supercede the oil producers, if they are able to concentrate their power. Unfortunately, the oil producers already have the means to distribute fuels to the public and could hardly be supplanted for their ability to deliver the alternative products as well.
The socialistic response would be to tax the large concentration of power and redistribute that resource (read wealth) to those that are less endowed. Interestingly enough, many of the labor unions in the United States, have as part of their by-laws specific language stating that their purpose is to redistribute wealth to the poor and the downtrodden. I have never known a labor union to reach out to those that can't pay union dues....but I digress.
History has proven, time-and-again, that empires do not last forever. They come and they go, and as one disappears, another rises. The AT&Ts of the world have produced AT&T Wireless, and the Standard Oils (SOHIO) have produced ChevronTexacoUSA, Inc., etc. We may someday be running our vehicles on coconuts, and the fuels power would be amassed in more tropical climes as opposed to the desert moguls of today....Power and the amassing of wealth, seem to go hand-in-hand. Or maybe this transigence of power is only a fleeting thing. Maybe there is a greater, altruistic, egalitarian source of power. It will all depend on whom you put your trust. As for me and my house...this is Just an Observation.
Friday, April 18, 2008
What is All the Hub-bub on Fuel Prices?
As gasoline prices approach $4.00 per gallon, it is interesting to see all the globalists bark about how the profiteers are gouging the public. First, crude oil prices have risen, not just because of fuel usage, but it is used in many other products, such as nylons, plastics, coatings, vinyls, etc. Reflect on how much a part of our lives oil hase become. There are many growing and emerging economies that have increased the demand for oil, as well as fuel for power generation. How much of our digital age is powered by electricity, and how much of that electricity is generated by petroleum products, or by-products...but back to gasoline. In the state of California we have local area "Air Quality Management" districts who are charged with keeping our air quality at livable levels. They have recently legislated stricter controls that will require refineries to spend more money to upgrade their manufacturing processes and....guess how they are going to pay for it....Out of their "excessive" profits?....Silly, they are going to raise prices! Most likely that will also require the special California fuel formula that is not made by out-of-state companies, so the supply will be limited even further. California experienced this a few years ago, and gasoline prices spiked.
There are there reasons for the current high prices (See How Stuff Works) , but three of the current compelling explanations are as follows:
(1) OPEC has not expanded capacity much since 1979.
(2) Non-OPEC is nearing it's long-term production peak (we're running out).
(3) China is booming (India, too).
The China reason is evident especially since they have contracted with Cuba to drill off-shore of that island-nation (90 miles from Key West, FL). Plan to see more offshore platforms from Miami.
Now it is time to discuss the most sacred of all american cows....the environment (brought forward by the NIMBYs), and I think that the comparison is pretty dead-on. We have so much in the way of resources that are available to this nation, but are held off at an arms distance, because of a questionable, somewhat religious observation (environmentalism). Offshore drilling (California & the Gulf of Mexico), new refineries, drilling at ANWR (Alaska) and at other places has not been allowed in the U.S.A. for over 40-years. It is time to start looking at our long-range strategic vulnerability. If for any reason, we are cut off from the oil that we import from terrorist-rich areas, the country would be in a panic. The Iraq debate would seem like an afternoon tea in comparison.
An additional item that doesn't get discussed is the taxes that the governments (State, Local, & Federal) impose on gasoline. It would be sufficient if it was limited to cents/gallon, but some are in percentages, so that when the price of gasoline goes up, so does the tax collected. Has anyone called for a repeal of the Government-gouging? California gasoline has up to $.75 per gallon in various taxes. This is also a "regressive" tax (liberalese for "the rich aren't getting enough wealth re-distributed"), because the less income you have, the more you are adversely affected. I don't think that the oil companies are making THAT much profit.
Yes, this is a complex issue, but it is made more complex because of all the different self-interests, we have lost the big-picture. I would think that all the self-flogging that we see from the left about how we should be paying $5.00/gallon, is pure nonsense. The common sense approach tells us that we should look after our own needs first, try to preserve our economy, our people, all the meanwhile trying to work out a long-term solution to keep the looneys from having a strategic control of the world market. Which brings us back to the beginning.....is it really a global strategy to complain about profiteering from higher international oil prices, when it is a free global market that is causing the profits to rise? Doesn't government controls fly in the face of global unity, the way tariffs prevent free trade. It seems to me to be a bit of a dichotemy....but this is Just An Observation.
There are there reasons for the current high prices (See How Stuff Works) , but three of the current compelling explanations are as follows:
(1) OPEC has not expanded capacity much since 1979.
(2) Non-OPEC is nearing it's long-term production peak (we're running out).
(3) China is booming (India, too).
The China reason is evident especially since they have contracted with Cuba to drill off-shore of that island-nation (90 miles from Key West, FL). Plan to see more offshore platforms from Miami.
Now it is time to discuss the most sacred of all american cows....the environment (brought forward by the NIMBYs), and I think that the comparison is pretty dead-on. We have so much in the way of resources that are available to this nation, but are held off at an arms distance, because of a questionable, somewhat religious observation (environmentalism). Offshore drilling (California & the Gulf of Mexico), new refineries, drilling at ANWR (Alaska) and at other places has not been allowed in the U.S.A. for over 40-years. It is time to start looking at our long-range strategic vulnerability. If for any reason, we are cut off from the oil that we import from terrorist-rich areas, the country would be in a panic. The Iraq debate would seem like an afternoon tea in comparison.
An additional item that doesn't get discussed is the taxes that the governments (State, Local, & Federal) impose on gasoline. It would be sufficient if it was limited to cents/gallon, but some are in percentages, so that when the price of gasoline goes up, so does the tax collected. Has anyone called for a repeal of the Government-gouging? California gasoline has up to $.75 per gallon in various taxes. This is also a "regressive" tax (liberalese for "the rich aren't getting enough wealth re-distributed"), because the less income you have, the more you are adversely affected. I don't think that the oil companies are making THAT much profit.
Yes, this is a complex issue, but it is made more complex because of all the different self-interests, we have lost the big-picture. I would think that all the self-flogging that we see from the left about how we should be paying $5.00/gallon, is pure nonsense. The common sense approach tells us that we should look after our own needs first, try to preserve our economy, our people, all the meanwhile trying to work out a long-term solution to keep the looneys from having a strategic control of the world market. Which brings us back to the beginning.....is it really a global strategy to complain about profiteering from higher international oil prices, when it is a free global market that is causing the profits to rise? Doesn't government controls fly in the face of global unity, the way tariffs prevent free trade. It seems to me to be a bit of a dichotemy....but this is Just An Observation.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Aristotlean Social Science
Everyone knows the first thing that we learned in science class...Aristotle, the Greek Scientist , taught that the earth was the center of the universe. Subsequent generations proved Aristotle to not quite have it right. What was his problem? Did he not follow the scientific method? or maybe because he did follow the scientific method, he arrived at this conclusion. I believe that he and many of the intelligentsia of his time suffered from the problem of "presentism". Presentism is basically a type of pride, pride being the downfall of all societies and civilizations, that creeps into the society when people become basically, full-of-themselves. Presentism is more insidious; it is the tendency to judge history through present-day morality. It is the prism through which the past is seen as barbarian.
For instance, slavery is an abominable practice and anyone that would entertain the idea of using slaves would suffer the wrath of political correctness. But, not too long ago in the world's history, slavery was accepted by some. I would never condone it, or even allow it to be promoted, but can we really judge prior generations as evil, for their practice of slavery? Similarly, during WWII because of the Japanese aggression, many thought that Americans of Japanese descent should be separated out from the general population. Thus, many were taken from their homes and businesses and put into internment camps, supposedly for their own safety. Many of these people went willingly and some even went out of their way to prove their loyalty to America. Present-day historians have condemned this act and even sought monetary compensation to the descendants of the victims. Do we really understand what it was like? Maybe, but saying that what was done was immoral, is not fully understanding what all the contributing factors were, that led to the internment solution. The juxtaposition of present-day morality to morality at the time of WWII will never be equal and never be fair. Fast-forward to 9/11/2001, the day that extremists attacked New York City. Many innocent lives were lost and there was much clamor and much hysteria about who the enemy might be. Cooler heads prevailed, but from the killing fields of the Taliban and other hotbeds of fundamentalism, many enemy combatants were collected and sent to a modern-day internment camp. This time many were quick to avoid the mistakes of the past, to a fault, as they were, either for political or possibly moral reasons, easily given to forsake things like profiling, listening stations, interrogation, and heaven-forbid, psych-ops, to obtain information from the declared enemy.
Well, you get the point. I wonder sometimes about how future generations will judge our time and the social mileposts that we establish. Will they try to understand our weaknesses? Will they judge us for our hedonistic "sexual revolution", or the drug culture that has led to a society of contrand and illegitimacy. Primarily, I hope that they don't make the same mistakes but seek to live to a higher law from a higher source....but as always this is....just an observation.
For instance, slavery is an abominable practice and anyone that would entertain the idea of using slaves would suffer the wrath of political correctness. But, not too long ago in the world's history, slavery was accepted by some. I would never condone it, or even allow it to be promoted, but can we really judge prior generations as evil, for their practice of slavery? Similarly, during WWII because of the Japanese aggression, many thought that Americans of Japanese descent should be separated out from the general population. Thus, many were taken from their homes and businesses and put into internment camps, supposedly for their own safety. Many of these people went willingly and some even went out of their way to prove their loyalty to America. Present-day historians have condemned this act and even sought monetary compensation to the descendants of the victims. Do we really understand what it was like? Maybe, but saying that what was done was immoral, is not fully understanding what all the contributing factors were, that led to the internment solution. The juxtaposition of present-day morality to morality at the time of WWII will never be equal and never be fair. Fast-forward to 9/11/2001, the day that extremists attacked New York City. Many innocent lives were lost and there was much clamor and much hysteria about who the enemy might be. Cooler heads prevailed, but from the killing fields of the Taliban and other hotbeds of fundamentalism, many enemy combatants were collected and sent to a modern-day internment camp. This time many were quick to avoid the mistakes of the past, to a fault, as they were, either for political or possibly moral reasons, easily given to forsake things like profiling, listening stations, interrogation, and heaven-forbid, psych-ops, to obtain information from the declared enemy.
Well, you get the point. I wonder sometimes about how future generations will judge our time and the social mileposts that we establish. Will they try to understand our weaknesses? Will they judge us for our hedonistic "sexual revolution", or the drug culture that has led to a society of contrand and illegitimacy. Primarily, I hope that they don't make the same mistakes but seek to live to a higher law from a higher source....but as always this is....just an observation.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Do the Ends Justify the Means (to accomplish the Ends)
It has always been a tenet of Marxism that the Ends justify the Means...that the greater good is always served by force. This has a familiar ring to many people because of what occured prior to coming into this world; a kind of deja vu. Any kind of End, or goal, or utopia must be deserving on merits alone. If it is a true goal, or of a truth, then there is only one way to reach that truth, and that is to follow the path of truth. You cannot reach truth by following a lie. A lie only leads you away from the truth; therefore, you may define the truth by the opposite, or opposition. For instance, you can only find heat, if you follow heat, like moving towards the sun. If you follow cold, it will lead you to cold; but by reaching the cold you will only know that you have not reached the heat. Once you reach the cold you will have gone to the far reaches of our solar system, and you will need to go backwards to find the heat. No matter how long you follow the cold, you cannot reach heat by following the cold. In this way you cannot reach your End. If the Means are true, then it will lead to a true End. They are inseparable because, the adage, "all roads lead to heaven", like "all roads lead to Rome" was never true. It was the vanity of men that they overlooked the truth.
And so it is today. Many governments, political movements, etc. seem to be bent on populist agendas that seem to ebb and flow, but never reach a knowledge of the truth. Isaiah prophesied that Babylon would rise and be a great nation and would scatter Israel to the four corners of the earth. But, where is Babylon's greatness today? Where is the greatness of Egypt? of Rome? It has gone the way of all the earth, because the End did not justify the Means and the Means were not true, because the End was not true. Israel is returning as Isaiah prophesied; that is the truth.
Karl Marx could not have known what the End would be, because he could not follow truth; he was an amoral relativist, bent on authoritarian force to make people follow his manifesto; the collective, over the individual.
Individual freedom has been given to us by our creator and cannot be taken away, only given up by each individual for a path of personal non-accountability. This hearkens back to an earlier crossroads that we met, in an earlier time, in the Grand Councils, where we had the opportuntity to leave our first estate and progress to our second estate....but just as true as this existence is, this is Just an Observation! You still have to choose for yourself.....
And so it is today. Many governments, political movements, etc. seem to be bent on populist agendas that seem to ebb and flow, but never reach a knowledge of the truth. Isaiah prophesied that Babylon would rise and be a great nation and would scatter Israel to the four corners of the earth. But, where is Babylon's greatness today? Where is the greatness of Egypt? of Rome? It has gone the way of all the earth, because the End did not justify the Means and the Means were not true, because the End was not true. Israel is returning as Isaiah prophesied; that is the truth.
Karl Marx could not have known what the End would be, because he could not follow truth; he was an amoral relativist, bent on authoritarian force to make people follow his manifesto; the collective, over the individual.
Individual freedom has been given to us by our creator and cannot be taken away, only given up by each individual for a path of personal non-accountability. This hearkens back to an earlier crossroads that we met, in an earlier time, in the Grand Councils, where we had the opportuntity to leave our first estate and progress to our second estate....but just as true as this existence is, this is Just an Observation! You still have to choose for yourself.....
Monday, February 25, 2008
Political Races - A Good Investment?
It is almost the end of one of the earliest Primary Election seasons in U.S. History. By next week. The country will have a clear idea of their choices for President for November's election, but in the intervening months there will be many who will regret the decisions that were made in the early months, which others have termed, "Buyer's Remorse". Will this remorse extend to other parts of the campaign?
I have often wondered about the monies that are collected by candidates for this early election period. So far Baraq Obama has raised $138 million, Hillary $134 million and John McCain $53 million (see website). Mitt Romney had raised $105 million before he dropped out of the race. By my simple math-brain, that makes John McCain the best investment with the best return. Campaigns have become a black-hole for waste, with campaigners spending millions on temporary, get-out-the-vote rallys and party-party-parties. Can you imagine anything more debaucherous than spending money on political campaigns? Well, maybe a duplicate security clearinghouse because it is located within your congressional district and providing useless jobs for voting constituents. Can't we think of a better use of valuable resources? I thought that during the previous 7-yrs. the politicians were concerned about how we were spending the money that went to defense and tax relief to "taxpayers", but not a second thought for tossing money down the political rat-hole.
At this point Obama looks like the riskiest investment, but I think that Hilary poses the biggest risk. With Obama forging ahead and Hilary spending money like there is government-run healthcare tomorrow, there is no hope of Hilary being able to pay back any large amounts of money, due to lack of support.
In the end it all comes down to how you want to spend your disposable, or in some cases, only income.....But for me and my house, this is....Just an Observation.
I have often wondered about the monies that are collected by candidates for this early election period. So far Baraq Obama has raised $138 million, Hillary $134 million and John McCain $53 million (see website). Mitt Romney had raised $105 million before he dropped out of the race. By my simple math-brain, that makes John McCain the best investment with the best return. Campaigns have become a black-hole for waste, with campaigners spending millions on temporary, get-out-the-vote rallys and party-party-parties. Can you imagine anything more debaucherous than spending money on political campaigns? Well, maybe a duplicate security clearinghouse because it is located within your congressional district and providing useless jobs for voting constituents. Can't we think of a better use of valuable resources? I thought that during the previous 7-yrs. the politicians were concerned about how we were spending the money that went to defense and tax relief to "taxpayers", but not a second thought for tossing money down the political rat-hole.
At this point Obama looks like the riskiest investment, but I think that Hilary poses the biggest risk. With Obama forging ahead and Hilary spending money like there is government-run healthcare tomorrow, there is no hope of Hilary being able to pay back any large amounts of money, due to lack of support.
In the end it all comes down to how you want to spend your disposable, or in some cases, only income.....But for me and my house, this is....Just an Observation.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
"The Natural" is a metaphor for Life?
I spent the afternoon yesterday with my wife watching the Robert Redford movie, "The Natural". I would get into the technical accolades of this movie, but that is for another website... It is amazing, though, how many up-and-coming & veteran stars were in this movie, let alone seeing it for the first time in H-dizzle (pardon my unhip use-of-slang reference; my kids would cringe, and probably are, at this reading). Back to The Natural....we come into this life full of talents and optimism, just like Roy Hobbs, when he went against the Whammer. He acknowledged that he was "the best there ever was" and thought he was invincible. He didn't just stick with the fundamentals and do his job. He had to get all flashy and arrogant. Well, along came the psycho hose-beast (played magnificently by Barbara Hersey) who dashed all his hopes, and saw an opportunity to grab his coat-tails of fame...Fast forward to 16-years later and he has fought back (a much wiser and humbler Roy Hobbs) to fulfill the dreams he had from boyhood, at the same time fighting of the cynical manipulators and hangers-on (especially when he asks Max Mercy played by Robert Duvall, if he has ever played the game. Max says, "....well, no").
The point: We come to life with lots of promise, talent and gifts, but sometimes we are beaten down by life. Do we let it keep us down and do we fight with all our might to not only help ourselves, a secondary benefit, but first to help others and lose ourselves in the service to others, who can't do it for themselves? You be the judge, but of course.....this is just an observation.
The point: We come to life with lots of promise, talent and gifts, but sometimes we are beaten down by life. Do we let it keep us down and do we fight with all our might to not only help ourselves, a secondary benefit, but first to help others and lose ourselves in the service to others, who can't do it for themselves? You be the judge, but of course.....this is just an observation.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
This Time, Look Behind the Curtain
Much has been said about immigration and the poor immigrants that come to America looking for a better life, and doing the jobs that most Americans won't do and sacrificing even their families to get money to live on.....and on. All this amounts to political slight-of-hand. Most of these arguments occur in the larger urban areas, where the "wannabes" need slaves to maintain their lifestyles.
Historians have said that it is the Roman Legions that built the Roman Empire as they went about conquering different lands and peoples, showing their superior knowledge, culture and engineering....But the Legions didn't do most of the work, it was the slaves that they captured and had to continually conquer in order to get things built. It was the elite classes that took in slaves and allowed the elites to spend their time in debauchery. What about the Egyptians?? Their empires lasted for centuries. Was it because of their superior intellect? Was it because of their cultural superiority? Was it because of their intermarriage within the same family? No, it was because of their slaves! The same with the Babylonian and Assyrian empires. They became "great" because of their oppression of other peoples and used them to do their dirty work.
The U.S. is going down this same road. The cultural elites may assuage their conscience by paying them a pittance, but it amounts to slavery. The circumstances may be a little different because they are not being conquered and brought into the U.S., but come here willingly, but nonetheless they are being used as slaves.
I was reading about Pres. Calderon of Mexico calling the U.S. racist (see article) for the way we treat immigrants. I wish he were a little bit smarter, or maybe more precise in his language (it might be the translation), because the immigrants are actually treated just fine. It is the people that enter the U.S. illegally that aren't treated well. It begins at the U.S./Mexico border where on the Mexico side the Mexican police and armies actually abuse, rape and extort their own people. You don't have to take my word for it, see the latest issue of National Geographic Magazine.
Does Pres. Calderon just kick in the spin machine (read "sincere lying") to draw sympathy to Mexico's failed social system/government. That is why I say, look behind the curtain (as in the Wizard of Oz) There is no substance to the bloviation of the political animal, and no truth as well. Do they cry equally for the immigrants coming into Mexico from poorer Central American countries? The Mexican Government encourages its poor to enter the U.S. illegally; Is that fair? If people desire to enter this country, they can do it legally, then the infrastructure to support them in the U.S. wouldn't be overwhelmed, as it is today. There are repeated stories about Emergency Rooms and hospitals throughout the country that have to close because of the inundation of illegals that don't/can't pay for services rendered. Lawyers representing illegals have taken advantage of property owners and have seized their properties unjustly, while the illegals were trespassing.....and on.
This country's priorities are upside down. The criminals are rewarded, while the innocent are punished, all while the politicians are pandering for voters (who are not citizens and are not legally allowed to vote). But this is ......just an observation.
Historians have said that it is the Roman Legions that built the Roman Empire as they went about conquering different lands and peoples, showing their superior knowledge, culture and engineering....But the Legions didn't do most of the work, it was the slaves that they captured and had to continually conquer in order to get things built. It was the elite classes that took in slaves and allowed the elites to spend their time in debauchery. What about the Egyptians?? Their empires lasted for centuries. Was it because of their superior intellect? Was it because of their cultural superiority? Was it because of their intermarriage within the same family? No, it was because of their slaves! The same with the Babylonian and Assyrian empires. They became "great" because of their oppression of other peoples and used them to do their dirty work.
The U.S. is going down this same road. The cultural elites may assuage their conscience by paying them a pittance, but it amounts to slavery. The circumstances may be a little different because they are not being conquered and brought into the U.S., but come here willingly, but nonetheless they are being used as slaves.
I was reading about Pres. Calderon of Mexico calling the U.S. racist (see article) for the way we treat immigrants. I wish he were a little bit smarter, or maybe more precise in his language (it might be the translation), because the immigrants are actually treated just fine. It is the people that enter the U.S. illegally that aren't treated well. It begins at the U.S./Mexico border where on the Mexico side the Mexican police and armies actually abuse, rape and extort their own people. You don't have to take my word for it, see the latest issue of National Geographic Magazine.
Does Pres. Calderon just kick in the spin machine (read "sincere lying") to draw sympathy to Mexico's failed social system/government. That is why I say, look behind the curtain (as in the Wizard of Oz) There is no substance to the bloviation of the political animal, and no truth as well. Do they cry equally for the immigrants coming into Mexico from poorer Central American countries? The Mexican Government encourages its poor to enter the U.S. illegally; Is that fair? If people desire to enter this country, they can do it legally, then the infrastructure to support them in the U.S. wouldn't be overwhelmed, as it is today. There are repeated stories about Emergency Rooms and hospitals throughout the country that have to close because of the inundation of illegals that don't/can't pay for services rendered. Lawyers representing illegals have taken advantage of property owners and have seized their properties unjustly, while the illegals were trespassing.....and on.
This country's priorities are upside down. The criminals are rewarded, while the innocent are punished, all while the politicians are pandering for voters (who are not citizens and are not legally allowed to vote). But this is ......just an observation.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Passing the Baton to the Next Generation
Being a part of the post-war, baby boom has caused me to be flexible and adaptable. I have seen change come quickly and often and to say that change is a constant is an understatement. When touch-tone phones became popular, it was all I could do to get my father to replace his rotary dial phone. His generation had gone through the Great Depression and if something worked, you didn't even consider replacing it, no matter how much easier it was to use...When wireless phones replaced the touch-tone phones, it was anathema. When it came time to go to a cellular phone, my father was okay with using one, but someone else had to operate it. Most of the time he tried to listen to it upside-down.
I am now reaching my father's age. I work among people that have been doing things the same way for years, even though the method of product delivery has been automated. They have been left in a wake of younger, more adaptable practicants. The do not have the ability to judge how long it takes to do something and as a result, tasks take as long as the subordinates would like to take it. We are now entering the era of building information modeling (BIM) which gives attributes to digital elements and makes work even easier...But....it takes the ability to set things up correctly. Who is going to teach the upcoming generation, if someone doesn't know what to teach them? Sure, we can do "old school", but if it only partial satisfies the implementation of the new technology, who will fill in the blanks?
The next 10-years will be interesting as the Baby Boomers begin to approach retirement and the work-force will diminish. Will jobs of necessity go overseas, where they didn't listen to the zero-population nonsense? Will imigration continue to be the method of getting an entry-level workforce? It seems our "do-your-own-thing" attitude is going to bite us in the buttocks of our retirement, as we try to get someone to do those tasks that we can no longer do, because we haven't passed our wisdom and knowledge to a coming generation. Aqui se hablan Castellano.
But this is ......just an observation.
I am now reaching my father's age. I work among people that have been doing things the same way for years, even though the method of product delivery has been automated. They have been left in a wake of younger, more adaptable practicants. The do not have the ability to judge how long it takes to do something and as a result, tasks take as long as the subordinates would like to take it. We are now entering the era of building information modeling (BIM) which gives attributes to digital elements and makes work even easier...But....it takes the ability to set things up correctly. Who is going to teach the upcoming generation, if someone doesn't know what to teach them? Sure, we can do "old school", but if it only partial satisfies the implementation of the new technology, who will fill in the blanks?
The next 10-years will be interesting as the Baby Boomers begin to approach retirement and the work-force will diminish. Will jobs of necessity go overseas, where they didn't listen to the zero-population nonsense? Will imigration continue to be the method of getting an entry-level workforce? It seems our "do-your-own-thing" attitude is going to bite us in the buttocks of our retirement, as we try to get someone to do those tasks that we can no longer do, because we haven't passed our wisdom and knowledge to a coming generation. Aqui se hablan Castellano.
But this is ......just an observation.
Religion & Government - Part I
It has come to my attention recently by way of the current presidential campaign season, that politicians only know how to promise things that they can't deliver. First, I have to apologize to my spanish-speaking brothers that have come in-country from outside the U.S. You shouldn't have to endure such dissappointment. Where you come from is probably a perfect political system (sarcasm is an okay form of vituperation). Continuing with the campaign...I am continually in amazement of how the government increasingly considers any revenues gained by taxation, to automatically become their money and they have the right to spend it as they see fit...like they are some kind of political action committee (PAC), then doling goodies to their political cronies, like so many earmarks. What happened to the sacredness of the taxpayer and their contribution to the government. Shouldn't the elected leaders consider whether the money be correctly spent, before they go rewarding their friends (who also might be taxpayers recooping their disproportionate share).
The government should not be entrusted with money or programs. They have proven time and time again, that they cannot manage programs efficiently, without a bloated bureaucracy. There is nothing new under the sun....that the government cannot co-opt well; Look at education. It used to be the domain of the churches and in some countries, it still is. But here, in America the government has seen value in co-opting the schools to inculcate their ideas into young minds. Have you read a textbook lately? Take a simple thing like marriage...the domain of the churches and in many religions, a sacramental ordinance. Once the government got ahold of it, it has been broken-down, dissected and disemboweled of any purpose, except for a tax penalty. There are other instances of co-opting practices, too numerous to mention in this format.
Here is the heart of the matter...Why doesn't government just support religion, instead of trying to compete with it! All it will end up doing is killing itself, trying to be all things to all people. It cannot be the Savior of mankind. Politicians need to be reined-in by the people, but of course it is easier for a group of politicians to conspire, than all the people be of one-mind.
Only truth shall prevail.
There is hope...it is that religion thing. Maybe we should all give it a chance. Maybe going to the source of all truth would be better than getting it through a convoluted bureaucracy, or even the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA).
But this is ......just an observation.
The government should not be entrusted with money or programs. They have proven time and time again, that they cannot manage programs efficiently, without a bloated bureaucracy. There is nothing new under the sun....that the government cannot co-opt well; Look at education. It used to be the domain of the churches and in some countries, it still is. But here, in America the government has seen value in co-opting the schools to inculcate their ideas into young minds. Have you read a textbook lately? Take a simple thing like marriage...the domain of the churches and in many religions, a sacramental ordinance. Once the government got ahold of it, it has been broken-down, dissected and disemboweled of any purpose, except for a tax penalty. There are other instances of co-opting practices, too numerous to mention in this format.
Here is the heart of the matter...Why doesn't government just support religion, instead of trying to compete with it! All it will end up doing is killing itself, trying to be all things to all people. It cannot be the Savior of mankind. Politicians need to be reined-in by the people, but of course it is easier for a group of politicians to conspire, than all the people be of one-mind.
Only truth shall prevail.
There is hope...it is that religion thing. Maybe we should all give it a chance. Maybe going to the source of all truth would be better than getting it through a convoluted bureaucracy, or even the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA).
But this is ......just an observation.
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