Overcoming the Refs

    Having spent many years doing sports officiating, I am not one to complain about referees, officials, and umpires.  However, one could describe the mainstream media as the supposed officials who are designated to "make the calls" on the events happening in the world.  Right now, it especially applies to the election.  As such, it is embarrassingly apparent that the officiating is biased, favoring Obama and his administration in a huge way.  In other words, the GOP is playing a game in which they have to not only overcome the opponent, but in order to do so, they must also overcome the referees.  I submit to you that this is not the way it should be.  I do not see any immediate solution to this problem.  It just makes it more necessary that other forms of media take on the responsibility of conveying the message that our country is in need of different leadership.  The country needs to get back to its Constitutional heritage.

Stories Wallowing in Oblivion

   I could really write a lengthy blog on what bothers me about the Obama administration's meltdown in the Middle East, but I choose not to do so. At least not now. Instead, I will briefly mention some of the news stories that have vanished from the media lately.  These are stories which I do not think should be forgotten.

• John Corzine has managed to misplace over $1 billion of other people's money, saying he has no idea what happened to it.  This could turn out to be the biggest robbery in the history of the world.  And our government appears to be doing nothing about it.  I think we know why.
• The Fast and Furious debacle led to the death of one American law enforcement officer and hundreds of Mexicans.  No one in the administration seems to care.
• Related to that, Attorney General Holder has been held in contempt by the House of Representatives.  Even after that, he seems to be holding back reports which have been requested of him by more committees of Congress.
• Companies are now at the mercy of the HHS mandate concerning contraception and abortifacients.  This could be called a War on Christianity.  In the meantime, we have an administration which says some in our country are acting insensitively toward another religion, saying that is not what America stands for.
• The Department of Defense is purchasing Chevy Volts for their fleet of vehicles.  These not only cost $40,000 each, but it has been reported that each Volt produced has resulted in a loss of $49,000 for GM.  I'll also remind you that, thanks to our President, America owns a bunch of stock in GM, meaning that those losses are also losses to the taxpayers of America.
• The percent of military personnel requesting absentee ballots for the upcoming election has reported gone down by about 50%, even after Congress passed a law in 2009 which is supposed to expedite the distribution of these ballots to our service men and women.  Talk about voter suppression.

  I could go on.  Enough for now.

Muslim Explosion

Time to Wake Up, America!

   I have recently been made more aware of many aspects of the Islam religion.  Here are some thoughts:

• Islam is not a religion of peace.  I disagree with both Presidents Bush and Obama on this.  It is in the tenets of this religion that everyone in it should be about the business of making it the only acceptable religion.  The concept of jihad is not just a personal struggle for individual Muslims.  It is an intentional effort to eliminate all infidels from the earth.
• It is a goal of every Muslim to make the nation in which they live into a Muslim nation.  That includes the USA. The Muslims are also succeeding in this effort all over the world.  When a Muslim immigrates to our country, they do not come because of what America has to offer, it is because they want to take over our country.  I think Muslim immigration is the most dangerous type of immigration in America.....and it is legal.
• Because of the alms tenet in their religion, the Muslims have an almost unlimited amount of funds to spend on the spread of their religion.  Mosques are being built all over America and are being funded by the powers that run the Islam religion.  Many times, they are purchasing defunct Christian churches and turning them into mosques.
• The birth rate among Muslims is much higher than that among other Americans.  This is intentional.  At the same time, many efforts are being made in our country to keep the birth rate down.
• The largest increases in the Muslim population in America are in the area surrounding Washington, D.C.  This also is intentional.
• Many Muslim men come to America, entice American women with their material wealth, marry them, become citizens, and then proceed to either subjugate them to the ways women are treated within Islam or divorce them.
• The treatment of women by Muslim men is appalling.  To make matters worse, women are not believed to have any hope for a pleasant afterlife.  They are destined for hell.  Talk about a War on Women.
• All over our country, prayer rooms for Muslims are being provided in our government schools, as well as a time which is being dedicated for the Muslim students to say their appointed prayers.  At the same time, Christians are denied prayer.  It is all done with the idea that we Americans should not offend others, especially the Muslims.  Political correctness is an incredible blessing to Muslims.
• There are some pretty amazing similarities between Islam and Mormonism.  To me, it is incredibly frightening that America is now facing a choice between a Mormon and a person who at the very least is incredibly sympathetic to Islam.  Many of President Obama's actions cause one to suspect that he may just be claiming to be a Christian while actually being a Muslim.
• It is incredibly hard for a Muslim to make the commitment to leave their religion and join another when the Muslim doctrine is that they should be killed for doing so.
• One only needs to look back in history to see that the Muslim threat to Christianity has occurred before.  One of these times occurred during the time of the Reformation.  During Martin Luther's time, the Turks were a real threat to Europe.  The Roman Catholic Church was in moral decay.  I believe God was calling on His people to repent and return to Him.  It indeed was time for the church to return to the teachings of the Word of God.  I believe the same types of problems are evident in America and the rest of the world today.  Just look at the policies which are contrary to God's Word which are being implemented in our country.  I believe we are once again being called to repentance and a return to the Word of God.  
• The Crusades have gotten a bad rap.  The Crusades were an effort to stop Muslim aggression which was threatening Christianity.  I cannot help but wonder if another Crusade-like effort will have to be made to suppress this aggression again.

   It is time for Christians in America to wake up.  It is also time for Christians to share their faith with Muslims.  We know that God can do amazing things through His Word.

A Reverend's Regret

   Rev. Jesse Jackson indicated this week that he thinks that the Creator maybe should not have been mentioned in the Declaration of Independence.  I keep wondering why he would think that.  I know he is not a godless person.  Here are some possibilities, none of which I would consider acceptable:

• Mentioning the Creator would not be the politically correct thing to do.  It would possibly offend someone.
• It does not fit into the storyline that the Founders wanted a distinct separation of church and state in the operation of our government.
• It does not fit into the educational policy of insisting that our public schools teach evolution, and only evolution, to the students of America.
• It does not fit with the left's insistence upon the woman's right to choose an abortion.  If a Creator gives the right to life, then how do you justify taking away the life of an innocent little one.  If a government gives the rights, then the government can take them away also.
• Having a Creator granting the rights to people takes away the possibility that a government can give additional rights to people.  

   One thing seems so puzzling to me.  Why would someone with a "Rev." in front of his name be the one to object to this?

Reflection on Ketchup

Just some thoughts related to a story I saw on schools which have limited students to one packet of ketchup in their school lunches.

• Why are schools giving ketchup in packets instead of distributing it in a bottle of some sort.  It seems to me that schools would have to spend more money on ketchup by purchasing it in packets.
• Don't the packets add to the amount of trash which is generated by the school lunch program.  Wouldn't the environmentalists be upset with this?
• As a former teacher, it was my experience that ketchup was distributed in squirt bottles, and, for the most part, a teacher was responsible for putting the ketchup on the food according to the student's request.  A teacher was the one who determined the amount of ketchup which was used.
• Wouldn't Senator Kerry be upset with this policy?
• I would have never liked having students getting ketchup in packets.  First of all, teachers would have often been asked to help young students open those packets.  Also, I always considered a packet of ketchup in the hands of a student was an invitation to mischief.  I always considered a ketchup packet to be a potential ketchup launcher.
• It is a sad state of affairs when the government gets involved in the distribution of ketchup in schools.  
• I have eaten the commodities which are part of school lunch programs.  It is pretty horrible stuff.  I cannot blame students for wanting to cover up the taste with ketchup.
• Isn't ketchup a vegetable?
• Is mustard also included in this limitation?  What about salt and pepper?  
• Maybe entrepreneurial students will find ways to make money by starting up a black market ketchup business.

Random Political Thoughts

Some more quick thoughts about politics:

• There seems to be so much angst over whether Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.  I say, "Ask Israel."
• I do not think the matter of taking reference to God out of the Democrats indicates that the Democrats are godless.  However, it does indicate a shyness on their part to declare their belief in God.  I think that is sad.
• It seems that the official fact-checkers in the media need to have fact-checkers.
• My impression is that the Democrats look angrier than the Republicans.  The big question, though, will be which group will be more energized and gets to the polls in higher numbers.  Right now, I think the Republicans have the edge.
• One of the most audacious speeches was made by Harry Reid who accused the Republicans of obstructing the work of the Congress.  This is the same Harry Reid who has orchestrated over 1200 days of NOT passing a budget.
• I think the Democrats are making a mistake in going as far as they have on the issue of abortion.  They have changed a previous plank which described abortion as safe, legal, and rare into one which says abortion should be safe, legal, and tax-funded.  One poll I have seen indicates that only 25% of Americans want that.  There are plenty more that support abortion, but do not feel that American taxpayers ought to pay for it.
• I continue to ask myself why in the world Jewish voters would support the Democrat Party, especially with Barack Obama on their ticket.  It makes absolutely no sense when you see his actions and policies.
• Headlining Ted Kennedy and Bill Clinton is certainly interesting, especially since the Democrats are trying to portray the GOP as fighting a War on Women.
• I side with the folks who say that the decision to move the President's speech indoors is not just a decision made based on the weather.  I think they had real trouble filling the seats.  All along, they had been speaking in terms of "rain or shine" when discussing potential weather concerns.  I also think they were horrified by the possibility of the GOP making hay out of the "empty chair" meme.
• I know the Democrats are not about to mention Fast and Furious, but I would like the GOP to attempt to make that policy a part of the campaign conversation.

Labor Day Thoughts

   As we celebrate Labor Day, I choose to vent a little bit about labor and labor unions in America.

• Way too many people in the USA have left the labor market.  Some have been put in this position because of economic conditions.  Others just simply choose not to work.  These would rather let the government take care of them.
• Labor unions have way too much power.  There was at one time when these unions served a valuable purpose.  Now these unions have transitioned from organizations which basically serve the interests of their leadership and have developed into forces which attempt to exert their influence upon the government.
• Only 12% of the work force belong to labor unions.  The campaign contributions made possible by the dues of these workers go almost exclusively to the Democratic Party.  Many of those workers would rather have their funds go to support the Republicans or to no party at all but are powerless to do anything about it.
• The auto industry buyout can described as a buyout program more for the UAW than as a buyout of the companies.  Investors in those companies lost their money while the pensions of the workers were maintained.
• Delphi, a company which is important to the auto industry, was not part of the bailout because they were non-union.  Those workers lost their jobs and their pensions.
• It is sad that the party that now controls the Presidency is one that claims to be so supportive of the laborers in this country is really the party which is just feeding at the trough of the labor bosses.  We can see what this approach has done to our economy.  It is time for a change in leadership.