Joe Wilson and Acorn

Joe Wilson's outburst against President Obama was disrespectful at best and indefensible at worst. It is more evidence that the culture in our country continues its march to the coarse and base. Okay, I'm old-fashioned, but I feel that regardless of party affiliation, no one should approve Mr. wilson's behavior toward the President. However, his fit of pique delighted his supporters so much they sent him $1 million for his campaign fund. It's been said that the state he represents, South Carolina, is "too small to be a country and too big to be an insane asylum.(*)"

Former president Jimmy Carter has waded into this controversy shooting from the hip as usual. Nobody invited his comments but that didn't stop him. Apparently he was able to read Mr. Wilson's mind and found that Mr. Wilson's remark was inspired by racism. Wilson's son gives a much more favorable view of his father's attitude toward race.



But, thank you, Mr. Carter for pouring gasoline on the fire and giving the demagogues more ammunition. His statement also helps to perpetuate the myth that all white people and only white people are racists. I think Mr. Carter is still trying to somehow make up for his disasterous presidency. This is not the best way.



To his credit, Mr. Wilson apologized saying, in effect, that stress caused him to lose control of his emotions. Really? The only member of Congress under stress?





I'll admit I don't know if Mr. Obama's health plan bill is good. bad or somewhere in between. To really be knowledgable, one would have to read the entire massive document. With all the usual fraud associated with any government program, earmarks and other special interest considerations it contains, the bill might be found to not be about health care at all! It might just be about shoveling money out of the treasury willy nilly. That would be a good joke, wouldn't it?




I understand that ridding Medicare of fraud and waste is supposed to help pay for the new program. My questions are: Why has that not been done already? If the goverment has known all along that fraud and waste are in the program, why has that been allowed to continue?

What do you think?

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You may know by now that a man and a woman, pretending to be interested in establishing a brothel, went to the Brooklyn ACORN office for help. A hidden camera recorded the interview and revealed that the workers were more than happy to oblige. They took them thru the process and also advised the pretenders how they could avoid paying income taxes on their brothel business. Is this the first time supported ACORN workers have advised someone how to circumvent laws and avoid taxes? ACORN's president says this episode does not represent the org's activities and purpose and that the staff members involved have been terminated. She says Fox news was behind the scam for the Republican party. Does that imply that what the ACORN staff members did would be OK otherwise?

This is not the first or most notorious scandal involving ACORN. Go to "Scandals at ACORN" on the internet to see how your tax dollars are loosely handed out. There are too many incidents to list here. Nevertheless, they continue to operate with impunity. Could it be that it is to the advantage of one political party?

It's interesting to note that this organization, with offices around the nation, has recieved millions of taxpayer money. The White House spokesman said he "assumed" that how such monies were spent was monitored by the federal agencies that granted them. Baloney. This is pork barrel money. ACORN claims to work for the empowerment of the poor, for immigrants and low to medium income working families of blacks and Latinos. And they get out the vote. For whom, they don't say. But, it doesn't take a genius IQ to figure it out. One only has to see which members of Congress support and protect ACORN. Start with Barney Frank.

Of course, working for the benefit of the poor, etc., for their voting rights, decent housing and health care is a worthwhile cause. I certainly don't resent public monies being spent on helping the helpless and disenfranchised if it is done properly and honestly.


Jesus' deep concern for the poor is very clear in the scriptures and some might see his purposes as being aligned with such orgs as ACORN. However, before that truly happens, ACORN will have to adjust their methods, tactics and agenda to be at a much higher moral and spiritual level. Their current mottos seems to be "The end justifies the means." and "It's none of your business how we spend your money." They don't cut it.
The GOP is trying to cut off funding to ACORN.



Locally, the Christian Information and Service Center and other volunteer aid organizations are ministering to anyone in need regardless of race, creed or color and without government help, political bias or scandal.




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(*) Kathleen Parker's column

I re-read Lincoln's Gettysburg address recently. I freely admit my admiration for Mr. Lincoln and I often quote him. It is interesting that his address was only one of five delivered that day and was the shortest. He was not even the main speaker. That honor went to scholar Edward Everett, considered the greatest orator of his time. He delivered the longest speech. It lasted two hours.



The President's remarks received polite applause but very few in attendance or those who read an account later in the newspapers had the least idea his short, concise speech would one day be considered the masterpiece it is while the other four speeches would soon be forgotten. As for Lincoln, he thought his address had been a failure and lamented so to an aide.




Consider the last part of the address in light of today's events in our nation:


----"that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation , under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and the government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth."

Of, by, and for, the people. Hmm. I wonder what Mr. Lincoln would think of our government today? It's beginning to look more like government of, by, and for, the government.


Mr. Lincoln also had this to say: "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms it will be because we destroyed ourselves."





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From: Sun Tzu "Art of War"

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but do not know the enemy, for every victory you gain you will lose a battle."

"There is no instance of a country benefiting from prolonged warfare."

The day it was announced that the U.S. had invaded Iraq after 9/11, I said that it would prove to be a terrible mistake. I was put down as unpatriotic and out of touch with the realties of the dangers our country faced. I am no prophet but just from the history of Iraq with its hundreds of years of religious and tribal divisions, it should have been apparent to anyone that democracy and/or occupation by a foreign power were not going to be accepted. The Shiites and the Sunnis have been at odds ever since Muhammad died (about 632 AD) and will continue their division for hundreds of more years. The first rule of war is: Know your enemy. Apparently this sensible rule was either not considered or was brushed aside.


So far this gross error in judgment has cost 4327 American dead, 31,483 wounded, untold numbers of veterans returning home with psychological problems, families suffering from the loss of sons, daughters, husbands and wives and billions of dollars for which the public will never get a full accounting. Billions that could have been used at home and abroad for schools, food, infrastructure and hundreds of other worthwhile projects. Add the loss of stature for The U.S. around the world and the bill is staggering. That's some but not all on the debit side.

So, for the suffering and misery,waste and human loss what has been gained?


If you know of anything, please let me know. But, for my part, I can't see a single positive thing has been accomplished.


Afghanistan? More of the same. In addition, military power has been trumped by tenacity and terrain.

Again the first rule of war was ignored and so far the results prove it.

In 1919, after 3 Anglo-Afghan wars, Afghanistan won its independence from England. In one of those wars an entire British army group, except for one survivor, was slaughtered by the Afghans. Ask the Russians what it's like to fight in that country.

It may be politically naive of me to suggest it but I believe the U.S. should immediately withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan unless Mr. Obama can lay out in simple, honest terms exactly why it is absolutely necessary for our troops to remain. So far, in two administrations, we have been fed nothing but pap.



My security does not depend on wordly might. Zechariah 4:6: "Not by might, nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord Almighty."

This and That

A



When he was a child, a friend of mine attended a country church. He said whenever someone joined the church on profession of faith a member, a little old lady, would literally dance down the aisle. I wish I could have been there.


Jesus said, "There is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner which repents than in 99 just persons which need no repentance." The dear lady in the small church was reflecting the joy resounding in heaven. Joy in the Lord is not often expressed so exuberantly as in dancing but it is nothing new.


See 2Samuel 6:16, in part: "---Michal, Saul's daughter, watched from a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord---") Michal was filled with contempt for David, not because he was leaping and dancing but because she did not share his love of God.




Personally, I have no objection if church members hang from the rafters, run, leap, dance, shout or do hand springs, if their actions are truly motivated by joy in the Lord. That's a big if. How would I evaluate? Spiritual things are spiritually discerned.





I've been present at a many joyful worship services in various places. They take place every Sunday in our contemporary service. Others have been in prisons where I was sometimes privileged to speak. Another was in a barn with 50 or so other believers, singing in the Spirit. Some were during lay-led weekend programs; others were in homes, halls, churches, hotel ballrooms, stadiums, etc. and not limited to Sunday. The setting doesn't matter either. "Where two or three are gathered in My name there I am in the midst of them."



B


In 2007 a pastor was invited to speak to a group of war veterans in an east coast city. During his sermon he noticed a man standing in the back of the room, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. The attitude of his posture seemed to say, "Convince me if you think you can!"


After the service the pastor approached the man who said, "OK, preacher. You got me."


"What does that mean?" the pastor asked


"It means I'm tired of hating and I want Jesus in my life." Then the man said, "Hold out your hand."


The pastor did as he was requested and the man dropped a crudely-made bracelet in his hand. It appeared to be bits of ivory strung together. "What's this?"asked the pastor.


"Teeth," the man answered. "The teeth of men I killed in Vietnam. They killed my buddies and I killed them."


The Vietnam war had been over for nearly 40 years and for all that time this man had been carrying a burden of intense hatred. Now, under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, he was ready to surrender it to Jesus. He was finally convinced that there was only one cure for the corrosive effects of hate.




"Come to me all of you who labor and are carrying a heavy load of stuff and I'll give you rest."


Jesus is the garbage man. "Give me the garbage in your life in your life and I'll give you peace and rest for your soul."

P.S. From the sublime to the ridiculous:

In 1916, then President Howard Taft, et al, eased the income tax into law. Not to worry, soothed the Prez; the tax would be applied only to those who earned the stratospheric incomes of the Rich. At that, the tax would be only 1% for those earning $250,000 (sound familiar?) in today's dollars and topping out at 7% for the fortunate few making $6 million.

In 2006 there were 136 million tax returns. Out of that figure 43.4 million returns had no tax liability. Add to that 15 million households and individuals who did not file tax returns. None. Zip. Nada. So, 41%, or about 121 million, of U.S. citizens don't have to worry about taxes. That leaves 59% of us to pay the bills
This is not a rant against those who don't pay taxes. It's about the unreliability of government promises and leads to the question of how the programs proposed by Mr. Obama are going to be paid for. As resourceful as he may appear, he cannot repeal or override the laws of economics. His promise that there would be no new taxes is pure fairy dust.

One of these days our banker, China, may cash in all their chips (U.S. government bonds) and the American dollar will be worth less than toilet paper.

PPS I am indebted to Walter Williams column for the figures quoted above. He in turn credited a Washington firm: Tax Foundation

c

Sock It To Me

A church in a small town near here discovered a family that had one pair of socks for their three children. The children took turns wearing the socks to school. The church immediately remedied the situation with a plentiful supply of new socks and then began a program to insure that all school children in their town also have adequate socks.


This will not make the front page, nor should it. Jesus said, "When you do your good works, do not let your right hand know what your left hand is doing. Your Father, who sees in secret will reward you openly."


Like most of Jesus' teaching this is contrary to human nature. We want the acclaim of others. Even if we should do some good work in secret, don't we secretly hope we will be found out? But Jesus knew that our pride in being recognized by our fellows cannot begin to compare to the joy of God's reward. Man's recognition brings ego inflation but like some drugs the effects are short-lived whereas God's commendation brings lasting and satisfying joy.

If you have plenty of socks, give thanks to God. And be reminded that there are those of our brothers and sisters who lack most of the things we take for granted. In our community more than 75% of children are on the school lunch plan. For some this is the only decent daily meal they get.

Isn't there something askew in the scheme of things? Hundreds of billions of tax payer dollars have been used to bail out the financial industry while also allowing a small segment of our population to continue to enjoy their lavish life style. In the meantime, children are going hungry and families are going without the basic necessities. I know: I know. The bail-out was necessary to keep the economy from going into the tank. It was necessary even if all of the money can't be accounted for due to lax oversight, waste, fraud and corruption.

The poor are trundled out onstage when they serve a political purpose and quickly abandoned
until the next time they can be useful. Unfortunately we cannot depend on government 'one size fits all' programs to completely solve the poverty situation, no matter how well intended. It's not a matter of cynicism to point out that Congress and bureaucrats are disconnected from the street-level realities of life.

So; what? Do I just moan and complain? Do I only point out the obvious difficulties, go on about my business and tell the poor to suck it up and do the best they can? Not if I claim to be a follower of Christ. His concern for the poor is obvious in what he said and in his ministry to them. I believe Jesus has called on us to live modestly and to share out of what has been given to us.

Think about it when you pull your socks on in the morning.

84 and Still Learning

Another birthday has rolled around and I am now 84. If you would like to know how it feels to be old----you'll have to ask some one else. Of course I realize I'm not 18 anymore. I don't pretend to be nor would I like to be. If I were, I wouldn't make the same mistakes but I'm sure I'd make all new ones. Once around is enough.


I am not in denial about my age, I just don't concentrate on it. I take the days as they come and decide what is ,and is not, important. We all have just so much energy and it shouldn't be wasted on things like anger and regrets, envy and worry. All of these are useful to Satan to mess up our lives. Jesus spoke about how we can overcome these negative emotions and reactions by completely relying on Him.

Anger consumes huge amounts of energy and adversely affects our health. There are few things in life worth our anger. There is a difference between anger and irritation. I aadmit there are people whose habits grate on my nerves. I try not to be one of them. But when I am with a person who I find irritating I try to remember how irritating I must be to God because of my many faults. It makes it much easier to abide the other person's company.
When confronted with the temptation of becoming angry, think: Is this worth what it is going to cost me in terms of my health? Will I escalate danger to myself or others? Will I alienate some person or group?

Actually, these and myriad other questions should already have been answered long before situations arise so we only have to ask ourselves, "Is it worth it?" The answer is usually a resounding NO. Yes, Jesus got angry on ocassion but study the situations and see what brought on his righteous anger

The aftermath of anger is mostly taken up with regrets about our actions. Regrets are useful only if we learn from them, repent of our mistakes and then move on. If we set up camp among regrets we will find they are distasteful companions and it will turn out to be a miserable existence. Unfortunately, too many hold onto and mourn over regrets for a lifetime

Worry is a killer. It kills joy, wastes time and inhibits positive production in our lives. Worry conjures up worst case scenarios. The more we worry the worse become the scenarios until it seems screenwriters for Hokeywood horror films must worry a lot. When I am tempted to worry, I think, "Is there something I can do to remedy this situation right now?" If the answer is Yes, I do what needs to be done. If the answer is No, I put it out of my mind. If it later turns out to be something I can still do nothing about, I give it to God. If someone tells me they are worrying about something I ask, "If it helps, please tell me." It never has because worrying has never changed any situation.

Our first defense is faith in Christ; faith that says, "No matter what happens, Christ will be with us." We put our faith in action with prayer. Very useful is a positive attitude which includes a sense of humor. It keeps us from taking ourselves too seriously.

Although Christ has laid out all of this in his Word, it has taken me many years to realize its practicality and to absorb what I've written above. I would like to say I've followed and enjoyed the benefits of these principles 100%. I have not because of my own faults (stupidity). However, I can say when I have followed these principles I find they work 100% of the time and usually in unexpected ways.

Try them for a day and really put them in practice. Then a few more days. Then a week, then: always. Don't wait til you're 84, although that's not too late to start.

Futurama

One of the current rumors circulating about the Health Care Bill centers around a supposed provision of so-called "death panels," made up of medical and (maybe) ethical experts who would decide if a person who they deem too old, ill or injured should continue to receive health services. Such a provision does not exist.

Among aborgines this practice, in some form, has existed for centuries as practical and necessary. When members of a tribe could no longer provide for themselves they were sent off into the jungle, desert or into the frozen wasteland to die. There was simply no back-up plan.
Will we someday come full circle?

In my opinion our country is still 25 to 50 years away from from government-paid voluntary euthanasia followed in a few years by mandatory euthanasia. It may happen sooner. Far-fetched?
In countries like England, Canada, Sweden, etc. where some health care is rationed, people die waiting for the treatment they need. It's not called euthanasia but the effect is the same.

The U.S. has a chronic shortage of general practice doctors and nurses. Med school grads are opting for high-paying specialties. Those who do enter GP shun rural areas for monetary reasons. In order to get more GPs in rural areas the govt. will have to supplement their income.

We have before us a health bill put together by a sausage-making Congress, the AMA, pharma companies, medical equipt. manufacturers, unions and who knows who else, none of whom wants their ox to be gored. A bill was introduced that would would have required all members of the House to sign a statement that they had read the entire health bill. Are you surprised to learn that this bill was soundly defeated ?

Another bill would have required all members of Congress to sign up for their health insurance under the new health bill. Again, soundly defeated. Not good enough for Congress but O.K. for Mr. And Mrs. Tax Payer! Is this not the epitome of arrogance and disregard for their constituents?

I correctly predicted the implosion of the Republicans in the last election. I'm not ready to count the Democrats out but they are hell-bent on the same path. They seem to have no regard for the people they are sworn to represent. They have their agenda and bygod nobody is going to change it. This is not the "change" the electorate so passionately yearned for.

Are you listening, Mr. President?

Be Prepared

Long ago I read of a land where the inhabitants made pancakes so thin they only had one side. That's skinny. It would be like a picture of a pancake projected on a cloud with the appearance of a pancake but without the substance. When a strong wind came along it would be revealed for what it is.


So it is with life. To some degree, all of us are hiding behind a facade. Maybe, when things are going well, we project an image of strength; of "having it all together." Regardless of our image, crises will ultimately reveal who we really are. What has been, or will be, our reaction to bad news; to emergency situations; to temptation; to our doctor's determination that our death is imminent? Will our relationship to Christ prove to be real? Will the "peace that passes understanding" well up or will panic and dispair overwhelm us? Can we say with Paul,"To live is Christ; to die is gain" and mean it?

If we knew that a violent storm was headed toward us and certain to strike us there is little doubt that we would prepare to withstand it. It would be foolish to say,"I'm too busy now. I'll deal with it later." We shall all certainly face spiritual storms. There is no escape. Doesn't it make sense to prepare ourselves spiritually now instead of when the storm is at our doorstep?