On Earth, Peace

Luke 2:8-14

New International Version (NIV)

 ⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

 ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven, 

   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+2%3A8-14&version=NIV

Cain, Gingrich and the rest of the "Men Behaving Badly" Club

If you dump Cain over philandering, you cannot help but come to the same conclusion for Gingrich. Think about it, conservatives. I will be so TORQUED if conservatives get behind Gingrich (and they already have, of course) after what's going on with Cain. 

Here's a guy [Gingrich] who said, "I just loved my country too much" and that's why he cheated on his wife, dumped her when she was sick, etc. Excuse me? You can't just say that you wanted to fool around and loved yourself too much????? No, blame it on your love of country. That is the most LAME excuse I've ever heard for infidelity. 

Well, we expect you, as President, Mr. Gingrich, to "love your country"...so, what are we to expect if you are elected? More Clinton? The guy you tried to crucify over his affair? Or does the term "double standard" just not come up in your book? Does Calista need to put you on a shorter leash when elected, since we can only assume you're in the office because you "love your country so much"? Or, do you expect temptation to just not be able to touch you now? Oh, that's right. You found the trophy wife. Check that off the list. So, what else is there to look for? 

Please. Just another narcissist who needs to STEP ASIDE, in my book. Done and done with people like that. These are NOT leaders. They are men behaving badly. Go back to the classroom, Newt... You had your shot YEARS ago, and character-wise, you blew it. (There are no "get out of jail free" cards with politics.)  

And, frankly, we don't need the distraction. We've got real work to do here. Or, hasn't anyone noticed?

Oh, and the fundraising.... Please, by all means, get back to that, too, Newt. (Cain certainly isn't going to let his "suspended" campaign slow down his fundraising efforts! Launched a new website....wanna bet there's a "donate" button on it?)

We need uncompromised leaders, not more tools. So, when it comes to Newt, Cain, and those like them, all I can say is, "NEXT!"

Btw, you can't be outraged at people like Sandusky and those around him who kept him on the loose by staying quiet about what they knew and still support people like Cain and Gingrich who are basically, serial philanderers. Preying on people. It's the same damn thing. You just can't separate the two. Call me outrageous if you want to. But, that's how I see it. And, I sleep pretty good at night....

Oh, The Tangled Web We Weave

First, the link that prompted this post: NYT: Sandusky tells his side...

That Sandusky is giving interviews is just a staggering notion to me. Second, he clearly is clueless as to right and wrong. Third, this article even more clearly demonstrates the willingness of EVERYONE around this guy to look the other way. More than for Sandusky, this article is damning, once again, to all those around him. And, illuminates the situation even further. And, it ain't pretty.

And, I bet this culture is more pervasive than we'd like to believe. That's the scary part of this story.

What this says to me? The days when you could trust people with your child (if there ever was such  a day): they are over.  If this story makes you feel less safe when it concerns your kids, then it's done its job. The higher up the food chain, the more they stand to lose, be assured, the first thought of those at the top concerning any impropriety is,  "How does this impact my career?" and "How can I keep this quiet so it doesn't negatively impact me?"

Child molestation charges dirties everyone involved, innocent or not. Frankly, THAT is something we have to get over. It happens. It's horrible. But, that doesn't mean we ignore it. THAT is a notion handed to us by a previous generation. Keep it quiet. Don't talk about it. Keep it in the family.... No. As a society, we have to call it out and address it head on wherever we find it and then help the victims move on. And, make sure justice is liberally served on the perpetrators. 


But, when it comes to institutions and those trying to protect themselves, they believe this to be such a heinous topic, they'll go to extraordinary lengths to keep it quiet. Both institutions and those involved with those institutions. Just look at the Catholic Church and all it has to deal with. Everyone just wants it to go away. And, quietly. No one wants to believe there's a monster out there. Or that they might be associated with that monster. So, they just kick the can down the road, hope it will just go away,  and believe the lie. Until finally, it can't be believed any longer.

These guys (around Sandusky - at the university and charity) knew the score. All of them. So, they covered it up. Big time. Kick the can down the road. Say one thing. Do another. You can bet it was the university that shut down the police investigation for the first incident in 1998. And, when I say "university," I don't mean an institution. I don't mean those students who attended. I mean those men in their ivory towers with enough power, who could pull all the right levers to make it all go away. And that's exactly what they did.

So, for my money, I don't doubt Sandusky's words are true on that fact. He was questioned only once; then within a few days, it was over. That's what's so interesting about his revelations. He has no idea how his own words will incriminate those around him and therefore, incriminate HIM. Why cover it up, if it's not a big deal? If it's not true? Precisely. So now, the coverup is even bigger than the university. And, watch the blame and denials fly. Or, have they already? Oh yea....they have. "He never talked to me....He never said that..... We never...." Right.

They shut it down in 1998. And, more proof in the pudding? Sandusky was put on the B track, hoping to get him out of there and away from their precious reputation. Nothing else mattered. Just, reputation. Charges means sullying that reputation. There are other ways to protect that reputation. And, those precious dollars that come with it.  Sandusky would have to decide to go of his own accord. According to him, that plan worked. He walked. And, the men in their ivory towers at that university thought they'd won.

But, here we are today. It backfired. It took a while. But, it backfired. And,  lots of kids (apparently) personally paid for that approach. 

And, what's even more staggering? Clearly, Sandusky STILL does not understand that he's done anything WRONG. I truly believe he believes he has done nothing wrong. When a guy - right off the bat - can say he's showered with kids -- showered with kids -- and not see anything wrong with that? We're not even allowed to HUG fully clothed kids nowadays. And, you're showering naked with children????? We're not playing with a full deck, people. And, either he's got selective amnesia, or he knows all the vile things he's done. Either way, I suspect psychiatric treatment is in order for this guy.  The gig is up, man.

So, one view of Sandusky's wagging tongue might be: He has decided, after YEARS (decades) of getting away with it -- as signaled by the failed actions of those around him to recognize the seriousness of his actions and bring him up short on it -- that somehow his actions concerning children are "ok".... Approved.  Of all the things he has done concerning children, none of them are inappropriate. I mean, he got away with it for how many years now? When people were told, what did they do? Nothing. After a while your moral compass gets out of whack.... If you ever had one to begin with....

So, the answer to the dilemma, on Sandusky's part, is to demonstrate how everyone looked the other way. I mean, this surely demonstrates he did nothing wrong and this is just all blown out of proportion. Right?  Does he not see all the forks in the road  - based on his OWN testimony of accounts - where those around him should have turned right, but went left? No. This never occurs to a man who has convinced himself he's doing and has done nothing wrong. But, it's as clear as day to the rest of us who are utterly shocked at the covering up along the way of a man who clearly had perverse intentions regarding children. How many warning signs do people NEED before they say, "You no longer can interact with children, period. And, oh, btw, we're calling the cops to investigate...." (Not to mention: inform parents!!! Hello!!?!??!) 


Why did Second Mile not completely eliminate him from the program? It would take down their organization. (As today, it has.) Same reason Penn State didn't fire him. He had to leave of his own accord or the gig was up. Cover up and kick the can down the road and save your own hide. That's the game plan.

It just staggers the imagination, doesn't it? At least I hope it does.

But, I'm still puzzled by Sandusky's belief that talking is good for him. What is the point of his saying that others looked the other way? That they were the judge and jury  - they ruled in his favor - and so therefore he did nothing wrong? Those people today, when it's all come out, are...um....without JOBS! Hiring lawyers, and the like. Because someone finally said, "No. We won't overlook this." And, heads rolled. (Maybe not for the right reasons, but nevertheless....) 

So, for Sandusky to point out the ineffectual nature of those around him as some sort of... what... defense? Blame game? I don't get it. The conclusion from that is...what? That...

a) They did their jobs, Sandusky is innocent, and everyone else today is wrong?

Or...

b) IF they'd done their job, they'd have rescued many young boys from this man? They'd have caught him? (Did he want to be caught?)

Or...

c) It's not Sandusky's fault no one around him did their jobs? THEY are the real villains in all of this?

Well, one thing's for sure. This time, there will be a trial. The real stories will come out. Maybe Sandusky will continue to wag his tongue and we'll be able to piece it all together in ways we'd otherwise never have imagined possible. When people wag their tongues long enough, truth has a way of coming home to roost. 


And, maybe we'll all learn something from this. Some things in this world are worth more than your damn reputation and certainly, money. It's better to figure that out THIS side of the veil. There are a lot of people intimately involved with this man's past who need to figure that out, and fast. 




'

Feedom's Duty

Civilized (aka in America: fat, happy) people often prefer peaceful (aka "no") uprisings so as not to upset the status quo, no matter how bad the status quo has become for those around them. And, in fact, if they'd admit it, how bad it has become for themselves.  This is how tyranny thrives...in a sea of apathy and mediocrity.

I, for one, am glad the revolutionaries in THIS country that came long before this generation, that helped found this country and all that we stand for in terms of freedom and democracy, did not agree with the status quo of THEIR day and the tryanny of it.

Yet, as grand as it may have been, there were loopholes in in their plan to overcome tyranny. And our age has exposed them. So, now that we find ourselves here in this reality, do we honor the revolutionaries who gave us one of the best plans in the world for freedom and self governance, by rising up and fixing it? Or, do we let it continue to be abused by a tyrannous few and so, for future generations,  see it potentially, ultimately abolished?

The fox is in the hen house. Do we just feed it in hopes it will devour only a few?

That is what is at the heart of Occupy. And, just as Thomas Paine had the printing press, so do we have the internet. And, I say, those who seek to inflict tyranny upon us in the name of "capitalism" (which is really just a new name for a monarchy that has usurped our government) should study their history more carefully.

Sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe in. You can do your best to be "peaceful".... But, sometimes, that's just not enough.  Peaceful or otherwise, it remains to be seen whether there is enough will out there to move beyond the status quo or not.  Freedom is not always peaceful, nor is it free.

Egypt threw off tyranny and we cheered, but will we cheer for our own deliverance? In America, maybe it takes invoking the memory of a modern "revolutionary" who championed the rights of  the unheard and the unseen to wake us from our slumber.

Video: MLK by U2.

MLK

Sleeep

Sleep tonight

And may your dreams

Be realized

If the thundercloud

Passes rain

So let it rain

Rain down on him

So let it be

 

The Prison Of A Few

Most want to remember.

Most want to mark the day.

Most want to feel that saddest of Septembers.

To remember their pain.

If we remember,

If we chose not to forget,

The lives that were lost,

Will not see regret.

I cannot help it,

I want to forget,

To put it behind me,

Not to imagine the jets.

I want to imagine the world as it was;

The world before that dreadful day.

I want to ignore it, not mark it,

So the piercing memory will fade.

But, I know that can't happen.

We must mark our grief.

We must feel our collective pain,

No matter the thief.

We were robbed that day.

And some things can never be undone.

We were robbed that day.

Yet somehow, we live, and we feel we've won.

But every time we mark the time,

the hour, the pain, the grief.

Every time we remember the sacrifice,

the horror,  the sadness, the thief.

We relive it again. 

The wound opens anew.

Healing, that much more distant.

Pain, the prison of a few.

Dedicated to all those innocents and heroes who lost their lives on 9/11,  all those who thereafter lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq,  and those who are yet with us for a time, but will lose their lives in the wars that are yet to come. Offered likewise, in honor of the walking wounded --  the countless numbers whose lives were forever changed and marked by grief and loss, and continue to be,  from the genesis that was this horrific act. May their numbers cease to be increased.

Houston, We Have A (BIG) Problem

This, written not by me, but by a fellow Texan. Couldn't have said it better. So, I will post it unedited, in its entirety. This has been a HUGE travesty. And, most people have no idea. 

Space Shuttle homes - no wonder we lost when they change the rules

Followup on the fact that Houston, home to the Space Shuttle program for the last 30 years did not get a space shuttle to display.

Cover-up report saying they did nothing wrong, revealed that originally Houston was supposed to get one of the shuttles as early as 2008 BUT the the director of NASA then changed the rules at the last minute in April and made the top priority be the number of international visitors and population in the area.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden used to live in Houston but sold us out. As well as selling out the Texans who lived, worked and died for the space program who were from Houston.

The historic aspect no longer mattered, just tourist bucks. So that's why one of the shuttles went to NYC a place that had nothing to do with the space program and even through a shuttle is going to be down the road a few hundred miles from it in DC.

When you have a group investigate itself, pretty easy for them to come up with a report saying they did nothing wrong.

Houston was good enough to be home to Mission Control and to also be used as a refueling stop during the Shuttle Program, but Charles Bolden and NASA took away the shuttle and to add further insult is scattering artifacts from the training missions here across the county and in effect destroying the history. Thanks NASA.

So how about we move the Grand Canyon, not enough people live in AZ and it's hard to travel to.
Or how about we move some of the historic battlefields, because after all they may not be in high population centers to get the most international visitors. 

NASA fails to calm Houston anger over lost shuttle
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8326600

Report: Nothing improper in NASA's picks for retired shuttles 
http://www.khou.com/news/Report-NASA-made-right-picks-for-retired-shuttles-128389458.html

Rain Has Come Again

Rain Has Come Again

Pinging from the chimney. 

Could it be?

A gentle rustling outside, as of gently falling water.

It's dark, I can't see....

A distant flash of light. 

A violent clap of thunder.

The sound of wind-driven rain whipping around outside.

And, the downpour is getting stronger.

How much can we drink up? 

The dry grass, the trees, the flowers, the insects & birds?

How long will it last? 

And, once gone, will it return?

The first day of summer. 

Yet all around is not green.

Rather, shades of brown and yellow. 

No color as far as the eye can see.

Color takes water. 

Of that, we're deprived.

Color must wait. 

Green too, must subside.

Until we have water, 

there's no reason to fret.

We'll learn to appreciate the color 

and to not wallow in regret.

The feeling of thirst 

clambers around my every move.

But, as the rain falls, 

suddenly, I feel renewed.

I want to stand out in it, 

let it fall over my face.

But, I dare not tonight, 

the thunder keeps me at bay.

Tomorrow the world will be a little greener.

The birds chirp a little brighter.

The buzz of insects a little stronger.

Our hearts a little lighter....

Rain has come again.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Note: Written the last time I heard rain in our neck of the woods. That was June, 2011. And even then, only a sprinkle. We are in a fierce drought! Can't wait for the "rain to come again"....

'

Spaced Out: Star Trek

Ok, I feel the need to change to DOS prompt type font for this post.

My mom was a big trekky fan, therefore so was I, growing up. Drama, space themes, a little humor, cheesy sets and special effects (what did we really know back then?). Who could ask for more? I remember Spock singing some song to a zither on one episode, but had NO IDEA they had an ALBUM! 

You either?

Well, here's the link to amazon and it's IN STOCK!

You can sample each of the tracks. (Warning: Shatner only monologues and you MUST hear "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" to truly appreciate this fact. And, if you're a Kenny Rogers fan, you'll see that he has no worries over the competitive track of "Ruby, Don't Take Your  Love to Town" by Leonard Nimoy.)

I have to say, this gave me the biggest laugh I've had in a long time. Given the times, maybe you need a little piece of nostalgia and a good laugh, too. We were simpler back then, despite the Vietnam war, assassinations, the Civil Rights movement. 

Don't miss the first Amazon comment, either. Spot on. Just made me laugh even harder.

Enjoy!

The Power of Perry Prayer

Scandalous

What does this photo have to do with the price of beans?  Obama is paying respects to the fallen SEALS this past week as their remains were brought to Dover AFB. What can be found to be wrong about that? Oh, plenty. This is America. We are absolutely broken when we cannot just let the leader of our country pay his respects to our soldiers.... No, it has to be some big scandal. He's sneaking in an illegal photo op... Honestly, I wish I'd seen just a FEW of these types of photos from 2003 to 2008 instead of a leader who never served in the military, in a flight jacket, proclaiming victory on an Aircraft Carrier. Now THAT, people is a PHOTO OP. Learn the difference.

Make Your Voice Heard: TODAY!

This is not a scam. It's real. Make an important call today.

Please feel free to call this number and let your voice be heard: 202-863-1500. 

You will be calling the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. (If you're a conservative, don't stop reading this post yet, please.)

I just did this maybe 30 minutes ago. My call was answered asap. Took me all of 2 minutes and I never had to leave my easy chair.  They will direct you to a comment line. You can leave your comment there.

You do not have to be a Democrat (I am not, I am not registered as either Democrat or Republican, I am an Independent) in order to comment.

Here's why you might consider calling:

According to MoveOn.org, as of an email today: "The New York Times reports that President Obama and Speaker John Boehner are close to reaching a secret agreement that includes deep cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, but no immediate plan to make millionaires and corporations pay their fair share."

I wholeheartedly believe this to be a true statement and not just some kind of propaganda machine, though that is always a possibility with ANY news or politically motivated outlet. I believe it because I have seen Obama to be a man of compromise (for better or worse, and often, imho, for worse); and for the record, I did NOT agree with the tax cuts given out last December. Not one bit. Yes, my hardworking family, who has suffered tremendous financial loss in the past few years, gets $60/mth more and I have needed every penny. (I will say God's economy is sufficient for me, nonetheless. And, I thank God nearly every day for a loving Heavenly Father who smoothes our way.) 

But, I would happily pay that BACK to the govt in the form of taxes, if the wealthy and corporations were similarly asked to pay their fair share. 

I pay a pittance for them to be forced to ante up and I'd HAPPILY do it. And now, it appears THAT tax cut? It will come on the backs of senior citizens, for starters, and those who simply scrape by to try to survive. No and no and no!

Here are my thoughts: I believe in means-testing for all social services. I believe we should NOT remove the safety net that millions of Americans depend on, especially in a time of crisis.

I do not believe this makes us a Socialist Nation. 

I believe it makes us Human Beings. 

And, especially as these people (SS & Medicare and even Medicaid - which my mother will soon have to go on in order to have necessary care my father can no longer provide for her, because his own body has given out, nor can her family) have worked their entire lives for the promise of this Safety Net at the end of their lives. THEIR ENTIRE LIVES. 

These are our PARENTS and GRANDPARENTS we are talking about here! 

This is PERSONAL.

We cannot have DEEP cuts to our social services UNLESS they are means-based and the people getting them can already afford to pay for their own needs. 

MANY CANNOT. 

Even people who have had good, honest, hard-working lives. They simply cannot. My mother and father simply cannot. My father, a military veteran, cannot. They have worked hard. They have done the right things. They cannot. They are as Christian and Republican as any right-wing Conservative will EVER hope to be. And, their own party is about to screw them. 

Or, is it both parties? 

I don't know any longer.

I can't even TALK to my parents, whose lives will be MOST affected by this compromise,  about it because of the HUGE and DEEP chasm of a divide we have politically in this country. Their HEALTH will not stand it.  And yet, I know the deep fear and anxiety and worry -  and thus FURTHER COMPROMISE TO THEIR HEALTH -  that this debate will create for them. Especially as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid - their ENTIRE social safety net, for which they are resting on heavily at this point in their lives - is thrown down on the poker table.

Yes, POKER. 

That's what this is: a game of bluff and blink.

And, the most vunerable citizens of the US are the chips 

as well as the 

Credit & Faith of the United States.

Shame.

I may not be able to talk to my own parents, whose lives hang in the balance more than any of the players in this poker game. I may not be able to rally them to have their voices heard. It would quite possibly be too much for their health.

But, YOU, Dear Reader, CAN stand it. 

And, YOU, DEAR READER, can do something.

YOU can STAND UP for those who can't stand up for themselves.

Please consider calling and making your voice heard. Consider that we MUST continue to have safety net programs in this country. 

We must stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves. 

Someday, someone will stand up for US!

Today, it's YOUR turn.

Set the EXAMPLE for tomorrow.

And, the Social Safety Net MUST not be left to the whims of the free markets, no matter that GOVERNMENT is admittedly not always the most efficient course for these kinds of services. The private sector has proven over and over again that PROFIT is the bottom line, not PEOPLE. 

We can not leave the social safety net of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA up to PROFIT. Period. 

Have you checked your FOR-PROFIT insurance benefits lately? I have. Try being self-insured and you'll know how wicked FOR PROFIT can be when it comes to caring for people. DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN TO OUR SENIORS AND MOST VULNERABLE AMONG US! 

It is NOT Christian. 

Much less, is it American.

Also consider that even my 90 yr old Conservative (extremely Conservative Christian and Republican), wealthy, step-father-inlaw says that he cannot understand why it is so taboo to be taxing the Big Corporations and Millionaires of our Nation. He just doesn't get it. 

WHY are we NOT taxing them more? 

This seems illogical to him. 

He is a wealthy man. He is a fiscal and social conservative. He does not get it. He has had 90 years of experience  - successful experience - to be worthy of listening to his point of view. The difference? 

He's not playing a POLITICAL GAME.

Our  so called "leaders" are.

And, at OUR expense.

Do not let the talking heads play us for fools on either side of the aisle. Do not let the politcians play us for fools so they can continue to RAKE IN MONEY from their powerful, elite "constituents"... 

Do NOT!

The Big Corporations and Wealthy (aka Uber-Rich) and those on Wall Street go laughing 

ALL THE WAY to the bank

as we sit and wring our hands over nonsense instead of dealing with the truth. 

We are being hijacked in America by a powerful elite few. 

This is NOTHING NEW, people. 

READ your history.

(That history we no longer want to teach in our schools, 

because we might actually be able to know, recognize, and learn the lessons from the past!) 

If ALL OF US stand on the side of the people - securing the safety net for those who need it and ensuring those who CAN and SHOULD pay more 

- at least roll back to pre-Bush-Tax-Cut era taxes - 

then what kind of COMPROMISE can they possibly put forward? It becomes clear that 

NO ONE (not Democrats OR Republicans) in Washington is truly on OUR side. 

So, let's make the TEST happen. Let's all AGREE on these few and very basic, reasonable, sensible things and see what happens. 

Secure the Social Safety Net. 

(that system your parents and grandparents and YOU faithfully pay into)

Tax the Rich.

(the Uber-Rich and Big Corporations who basically buy & sell politicians)

Make the call. 

You may not be a Democrat. It doesn't matter. State clearly whatever your political views are. I'd like to see a few conservatives make that call, in fact, and be equally outraged. I stated clearly that I am an Independent though I tend to vote more Democratic than I do Republican. 

This is not about "party line" any longer. 

This is about standing up, each one of us, for what is RIGHT AND DECENT.  

This is about Americans doing what we do best, STANDING UP to be HEARD.

Even if each on our OWN two feet. 

Thanks for listening. 

Please just make the call. It takes 2 minutes. 202-863-1500. Btw, I do NOT work for the DCC or have any affiliation with them whatsoever.

I am just a US Citizen, just like you.

I believe in America's PEOPLE, NOT its POLITICS.

If there's someone else that can be called, ie Republican Congressional Committee, post it here. I WILL make that call.

 I will make as MANY calls as it takes.

I hope you will, too.

If it makes conservatives reading this feel any better, I can't STAND Nancy Pelosi. If it makes liberals reading this feel any better, I can't STAND Sarah Palin. 

I am an Independent. 

I call it like I see it. I am in whatever camp believes in America and most importantly, HER PEOPLE. And, for the Christians reading this too, I believe in this biblical truth: "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and God what is God's." So, yes, I'll be praying, too. 

But, I will also let Caesar HEAR MY VOICE!

I hope you will too.

Thanks for listening,

Thanks for DOING,

One Voice Speaking