Spark a Debate (Have an Opinion And Voice It)

The Second Christmas Story...

2007-12-07T13:31:00.000-05:00

As started earlier this week because of this time of year, I stated that I was going to insert stories about Chirstmas and the holidays to brighten people's sprits. Even though we are dedicated to sparking a debate we have to realize that the world is not a terrible place, and while in the words of John Lennon "life is what happens when your making other plans" we sometimes do need to stop the planning and realize some of the good. What follows is an incredible story originally published in the December 14, 1982 issue of Woman's Day magazine. It was the first place winner out of thousands of entries in the magazine's "My Most Moving Holiday Tradition" contest in which readers were asked to share their favorite holiday tradition and the story behind it.

"For the Man Who Hated Christmas
by Nancy W. Gavin

It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past ten years or so.

It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas--oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it--overspending... the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma---the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.

Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears.

It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.

Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them." Mike loved kids - all kids - and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition--one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.

The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.

As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn't end there.
You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more.

Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing to take down the envelope.

Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit will always be with us."

This story is indeed a true story and inspired four siblings from Atlanta, GA to start The White Envelope Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting this tradition and charitable giving. The White Envelope Project founders are regularly in touch with the family in the article and are thrilled to have their support. Sadly, Nancy Gavin (the author) died less than two years after her husband - also of "the dreaded cancer."

Below is a link to the White Envelope Project. Feel free to use that link if you feel called to and to all who read enjoy the Christmas holidays and be assured there is good in the world.

www.WhiteEnvelopeProject.org

A Question About Ethics

2007-12-06T08:18:00.000-05:00

I ask you a simple question, how hard is it to respect the work that some else does. I understand possibly not agreeing with it, but to disrespect it seems a little over the top to me. I have noticed now a days people seem to disrespect other people for no purpose other than to make themselves feel a little more important.

I was talking with some people yesterday at a networking event, and we were all agreeing on the presentation that I have given earlier. There was mention of how a work day can take off on its own and leave your to do list in the dust. Of the people in the room, I would say that most if not almost everyone to a person came up to me and stated that it was a very realistic picture of small business. I thanked them and shook hands and of course we did the inevitable exchange of business cards.

However there was one lady that came up to me while I was with a group of people and stated "I never have those problems, you might want to think of just how successful your business is going to be when you have to make such an outrageous claim to sell your services". At that point I didn't have to say much as many of the others around me took the torch up and help clear a path through her obviously meandering mind. I never said a word to her, (yes this is the truth, although most of you who have known me long enough might not believe it) and I don't regret it because I realize she is just one person. However that got me o thinking how many others could she have done this to, and why does she believe it is alright to disrespect me so publicly.

I don't really know, but ... is it an ethical question?

Illegal Immigrants and Why The Following is Not an Answer

2007-12-05T07:13:00.000-05:00

Recently my wife sent an email out to her family asking them to sign an online petition against the new bills suggesting that illegal immigrants could get access to social security and other government assitance programs without having to obey the law. This is not a debateable point. People talk about how this country was built on immigrants. They talk about how their parents came over through Ellis Island. I am not against that. Your parents came over LEGALLY!!! What is so hard to understand about that just follow the freakin' law.

I am not against people from any country coming into the United States and calling it home. My current business partner is from Canada and is here on a TN Visa, for his position, but he is here legally. We both had to fill out paper work and write letters and make sure that both governments were aware of what was going on. I welcome him and will support him in any endeavor he wishes to take.

However, when you are here illegally and refuse to follow the law. When the government of your country hands out pamphlets on how to illegally cross the border then you should be found, arrested and deported. I know this is not popular, but it is the law. We certainly should not make it more of a carrott to break the law. That being said here was the answer that one of my wife's family members gave.

"I feel a great deal of sympathy with these immigrants. They are just poor people desperately trying to escape abject poverty, poor health care, poor education, and a future without much hope, to make a better life for themselves and their children. Yes, technically they are breaking the law, but many of those criticizing them also break the law routinely by traffic violations, cheating on their taxes, shady business deals, and in other ways. Remember that Jesus also broke the law, at least as the Pharisees understood it, when he did good deeds on the Sabbath, but he told them that "the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath". I believe the same should apply broadly to the law: that the law should work for the benefit of mankind and not be used to oppress those most in need. Remember also that the Bible places much emphasis on mercy, tolerance, and the brotherhood of man. A strict legality in dealing with these immigrants runs counter, I think, to those Christian ideals. If Jesus were among us today, I have no doubt that he would side with the immigrants.

Also, I think you should be aware that the various claims made against the immigrants are usually highly exaggerated. They are not costing taxpayers nearly as much as the alarmists make them out to be, and they do pay taxes and are no more criminally inclined than any other group. Maxine knew a lot of Mexican immigrants in California and taught their children, and she has a great deal of admiration for them as a people. They work very hard, they are very family-oriented, and the vast majority of them make good citizens. Ricky, her son Jim's partner, is a good example of that."

The problem with that answer is simply this. He never once used the word illegal and he constatnly refers to Christ and his word. Well, let me tell you what Jesus himself (OK the red words in the bible are assumed to be that and for lack of better proof I am using that as "himself" reference here). He said "Give unto Ceaser's what is Ceaser's and give unto God what is God's". The law of illegal immigrants is Ceaser's so I think I have an idea of what might be said here. I am sorry for the victims of illegal immigrants. The anchor children, and the families, but you have made a choice to break the law. Just like someone who murders, steals or any other crime and for that there is punishment.

Another Person Killing Christmas

2007-12-04T07:30:00.000-05:00

Just when I thought that I was going to be able to take a day off I encounter crap on the internet. That is right I was looking for some Christmas presents for my family this morning and ran across a blog that is set up to look official and news worthy. I refuse to give her press by providing a link so I will mention her name and block quote it.

Credit the following secular nausea to Penelope Trunk.

"Five things people say about Christmas that drive me nuts

Christmas does not belong in the workplace because it undermines diversity at work. And businesses that promote diversity have more profits in the long run than companies that do not have a diverse workforce.

A big problem with Christmas is that those of us who have no reason to celebrate it have to spend a month between Thanksgiving and New Year's dealing with Christmas at work. Christmas is the the only religious holiday that everyone has to stop working for. It's the only religious event that offices have parties to celebrate. These practices alienate non-Christians.

Businesses that curtail practices that alienate minorities will see growth to their bottom line as a direct result of this action. And besides, promoting acceptance of diverse backgrounds at work enriches our lives, independent of the bottom line.

But encouraging diversity doesn't mean diverse ways to celebrate Christmas. Diversity is giving people space to ignore Christmas. Forcing people to take the day off requires everyone to run their work life around this holiday in a way they might not have chosen for themselves. Yet still, Christmas continues to permeate workplaces across the United States.

Do you want to make a difference? Start with yourself. When it comes to discussing Christmas in the workplace, here are five offensive things people say to someone who doesn't celebrate Christmas. Don't say them.

1. "Christmas is not a religious holiday."
The only people who think Christmas is not religious are the Christians. Everyone else thinks, "This is not my holiday." In fact, only a Christian would feel enough authority over the holiday to declare that it is not Christian.

To think that Christmas is for everyone is tantamount to Americans who think that everyone says bathing suit for the thing you wear to go swimming. In fact, the British say "swimming costume" but you'd never know that if you only hang around Americans. The smaller your frame of reference the more convinced you are that the way you do things is the way everyone does things.

2. "Stop complaining! You get an extra day off from work."
I don't want a day off on Christmas. It's a great day to work. No one calls. No one interrupts me. And in many workplaces there's great camaraderie in the office on Christmas because only a few people are there, and they all have something in common: They don't celebrate Christmas.

I want a day off for Yom Kippur, which I usually have to take a personal day for. Why do I have to take a personal day for Yom Kippur but no one has to take a personal day for Christmas? This is not equal treatment for religious groups.

3. "Christmas is about good cheer. Focus on that and lose your bad attitude."
I know I have a bad attitude. But consider that the fact that good cheer is mandated in December is also a Christian trope. For example, Thanksgiving is the holiday that makes a lot of sense to surround with good cheer. It's about gratitude. Makes sense that we'd focus on Thanksgiving.

And the idea that we add Hanukkah to the mix is ridiculous. Hanukkah is about a war victory. The good cheer mandates are not coming from the Jews except in a sort of peer pressure way to cope with the Christian insistence that we all be happy because the Christians are happy.

4. "You can also take a day off for Hanukkah."
First of all , Hanukkah is eight days. Second of all, the holiday isn't a big deal to us, except that it's a way for Jewish kids to not feel outgunned in the gift category. Jacob Sullum wrote in Reason magazine last year, "It is inappropriate…to make such a fuss over Chanukah, a minor Jewish holiday whose importance has been inflated in the popular imagination by its accidental proximity to Christmas."

So look, we don't want a day off for Hanukkah. Or any other Jewish holiday. We want floating holidays that everyone uses, for whatever they want. It doesn't have to be religious, or it can be. But we don't need our work telling us when to take time off. It's insulting and totally impractical.

5. "We get Christmas off at work because this is a Christian country."
People actually say this to me. Every year. I'm not kidding. People tell me that I should move to Israel if I don't want to celebrate Christmas. Really.

I tell you this so that you understand what it's like to be a minority. The majority of the country is not New York and Los Angeles, and in the majority of the country thinks Christmas is actually sanctioned by the government. For example, my son's public school in Madison, Wisc., has the kids make a December calendar that includes the birthdays of four saints. Surely this is illegal mixing of church and state, but I don't hear any complaining from parents.

People want tolerance and diversity but they are not sure how to encourage it. There is a history of tolerance starting first in business, where the change makes economic sense: Think policies against discrimination toward women, and health insurance that includes gay partners. Tolerance and awareness in the workplace reliably trickle down to other areas of society.

So do what you can at work, where you can argue that tolerance and diversity improve the bottom line, and you will affect change in society, where tolerance and diversity give deeper meaning to our lives."

The above writting is based on opinion only, and the actual numbers are highly against it, and so to make my point I post a simple chart from the FOX online News Polls.

1. Which of these late December holidays do you celebrate? (Multiple responses allowed)

..>

..>

1. Christmas	96%
2. Hanukkah	5
3. Kwanzaa	2
4. (Other/Refused)	1
5. (None)	1

2. Around this time of year, there is talk about whether holiday decorations on public property should include a nativity scene. Some say nativity scenes should not be on public property because this violates the separation of church and state. Others say it is acceptable for nativity scenes to be on public property because they are part of the historical celebration of Christmas. What is your view — should nativity scenes be allowed on public property, or not?

..>

..>

	All	Dem	Rep	Ind
1. Yes, should be	87%	84%	94%	82%
2. No, should not be	9	12	5	14
3. (Not sure)	4	4	1	5

So Ms. Trunk, get a grip and if you want to work so bad on Christmas try volunteering your time to go help those who are in need and see the commraderre in those places. Give back a little and stop complaining.

A Problem in The Schools

2007-12-03T06:41:00.000-05:00

Posted below is the "History of the World" although it stops at World War I. It is a paper that is made with excerpts of different student papers (from public schools). It is posted as typed and that is that. Have fun realizing just how bad it is now and then lets talk about how to improve.

"The Bible is full of interesting caricatures. In the first book of the Bible, Guiness, Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. One of their children, Cain, asked "Am I my brother's son?" God asked Abraham to sacrifice Issac on Mount Montezuma. Jacob, son of Issac, stole his brother's birthmark. One of Jacob's sons, Joseph, gave refuse to the Israelites.

Moses led the Hebrew slaves to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread, which is bread made without any ingredients. Afterwards, he went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten commandments. He died before he ever reached Canada. David was a Hebrew king skilled at playing the liar. He fought with the Philatelists. Solomon, one of David's sons, had 500 wives and 500 porcupines.

The inhabitants of Egypt were called mummies. They traveled by Camelot. They lived in the Sarah Dessert and wrote in Hydraulics. The climate of the Sarah is such that the inhabitants have to live elsewhere. The Egyptians built the Pyramids in the shape of a huge triangular cube. The Pyramids are a range of mountains between France and Spain.

Without the Greeks, we wouldn't have history. They were a highly sculptured people and invented three kinds of columns: Corinthian, Doric, and Ironic. In the Olympic games Greeks ran races, jumped, hurled the biscuits, and threw the java. The reward to the victor was a coral wreath. They also had myths. A myth is a female moth. One myth says that the mother of Achilles dipped him in the River Stynx until he became intolerable. Achilles appears in "The Illiad", by Homer. Homer also wrote the "Oddity", in which Penelope was the last hardship that Ulysses endured on his journey. Actually, Homer was not written by Homer but by another man of that name. Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who died from an overdose of wedlock.

The government of Athens was democratic because the people took the law into their own hands. There were no wars in Greece, as the mountains were so high that they couldn't climb over to see what their neighbors were doing. When they fought the Parisians, the Greeks were outnumbered because the Parisians had more men.

Eventually, the Romans conquered the Geeks. History calls people Romans because they never stayed in one place for very long. At Roman banquets, the guests wore garlic in their hair. Julius Caesar extinguished himself on the battlefields of Gaul. The Ides of March killed him because they thought he was going to be made king. Dying, he gasped out "Tee hee, Brutus". Nero was a cruel tyrant who tortured his poor people by playing the fiddle to them.

Then came the Middle Ages. King Alfred conquered the Dames, King Arthur lived in the Age of Shivery, and the victims of the Black Death grew boobs on their necks. Joan of Arc was burnt to a steak but later canonized by George Bernard Shaw. The Magna Carta provided that no man should be hanged twice for the same offense. William Tell shot an arrow through an apple while standing on his son's head.

In midevil times most of the people were alliterate. The greatest writer of the time was Chaucer, who wrote many poems and verse and also wrote literature.

In the Renaissance Martin Luther was nailed to the church door at Wittenburg for selling papal indulgences. He died a horrible death, being excommunicated by a bull. The painter Donatello's interest in the female nude made him the father of the Renaissance. It was an age of great inventions and discoveries. Gutenberg invented the Bible. Sir Walter Raleigh invented cigarettes. Another important invention was the circulation of blood.

The government of England was a limited mockery. Henry VIII found walking difficult because he had an abbess on his knee. Queen Elizabeth was the "Virgin Queen." As a queen she was a success. Her navy defeated the Spanish Armadillo. Sir Francis Drake circumcised the world with a 100-foot clipper.

The greatest writer of the Renaissance was William Shakespeare. He was born in 1564, supposedly on his birthday. Shakespeare never made much money and is famous only because of his plays. He lived in Windsor with his merry wives, writing tragedies, comedies and hysterectomies, all in Islamic pentameter. In one of Shakespeare's famous plays, Hamlet rations out his situation by relieving himself in a long soliloquy. In another, Lady Macbeth tries to convince Macbeth to kill the King by attacking his manhood. Romeo and Juliet were a heroic couplet. Romeo's last wish was to be laid by Juliet. Cervantes wrote "Donkey Hote." John Milton wrote "Paradise Lost." Then, his wife died, and he wrote "Paradise Regained."

During the Renaissance America began. Christopher Columbus was a great navigator who discovered America while cursing about the Atlantic. His ships were the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Fe. The Pilgrims crossed the ocean, and that was called the Pilgrim's Progress. When they landed at Plymouth Rock they were greeted by Indians, who came down the hill rolling their war hoops before them. The Indian squabs carried porpoises on their back. Many of the Indian heroes were killed, along with their cabooses, which proved very fatal to them. The winter of 1620 was a hard one for the settlers. Many people died and many babies were born. Captain John Smith was responsible for all this.

One of the causes of the Revolutionary War was the English put tacks in their tea. Finally, the colonists won the War and no longer had to pay for taxis. Benjamin Franklin invented electricity by rubbing cats backwards. Franklin died in 1790 and is still dead.

Delegates from the original thirteen states formed the Contented Congress. Thomas Jefferson, a Virgin, and Benjamin Franklin were two singers of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin had gone to Boston carrying all his clothes in his pocket and a loaf of bread under each arm. He declared "a horse divided against itself cannot stand."

George Washington married Martha Curtis and in due time became the Father of Our Country. Then the Constitution of the United States was adopted to secure domestic hostility. Under the Constitution the people enjoyed the right to keep bare arms.

Abraham Lincoln's mother died in infancy. He was born in a log cabin which he built with his own hands. When Lincoln was President, he wore only a tall silk hat. He said, "In onion there is strength." Abraham Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg address while traveling from Washington to Gettysburg on the back of an envelope. He also signed the Emasculation Proclamation, and the Fourteenth Amendment gave the ex-Negroes citizenship. In 1865 Lincoln got shot by an actor in a moving picture. His name was John Wilkes Booth. This ruined Booth's career.

Meanwhile in Europe, the enlightenment was a reasonable time. Voltare invented electricity and also wrote a book called "Candy". Gravity was invented by Sir Issac Walton. It is chiefly noticeable in autumn when the apples are falling off the trees.

Bach was the most famous composer in the world, and so was Handel. Handel was half-German, half-Italian, and half-English. He was very large. Bach wrote a great many musical compositions and had a large number of children. In between he practiced on an old spinster which he kept up in his attic. Bach died from 1750 to the present. Beethoven was so deaf he wrote loud music. He expired in 1827 and later died from this.

France was in a very serious state. The French Revolution was accomplished before it happened. The Marseillaise was the theme song of the French Revolution, and it catapulted into Napoleon. During the Napoleonic Wars, the crowned heads of Europe were trembling in their shoes. Then the Spanish gorillas came down from the hills and nipped at Napoleon's flanks. Napoleon became ill with bladder problems and was very tense and unrestrained. He wanted an heir to inherit his power, but since Josephine was a baroness, she couldn't bear him any children.

The sun never set on the British Empire because the British Empire is in the East and the sun sets in the West. Queen Victoria was the longest queen. She sat on a thorn for 63 years. Her death was the final event which ended her reign.

The nineteenth century was a time of many great inventions and thoughts. People stopped reproducing by hand and started reproducing by machine. The invention of the steamboat caused a network of rivers to spring up. Cyrus McCormick invented the McCormick Raper, which did the work of a hundred men. Charles Darwin was a naturalist who wrote the "Organ of the Species". Samuel Morse invented a code for telepathy. Louis Pasteur discovered a cure for rabbis. Madman Curie discovered radium. And Karl Marx became one of the Marx brothers.

The First World War, caused by the assignation of the Arch Duck by a surf, ushered in a new error in the annals of human history."

How could it get this bad? I am sorry but at this level there are two areas to blame, parents and teachers. Now we begin the discussion. I look forward to the comments.

The Beginning of the Christmas Season

2007-11-30T08:54:00.000-05:00

What follows is not any of my own words, but a reprint of a story from readers digest. I share this with you so that each of the readers can share the joy of the Christmas Season. Whether you celebrate Christmas or not is not the issue here, and as you read the story you will see how apt that comment is. Enjoy, and your comments are welcome.

MY FRIDAY STORY

The Ivory and Gold Tablecloth
By Howard C. Schade (About the author) This story was originally written by Howard C. Schade for the December 1954 issue of Reader's Digest. It is a fitting way to get an early start on the upcoming Christmas season.

At Christmas time, men and women everywhere gather in their churches to wonder anew at the greatest miracle the world has ever known. But the story I like best to recall was not a huge miracle -- not exactly.

It happened to a pastor who was very young. His church was very old. Once, long ago, it had flourished. Famous men had preached from its pulpit, prayed before its altar. Rich and poor alike had worshipped there and built it beautifully. Now, the good days had passed from the section of town where it stood. But the pastor and his young wife believed in their run-down church. They felt that with hard work and lots of faith they could get it in shape. Together they went to work.

But, late in December, a severe storm whipped through the river valley, and the worst blow fell on the church -- a huge chunk of rain-soaked plaster fell out of the inside wall just behind the altar. Sorrowfully the pastor and his wife swept away the mess, but they couldn't hide the ragged hole.

The pastor looked at it and had to remind himself quickly, "Thy will be done!" But his wife wept, "Christmas is only two days away!"

That afternoon the dispirited couple attended the auction held for the benefit of a youth group. The auctioneer opened a box and shook out of its folds a gloriously beautiful, very ornately sewn, gold and ivory lace tablecloth.

It was a magnificent item, nearly 15 feet long. But it, too, dated from a long vanished era. Who, today, had any use for such a thing? There were a few halfhearted bids. Then the pastor was seized with what he thought was a great idea.

He bid it in for $6.50.

He carried the glorious gold and ivory lace cloth back to the church and very carefully put it up on the wall behind the altar. It completely hid the hole! And the extraordinary beauty of its shimmering handwork cast a fine, holiday glow over the chancel. It was a great triumph. Happily he went back to preparing his Christmas sermon.

Just before noon on the day of Christmas Eve, as the pastor was opening the church, he noticed a woman standing in the cold at the bus stop. "The bus won't be here for 40 minutes!" he called, and invited her into the church to get warm.

She told him that she had come from the city that morning to be interviewed for a job as governess to the children of one of the wealthy families in town but she had been turned down. A Jewish war refugee, her English was imperfect.

The woman sat down in a pew and chafed her hands and rested. After a while she dropped her head and prayed. She looked up and saw the great gold and ivory cloth. She rose suddenly and walked up the steps of the chancel.

She looked at the beautiful tablecloth with remembering eyes.

The pastor smiled and started to tell her about the storm damage, but she didn't seem to listen. She took up a fold of the cloth and lovingly rubbed it between her fingers, tears welled in her kind eyes. But they were happy tears of recognition.

"It is mine!" she said. "It is my banquet cloth!" She lifted up a corner and showed the surprised pastor that there were initials monogrammed on it. "My husband had the cloth made especially for me in Brussels! There could not be another like it."

For the next few minutes the woman and the pastor talked excitedly together. She explained that she was Viennese; that being Jews, she and her husband wanted to flee from the Nazis. They were advised to go separately. Her husband put her on a train for Switzerland. They planned that he would join her as soon as he could arrange to ship their household goods across the border. She never saw him again. Later she heard that he had died in a concentration camp.

"I have always felt that it was my fault -- to leave without him," she said. "Perhaps these years of wandering have been my punishment!" The pastor tried to comfort her and urged her to take the beautiful cloth with her. But she refused saying, "no, no, the cloth has found it's way to you. You need it. It has a purpose here. I want you to have it. I am happy knowing you have it."

She gazed lovingly up at the magnificent gold and ivory lace cloth, then quietly went away.

As the church began to fill on Christmas Eve, it was clear that the magnificent cloth was going to be a great success. It had been skillfully designed to look its best by candlelight.

The glorious gold and ivory lace cloth actually glowed in the candlelight! It cast lovely fine designs on the walls and ceiling of the church. Everyone looked around in wonderment, and a tranquil ambiance was cast over all.

After the service, the pastor stood at the doorway. Many people told him that the church looked more beautiful than ever before.

From the generous donations that were given, a few days later the pastor had the local jeweler who was also the clock-and-watch repairman come to repair the church chimes.

The repairman's gentle middle-aged face drew into a look of great astonishment! As if in a trance he walked right up to the beautiful cloth and looked intently!

"It is strange," he said in his soft accent. "Many years ago my wife - God rest her -- and I owned such a cloth. My wife put it on the table" -- and here he gave a big smiled -- "for holidays and when the Rabbi came to dinner."

The pastor suddenly became very excited. He told the jeweler about the woman who had been in church to get warm, saw the cloth, and recognized it to be hers! The startled jeweler clutched the pastor's arm. "Can it be?" he said through desperate tears.

Together the two got in touch with the family who had interviewed the women for the governess position, got her address, then they both drove to the city.

The jeweler knocked on the heavy, weathered, door. As it opened, there stood his beloved wife. The many years of separation were immediately washed away by their blissfully tears, as they held each other in loving embraces, never to be parted again. True love seems to find a way.

To all who hear this story, the joyful purpose of the storm was to knocked a hole in the wall of the church.

So Dear Ones, the next time something knocks a hole in your dreams, your goals - Just remember to have enough faith, enough belief in those dreams and goals, to lovingly and creatively hang your own brilliant lace cloth over the temporary mar. Then watch the miracles come.

What Really Matters?

2007-11-27T09:03:00.000-05:00

I am not one that people call a creative writer, but sometimes the headings don't always fit exactly. I have been confronted with a great many things over the course of the last few days, and I will tell you that conclusions that I thought I had reached have been called into question.

What really matters? I think this is a question that is not asked enough by people. In a world where the tanget is anything but tangential, and the exception has become the rule, I think people are not stopping long enough to figure out what really matters.

What really matters? I think this is a question that causes people to look inside themselves; and while no one is afraid of a horror movie, and haunted houses have become a joke, magic is questioned by the magician, and miracles are thought not to exist. People refuse to look at themselves because they are afraid of what they might find.

What really matters? I think is a question that calls for responsibility and reason. In a world where both of these are seen as someone elses problem and people look to groups for thier classification. I wonder if they truly know it for themselves, or even care to look.

What really matters? Is a question that falls in the reality and philisophical worlds and in both cases the answers are as important. They can frame the world in a view, give the ability to set priorities and make sense of what seems senseless.

What really matters? I now know what it is for me.

What really matters?

A Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T09:40:00.000-05:00

Recently I have noticed that this country has forgotten that a certain holiday exists. I was angered at first by this, but then I realized that this was nothing more than the average person being average and just acting the way that the average person does.

See this holiday "Thanksgiving" is a "national holiday". It requires a heart, a mind, a faith and a subtext of some patriotic feeling, which I realize now in this country, is too much to ask for from the average person. This is a country that the average person wants to throw away individual freedom because they wish to shirk on individual responsibility. This is a country now where we want the government to "give us" hand outs, "level a playing field", and "get even with others". This is now a country where people feel that "freedom of" means "freedom from" and so instead of openness and choice being the words of the day we continue to move towards a politically correct and washed society with "fall breaks", "moments of silence", "spring holiday", "fall festivals" and "winter holidays". These of course have replaced the "according to the average person" close minded names such "Thanksgiving break", "Prayer in School", "Easter Holiday", "Halloween", and of course "Christmas break".

Well, I will tell you one thing on this day of Thanksgiving I have not lost the spirit, and so I am going to tell you right now what I am thankful for and why. I am thankful for the average person, because they have allowed me to realize just how far this country has fallen. I am thankful for my independence and freedoms because I am allowed to speak out and say what I feel. I am thankful for the men and women who fight overseas so that we here in this country can celebrate this country and what it means. I am thankful for my faith and family who even though at times set limitations on what I can or cannot do, support me unconditionally and love me for who I am. I am thankful for those that had the idea of putting together a country where there is a freedom of choice, and then helped make some of the more difficult choices. But most of all I am thankful for all of my friends, co-workers, countrymen (sorry but countryperson is too damn politically correct for me), countrywomen. Because even though we might disagree, we can have a debate, voice our opinions and not have to fight a war or injure each other to increase knowledge.

However at the end of all this I will say one more thing. Next year, if the Christmas music and setups go up in the stores before the Thanksgiving holiday has passed, I think we as a people need to remind those out there that are leading these corporations that if anyone has a reason to be "Thankful" it is them, and glossing over the one holiday that can't be commercialized so much that the meaning goes away only shows them to be the shallow, self centered, out sourcing, modern day slave drivers that they truly are. It is time to have a heart, and use your heart and stores and places of power to say "Thanks".

It really isn't that hard.

Have A Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T09:06:00.000-05:00

It really isn't that hard.

A Moment of Clarity

2007-11-15T08:37:00.000-05:00

Very rarely do I come on here and talk about business, but today is one of those days. In a moment of clarity, I have realized something is now truer than ever before, and that is the statement that you "Get What You Pay For". Now I know before everyone starts talking about how much of a cliché this is, I just want to finish this point I promise it will not take long.

Today people think that the specials and deals are better than ever. They feel that they are going to get something truly special because of the great amount of competition out there, and "once in a while this happens". However, for the most part what you have is a bunch of businesses and people that are willing to give away a vastly inferior product with a smile on their face and then stab you in the back with it. I have also noticed that people are using the word FREE more and putting something in small print underneath it like "with a paid subscription" or "with a repair" or "with qualified lead". If that is the case then it is not "FREE".

Now people and businesses that are truly doing something FREE are getting lumped in with the crap that is out there and that weakens their case dramatically. So all I am doing right now is sending out a warning to everyone that reads this blog. When you see something that is too good to be true, it probably is, and remember above all else, "You Get What You Pay For."

A Welcome Back... Another Thought

2007-11-13T08:35:00.000-05:00

First I would like to state how wonderful it is to be back blogging again. I believe that the internet blog is the last place where true open communication can truly take place, and that is an imperative. So now that the pleasantries are done, let's get done to business. This entry will make much more sense if you have read a friend of mine's most recent blog which can be found at the following link.

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=79882820&blogID=328043510&Mytoken=218241CD-F781-48B6-8FED0ED5EB0B94602473330

Once you have read this then you will understand what this entry has in common.

I was sitting on my back deck drinking a beer with some of my brother's friends. I had been waxing philosophically (finally used it in a sentence) about the existence of God and my personal religious beliefs. It was during this that one of my brother's friends asked me a question that at first almost knocked me out of my chair. But as I thought more and more about it I realized that an answer was there and I am going to share that question and answer with you.

The friend asked "Why do you believe in Jesus Christ? Now don't give me religious answers unless they can be backed up by hard facts. I want to know from a logical standpoint, why you have faith in Jesus Christ."

To say that I was flummoxed (another word I have been waiting to use) would be an understatement. I was being asked to prove a logical, fact based reason for why I had a belief in Jesus Christ. Taken from me were the basic religious standards and verse answers that you are taught in Vacation Bible School or Parish School of Religion. Gone were the imperial truth arguments based on the Beatitudes or the Sermon on the Mount. Even reaching back into areas of the Old Testament where logic and physical evidence was not allowed. I was worried, and then like a ton of bricks it hit me.

I came back with the following, and I can't remember all the points to quote exactly, so I will be rephrasing the statement below.

From a purely logical statement I believe in Jesus Christ because no one else makes sense. I mean let's look at the course of world history. There have been millions of people that have been born and affected the fabric of the life we lead, but only a select few are considered timeless from a standpoint of the thought and lessons they taught, the inventions that they created and the people they affected. We can look at Di Vinci, Newton, Galileo, Socrates, Plato, Einstein, and even in modern day Stephen Hawking. Millions of people have come and gone that were influential in how we structure life, but only a few are timeless like Napoleon, Alexander the Great, Cease, Franklin Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin and Elizabeth II. Millions of people have been popular and made people walk the streets in celebration or jubilation, but only a select few are considered timeless. Michael Jordan, Neil Armstrong, Hulk Hogan, Henry Aaron and Buss Aldren. Millions have come and gone but only a few were leaders that forced a solid change in thought and drove the future based on their own beliefs. Martin Luther King, Jr., Pope John Paul II, Confucius and Mohammed.

But there is one man that did all those things, he worked the crowds in Jerusalem to the point of jubilantly lining the streets upon his arrival, he walked with friends and influenced people that were considered the leaders of their time. His thoughts and words sparked a revolution in thought and idealism that was both new and different at the time. He was both a teacher and a preacher, and had a title of leadership over people. He was as some would say an entertainer and others a man of great miracles. He was willing to sacrifice all of who he was for his ideals and beliefs all the way to the end.

Still I felt at this point that there was something missing, and then as if inspired the following came into mind. This one man is written of in all the major works of religion of his time and after. The Jewish people do not state he did not exist, and even state he was a great prophet, the Muslim people do not deny his existence either and in some cases refer to him as the greatest of the prophets before Mohammed. His birth is referred to in both the interpretations of the Koran (not spelled in the Arabic way) and the bible and in both cases it is a virgin birth. There is a calendar that is simply based upon the end of his life, and that calendar is one that is utilized by many people in the world today. There is not a single person who has been more influential in the world of religion, or has affected more people's lives.

Simply put, I do not believe that human beings are capable of making that completely up, and nor do I believe that it is all just a strange coincidence. The simple fact is that I have faith for many reasons, but if I were steeped in logic, and had to look at who the single most influential person was of our history, there is not a single human being that comes close to Jesus Christ.

Some Resources aren’t Renewable...

2007-10-23T09:10:00.000-05:00

There's a myth that time is money. In fact, time is more precious than money. It's a nonrenewable resource. Once you've spent it, and if you've spent it badly, it's gone forever.

Neil Fiore

I was told when I was younger by my parents many things. Most of them were directed at how I should act in order to avoid being punished. Those words of wisdom were lost on someone that while I could understand them, chooses to ignore them because "parents are old" and they "don't understand". However, there was another group of lessons that were taught to me back then that were always prefaced with the phrase "When you get older". Well, I do not like to think of myself as old, just more mature, and I now understand many of the things that my parents told me that were prefaced by "When you get older".

However, I also remember the one lesson that was taught to me and I always felt that there was a catch to it. The lesson was "you can be whatever you want as long as you put your mind to it and work as hard as you can". This is the one thing that has stayed constant that I am going to work hard and be what I want to be, and people can tell me I am crazy but I know I will succeed, because I am following the rules that work.

But, as I have worked through life, I have found that I have wasted the single most valuable resource that I have. Time. They are not making any more of it and each day the time I have gets shorter. That means that I have to make sure that I get the full amount out of each and every day. That I spend that time with the people that truly care. That I work hard to make sure that friendships are built, stay strong, and that each day when I go to sleep I can truly say that there is nothing out there unfinished.

So today I end my blog with a question. How do you "truly" feel you have used your "limited time" has it been something that you would look back on and say "yes, I have used my time wisely". If not, what would you change (if you feel comfortable sharing that) and finally are there people out there that you have issues with that you have not closed?

Now is the time, everything happens for a reason, and that means this blog has crossed your path for a reason. Time is of the essence and I wish you all the best may God Bless you and your family, friends and loved ones and give you the time… to say what needs to be said.

A Neat Story, A Deep Thought, A Real Truth

2007-10-19T08:45:00.000-05:00

I was going through my morning email, a drudge that I would not wish on my worst enemy and checking the countless adds and sales pieces selling Canadian Pharmaceuticals, Penis Enlargements or Viagra and I found out that some Sheik Ach (said by clearing your throat) - med al' Stupid has to smuggle money out of some repressed 8th world country and is willing to give me 10% of 45 Million dollars if I would send him $250,000 and my bank account number to start the transaction (might I say right here that the fact that people fall for that shit is reason enough to realize natural selection "WORKS" and survival of the "FITTEST" might just be the way to go).

But in this load of crap I found an email from my wife and it was from one of those "quote of the day" sites. I read the email and realized that I had to write something for as many people to read as I could. I will repost the story here read if you like; I think the rest of my thoughts will make more sense if you do.

"A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Target. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Target.

We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing as carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

The little voice was as sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in, "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said. "What?" Mom asked.

"Let's run through the rain!" She repeated.

"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated, "Mom, let's run through the rain."

"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.

"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.

"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"

"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!'"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God lets us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.

And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories... So, don't forget to make time and take opportunities to make memories every day. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.

I hope you still take the time to run through the rain."

There is a small window when "adults" realize that kids still have something to say that we can learn from. I say it is a short time because there comes a point when for some reason we decide our way is best and we stop listening. When I read this story I thought back to how many times I was one of those people. Following the crowd, standing under the overhang because that was the "adult thing to do", "the culturally acceptable thing to do". I was allowing others to "define me" and how I act.

Let's look at this in an extended way. How many times do we start a conversation and then someone comes along and we change the topic so they won't hear what we were really talking about. How many times have we been told, "These topics are taboo to talk about in public"? How many times have we been told, "you need to compromise because that is the adult thing to do" or "don't be so thickheaded, you know the right thing to do is _________".

That is crap. We talk in our homes and with our close friends in the "socially acceptable places" about how God can get us through anything. We talk about our faith, our cares, our hopes and our plans. But how often do you say "God Bless You" or "Have a Blessed Day" to each and every person you talk to. How willing are you to take your beliefs out of the closet so to speak and air them out no matter the surrounding.

From the mouth of children these things come because they haven't fallen for that trap. They just take what they are told and apply it to all situations. And when those moments come, and the "adults" in us realize what an "ass" we have been acting like we take those outs and say things like, "I have such a smart child". In reality that child is just being you. The you, you used to be (where do you think they learned it from? School, yeah right!). The person that dreamed and took risks. That did not always compromise. That laughed at the slightest thing, didn't care what others thought and finally lived your own life in an open way.

For the record you would be happier if you went back to that. I am tired of being the person who waits. I am going to be a better person because I am going to admit starting now that I am going to live my life not the life people tell me to live. I am going to run in the rain, and I might get soaked but you know what if I do, I am going to dry myself off and run again. Because that is life I want to lead. Isn't any harm in water.

Another Hollywood; Politcal Figure Who Has It RIght!

2007-10-02T08:44:00.000-05:00

The following was written and then presented by one of the best political writers of our lifetime. Mr. Ben Stein wrote this and presented it, and after reading it, I felt it necessary to share it with as many as possible.

"My confession:I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response.

She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?' In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage t heir self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards.

Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein"

Things Change So Soon...

2007-09-27T08:37:00.000-05:00

Well, it didn't take long this time did it? I get in my car this morning to drive to work and of course I am listening to AM 750 WSB for traffic and the morning news. One of the first stories I hear is of the changing winds of the campaign trail. I had to make sure that I heard correctly so I stayed in my car once I arrived at work to make sure that I had heard the story correctly.
Are you ready, because this one is altogether not that shocking. It seems once again as the political winds change (Gen. Petraeus's approval rating being high, and the fact that there was an upturn in war numbers) that Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama have decided that "committing to an actual hard date of 2013 would be irresponsible because they don't know what they are getting into."

Excuse me!!! For over two years all we have heard is things like:

Pull Them Out Now!!, Bring Home the Troops!!

Now Pres. Bush starts giving numbers and the Democratic candidates start stating things like they aren't sure what they have gotten into. And that promising a date 4 years out might be irresponsible. Ladies and Gentlemen that came from the mouth of Hillary Clinton. Excuse me Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. I have said from the beginning running this country on the backs of popular opinion polls is irresponsible and a violation of what the Constitution defines the Executive branch as well as the Legislative branch to be, and now we see a real example of this.

Passion, Life and Apathy

2007-09-26T01:32:00.000-05:00

For the last couple of blogs I have been posting a video, and then commenting on the video or I guess you could call it waxing philosophically on the video posted. I have addressed innocence and hypocrisy in the last two, and then today something happened.

I was working today. I carry a large title that mainly means that there are constantly fires that have to be put out. I was talking with a kid who is attending one of our fine state universities and he was talking to me about how he doesn't care about politics and faith. That he feels that those things have lost their importance and really that should be left up to the people that are "hired" to do that job.

This blew my mind, and I proceeded to have a long conversation with him about why apathy is not only a sign of ignorance, but also a sign of weakness. My arguments were not logically formed and the conversation turned into a debate until my state educated debater made a dramatic mistake in his argument. He stated that apathy was truly the basis for the freedoms that we have. That freedom of speech, reliion and press are best utilized when people are willing to be led and not make noise as an individual.

At that point I found myself doing something that I do not do on a regular basis; I quoted the book of Revelations 3:16. This is where Jesus states "So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth." This I find is one of the few times that the Bible does not mince words, nor do they try to hide the message.

We are called to have feeling, passion, love and desire. We are called to care, so much that it hurts, not just about the big things like family and friends, although they are the top priorities, but also the small things; the kid who fell, the leader who refuses to lead, the actor that compromises integrity for a part, nature, and more. I was once asked by a family member, "how is it you care about everything?" At the time I was unsure how to answer but now I am not.

I care about everything because that is the only way it feels right. That is the only way that I feel that I have truly done my part. So now I challenge all of you. The next time you feel that you can't give anymore, remember that we are proud of what we do, and proud of where we came from, and stand up and be counted. Carry that passion with you in whatever you do and get rid of the apathetic attitudes.

Check out this video: Stupid people

2007-09-23T23:32:00.000-05:00

Check out this video: Stupid people

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Very rarely do I ever directly point a finger at a person, but I found this video posted, and then I went and researched the page myself and here is what I have found. His site is sick, and his point that he is trying to make is about pay scale but his argument is bring pointed at the wrong place. Yet I wonder sometimes how a person could feel he could get long running support from a view like this. How could someone feel that any American would possibly side with him in anyway? Then I did a little looking around and found the following

Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama opposed the war-funding bill... Washington Post "The Troop Funding Trap" June 2, 2007 pg. 13

Democratic presidential hopeful and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina harshly criticized the legislation. "Washington failed America today when Congress surrendered to the president's demand for another blank check that prolongs the war in Iraq," Edwards said in a statement.

Democratic Rep. David Obey, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, joined Pelosi in voting against the bill.
(both above from CNN.com "House, Senate pass war funding bill" May 25, 2007)

On top of that we have the situation from the University of Colorado when former
professor Ward Churchill wrote and later stated:

The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were a response to a long history of U.S. abuses. Churchill said those killed in the World Trade Center collapse were "a technocratic corps at the very heart of America's global financial empire" and called them "little Eichmanns." msnbc.msn.com "Professor fired after 9/11-Nazi comparison" Updated: 8:24 p.m. ET July 24, 2007

From the above examples we have, people with terminal degrees, and nationally known politicians going around playing with the funds for the troops. And thankfully none of this irresponsible chatter has actually changed the policy.

A more important point and the one that I started out to make is this. When we have simple, immature and allegedly money hungry individuals like Mr. Crook, who do not take the time to at least attempt (I don't have a book with me on how to cite, and while I did learn this in college, I found that I have not maintained it due up to now not truly having a reason to use it) to cite sources where the quotes come from. We in this country have to remember that the brave men and women in the armed forces, who fight these battles for our freedoms, also expect us to act responsibly with the freedoms. That is a point I think we too readily forget.

One of the responsibilities of having free speech is to know you must truly explain yourself clearly, and if you are in a position of influence that responsibility is even higher. If you are talking to the general public, you must remember that while most people have average intelligence or above and can follow logical thought, there are the Michael Crooks out there that will take any window of opportunity to use to reach their own ends. With no thought to others feelings.

Lets remember this moron the next time we start openly blasting the war, or the funding, and when we do debate it openly let us do so with the same factual rules we would want followed if we were on trial. Using cited sources and factual evidence, keeping the attacks on the right people and not just throwing our witless comments out there.

Now some people will read this and say I am witless, but I will stand by two things, one the cites are there, and there is enough to at least find the articles I was reading, and two I want to state without a shadow of a doubt that the troops that are all over the world are the true defenders of virtue and freedom and I will support them with my heart, my faith, my words, my arguments and my money where I can. I believe that my freedom was bought and paid for by those that have come before me and defended freedom and those that are doing so now are the continuation of that Greatest Generation.

Check out this video: Where Were You

2007-09-19T09:09:00.000-05:00

Check out this video: Where Were You

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Six years and 8 days ago 3000+ people begin a trek to work that culminated at two of the tallest buildings in the world at the time. Finished in 1977, the World Trade Center Towers (named in the hope that one day "the world would trade peacefully there") were once again living up to that name. A diverse group of individuals from multiple countries and backgrounds had gathered to enrich, enlighten and continue their constant drive towards the American dream. They were innocent, and completely unaware of the horror that was to become just a short time later. They bought breakfast, and sat at their desks; they checked emails and some were probably singing along with a radio, talking on the phone to a loved one or just finding a way to wake up with their morning coffee.

These 3000+ people though in reality were on the front line. They were in the sights of a group of individuals who for some reason decided that these innocent mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters no longer deserved to live. These innocent people were in the sights of people claiming to be "men of virtue" and "men of faith". But in fact the hijackers of those planes were neither men of virtue nor men of faith they were cowardly human beings who decided that ending their own pathetic lives was not enough; they had to take out as many innocent people as possible. We watched on TV as these monsters drove American planes into the heart of the biggest American city and into the tallest buildings in that city forever changing the skyline, the attitudes and the feelings of the people in this country. We stood united, realizing that innocents, people belonging to our families had been in those buildings and we remembered our strength and resolve. We once again stood the proud American citizens and stopped burning our flags and started waving them.

Now six years and 8 days later, that resolve is broken in half of our country. People are scared and starting to feel as though we might be wrong in our course and resolve. We sit and debate within our own family of citizenry the value of those same 3000+ innocent people that died that day. We now say, well they were worth this, but not worth that. We have mothers fighting against the same freedoms their sons gave their lives for. We have political leaders hiding behind political fences and throwing stones at each other in a metaphorical way and fighting a battle of words to define why their point of view is more right.

I know that I am one person, and I know that my timing isn't perfect like some people. See there are some where the inspirations to write like this hits on anniversaries or those special occasions. For me however it seems like it is easier on the special occasion day to say "we must remember". It is harder to continue to remember. It is harder to continue the course once the initial pain is gone. So today I write this, because in the wake of a student being tazered on a college campus while a former Presidential candidate (John Kerry) stands and watches, when a 4 star General of the US Armed Forces is called a traitor in the wake of political arguments for simply reporting as he was ordered to do, and candidates squabble over microscopically insignificant ideas. I keep thinking back to those 3000+ innocent people and then I remember two words and all the strength that I need comes flowing back into my veins. My heart beats a little faster, and I remember once again that this is the greatest country in the world, that our freedoms are worth fighting for, that the men and women overseas are the true heroes and the two words mean as much today as they did when they were spoken on that plane 6 years and 8 days ago.

So for our freedoms, the ones we have and the ones we want back; for the members of our families that are overseas and have a mission to accomplish; for the 3000+ innocent people that died 9/11/01 and for all of us who want to remember and be uplifted I share those two words with you once again to close. Simply put... "Let's Roll!!".