Blog of Revelation

2010-02-06T12:14:00.004-06:00

O'Donnell, Timothy J.60, son of the
late Edward and Laleeta O'Donnell
died on February 1, 2010
at his home in St. Louis, MO.
Best friend and loving husband of
Hallie O'Donnell; loving father of
Michelle (Frank) Mancuso, Bridget
(Tim) Olson, Maghen (Greg) Ellingson
and Amy O'Donnell; dear grandfather
of Sean, Brooklyn, Justin and Keaghen;
brother of Kevin O'Donnell; best friend of
Pushkin and Sadie (dogs), Moose and
Jose (ferrets), Big Daddy and Jippy (turtles)
and Jake the bird.

No Justice, No Peace

2009-12-28T04:00:00.003-06:00

This post was picked up from a wonderful Pakistani blog, Wake-up Call For Truth Seekers. It is a well-written blog giving much insight on the world from a Pakistani viewpoint. I am adding it to my blogroll, and would urge everyone to visit and check it out.

What You Didn't Know About The War

Without justice, there will never be peace. It is long past time that the American people end this carnage and hold the ones responsible to account.

Praying For Peace,
Brother Tim

The Graveyard of Empires

2009-12-11T06:00:00.011-06:00

Why we will never win in Afghanistan.........

Is because our macho-hegemonic definition of 'victory' is, the other side surrenders and lays down their weapons. Well, guess what...... it ain't gonna happen. We base our definition on the archaic idea of war, armies versus armies. They say Afghanistan is another Viet Nam. They couldn't be farther from the truth. Although one can point out subtle comparisons, Afghanistan is a completely different situation.

Insurgents are not a country's military, they are it's citizenry. We call them insurgents and terrorists, but if this were to happen on our soil, we would be calling them patriots and freedom fighters.

As much as some Afghans may hate the Taliban, they hate the invaders even more. They understand why we're there. To take control of their land for the pipeline, to steal their natural resources, and to set up a military outpost in the region. They offered to sell it to us, but we thought the price was too high; so we pulled out our guns and tried to take it from them. A bad miscalculation on our part. We should have paid more attention to the lessons of history; the Afghans surely have. As barren and God-forsaken as that region is, it is a strategic piece of real estate. It has been for thousands of years, and it's people have grown accustomed to fighting off invading forces. We have let our arrogance and greed override our common sense and the facts history has provided to us. Sooner or later, the invaders will grow weary (or broke) and go home. The Taliban isn't going home. The Taliban IS home.

"I will fight my brothers and cousins, but I will stand beside them to fight off the infidels" ~ Old Muslim saying

The only 'victory' to be had, will be to declare victory (even though we know it to be untrue) and leave. Every last man. Leaving in place, military trainers and advisers will still be viewed as an occupation. If we try to hold on and stay, the Afghan children born today will be fighting us in 15 or 20 years.

While it's true that our casualty rate is much lower than Viet Nam, due to technical advances in weaponry, body armour, and equipment; our severe injury rate (lost limbs, lifetime head injuries, and PTSD, etc) has gone through the roof.

These technological advances also tend to hamper our fighting abilities as much as aid them. Our foot soldiers are burdened down with 100 lb backpacks filled with all the latest goodies, GPSs, Night vision equipment, radio gear, etc, etc. Toting around a 100 lb knapsack will wear down the best of men. And we wonder why we can't defeat a bunch of lice-infested men, living in caves, wearing only robes and sandals, carrying 25-30 year old Kalashnikovs. Good Lord, won't anybody speak truth to power?

Over the past several months, I have immersed myself into the study of the region, almost to the point of obsession. What I have discovered, validates everything I have said thus far. The only ones who even came close to conquering these people were Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan (the most ferocious warrior in history) when he led the Mongols. And even their 'victories' were not sustainable.

This is the region where Empires go to die. The following list is not complete by any means; and the dates sometimes overlap due to takeovers and two empires biting off of different sides of the poison apple at the same time. I left out numerous smaller invaders, since they were not considered empires. Although I'm not taking the time to give links, one can google any of them and come up with a wealth of information.

Starting with the latest-------

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) ~ 1979-1989
British Empire ~ 1837-1919
Mughal Empire ~ 1525-1709
Timurid Empire ~ 1370-1506
Il-Khanate ~ 1245-1332
Mongol Empire ~ 1221-1245
Khwarezmid Empire ~ 1215-1221
Delhi Sultanate ~ 1206-1221
Ghurid Empire ~ 1186-1202
Ghaznavid Empire ~ 970-1186
Abbasid Caliphate ~ 750-970
Umayyad Empire of Arabia ~637-750
Tang Dynasty of China ~ 620-637
Hepthalite Kingdom ~ 400-580
Sassanian Empire ~ 224-561
Kushan Empire ~ 135-240
Kingdom of the Western Satraps ~ 20-405
Indo-Scythian Kingdom ~ BC 140-AD20
Greco-Bactrain Kingdom ~ BC250-BC48
Mauryan Empire ~ BC305-BC232
Seleucid Empire ~ BC323-BC250
Empire of Alexander the Great ~ BC328-BC323
Achaemenid Empire ~ BC550-BC328

Looking at this list, I ask you: What degree of arrogance does it take to think that we can fare better?

Will some blogger of the future compile a similar list, with the Empire of the United States at the top? Only time will tell, but I wouldn't bet against it.

What say Y'all?

Disaster Awaits,
Brother Tim

The Ugly Truth

2009-12-10T02:50:00.006-06:00

I have jumped off the Hope Express.

"Where the ^@*# did Brother Tim go?"

I would rather walk barefoot through snow, than to ride another mile on this impending train wreck we call the Obama Presidency.

America, as we have known and loved her, is stricken with the terminal cancers of arrogance and avarice. That is why prudent, thinking people must prepare for the arrangements. America is on it's deathbed. The government that is supposed to protect and defend our founding documents; our sovereignty; and the citizenry, has fallen into default, and I am not referring only to fiscal matters. Morality, compassion, and justice, have become 'dirty words'; and the majority of the populace, to differing degrees, have bought into it 'hook, line, and sinker'. And what a sinker they've swallowed.

America, the land mass, will survive of course, and people will still inhabit it; but the ones left living under subjugation will have little recollection of the system under which their ancestors thrived.

Obama campaigned on promises of transparency, accountability, and equality. He has sorely disappointed. Lies come in many forms. There are lies of omission; lies by word parsing; lies by implication; bald-faced lies; et al. The bottom line is this: A lie, is a lie, is a lie, is a lie. It can be a Buick; Cadillac; Lexus; Ford; or a Volkswagen, but it's still an automobile.

I grow weary and jaded listening to all the progressives and liberals constantly making excuses for his ineptitude and nefarious behavior. "Give him a chance", "He's been in office for less than a year", "The Republicans are trying to make him fail". Well, Booooooo-hoooooo! Is everyone drinking the Kool-Aid now??? They tried to make FDR fail too. But Obama is no FDR. Obama is a black Harold Hill.

To those not familiar with Meredith Willson's, The Music Man, Harold Hill (Robert Preston) was a con man that sold the residents of River City, Iowa, band instruments based on learning them using the 'think system'. "Just think the Minuet in G, and you'll be able to play it. La de da de da de da de da, la de da, la de da.....". It doesn't work like that in real life, folks. The Emperor's naked, regardless of how regal he says his goals are. As my grandpappy was fond of saying, "Actions speak louder than words, Sonny".

You're probably wondering what set me off on this tirade. It was this enema-bag.

Or maybe more accurately put, the ones controlling the rectal nozzle, none other than the Obama Administration.

From the San Francisco Chronicle...

White House Wants Suit Against Yoo Dismissed

San Francisco ~ The Obama Administration has asked an Appeals Court to dismiss a law suit accusing former Bush Administration attorney John Yoo of authorizing the torture of a terrorism suspect, saying federal law does not allow damage claims against lawyers who advise the President on national security issues.

Such lawsuits ask courts to second-guess presidential decisions and pose "the risk of deterring full and frank advice regarding the military's detention and treatment of those determined to be enemies during an armed conflict," Justice Department lawyers said Thursday in arguments to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

It makes you want to ask that three-word question that starts with, 'What the ....?'

Let's put this in plain ole layman's terms, so everyone can understand.

A President wants to do something illegal, like a war crime such as torture for example. He has a lawyer write a memo stating that it's legal. The President can't be touched, because he's got a memo from his attorney saying it is legal. The attorney can't be touched, because he's advising the President. And no one down the chain of command, including those who did the actual torture can be touched, because there is a memo that says it's all legal. To every tin-pot, third-world, banana-republic dictator: "Eat your hearts out!". We executed people after WWII for doing exactly those same things. It was established (with our insistence) at Nuremberg, that 'just following orders' is NO defense for war crimes. Talk about double-standards.

Obama, the one who promised transparency, accountability, justice, and equality, has now turned his back on the Americans who put their trust in him. Worse yet, is he has instilled in a good majority of Americans, something similar to battered spouse syndrome. He bitch-slaps them around, spits in their faces, takes their checks, lies and cheats on them with a smile; and they say, "But we LOVE him".

Yes, people DO get the government they deserve.

"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss"
~Pete Townsend

When the sh*t finally hits the fan, and we're all cleaning each other up, we can take solace by saying, "Those nasty Republicans caused it". [end snark]

Sounding the Trumpet,
Brother Tim

Moose Tracks

2009-12-07T05:00:00.004-06:00

Tracking the news that others won't.

Lifesyles of the Rich and Famous

The following is a transcript of an interview with my cousin, Roscoe, who is a house guest of Tiger and Elin Woods. Roscoe was in the house when the fiasco started.

Now, an eyewitness account of what happened before the car-crash debacle.

Moose -- Hey, Roscoe! When I got that e-mail saying you were 'staying at the woods', I thought you meant, like, 'the forest'. The last I heard, you were up in Maine.

Roscoe -- Hahahahahahaha...... Moose, you're a riot! No, I meant I was staying at Tiger and Elin Woods' house. I had to leave Maine in a hurry. The old Injun I was staying with got really ticked off when I swapped off one of Brother Tim's large cans of Premium Spam for a Cornish Game Hen that the old Injun called, 'his turkey'. I'm sure once he tastes that Spam, he'll cool down and be giving me a call. Hahahaha!

Moose -- So, tell me, Roscoe, were you there when this fiasco started?

Roscoe -- I awoke around 2 AM to a lot of commotion. At first, I thought al Qaeda had pulled off another terrorist attack. As I rolled outta the nest, I thought I heard a sailor on shore leave cursing at a crying, sniveling little schoolgirl; when I poked my head around the corner, I discovered it was just Elin hollering at Tiger, saying something about text messages and cell phones.

Moose -- Anything else?

Roscoe -- Yeah, she said, "So that's your idea of going 'clubbing', huh? Sleeping with the Hostess and Cocktail Waitresses?"

Moose -- And then.....?

Roscoe -- And then she said, "I'll show you what 'clubbing' means to me." As she pulled out the Wedge from his golf bag, she hollered, "It's tee-off time, Mister!"

Moose -- Did that shock you?

Roscoe -- 'Surprised' would be a better word, as I've never seen anyone tee off with a Wedge before. Then all Hell broke loose.

Moose -- How many times did she hit him?

Roscoe -- Just once, that I saw, but once was enough. He ran out the door barefoot and bloody, and jumped into his Escalade, with her in hot pursuit, screaming she wanted to take a Mulligan.

Moose -- Then what?

Roscoe -- All I heard was the peeling of rubber and the sounds of breaking glass. About 20 seconds later, I heard the crash. I was still in the house, raiding the fridge; all the excitement made me hungry.

Moose -- Well, the media is certainly playing this up.

Roscoe -- You really need to give Tiger a break here. The thing most people don't realize is, the fire hydrants here in Florida are about ten feet tall, and built like Sherman Tanks. They have a propensity for jumping out in front of Cadillac Escalades, especially in gated communities. The wealthy are used to that; Tiger was just momentarily distracted. Under the circumstances, it's quite understandable.

Moose -- Do you think the marriage is over?

Roscoe -- Naw...... This kinda stuff happens to professional golfers all the time. It's like a sand trap on the links of marriage. I guess that's why Elin used the Wedge to tee off on him. The next morning, everything was hunky-dory. They were all lovey-dovey to each other. I took a photo as they were headed out to the Army Surplus Store, to buy an up-armoured Humvee to replace the Escalade with.

Moose -- Did you give them any of your sage advice?

Roscoe -- I told Tiger he needs to stay out of the 19th hole, and have his caddy do his ball-washing.

Moose -- And for Elin.......?

Roscoe -- I advised her to try shifting her weight to her left leg on the follow-through.

Moose -- Well, thanks for your insight, Roscoe.

Roscoe -- Anytime, Cuz, stay in touch. If ya talk to the old Injun, tell him he got the best end of the deal, that Cornish Game Hen wasn't all that good.

She Didn't Even Yell 'Fore',
The Moose

Try This For Thanksgiving

2009-11-22T16:32:00.008-06:00

The best turkey recipe ever!

Try this recipe, and see if you don't get the most compliments you've ever gotten.

Thanksgiving Turkey

Ingredients:
1 Large lemon, cut into halves (the larger, the better)
Olive oil
Seasonings of your choice

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Rub olive oil on skin of turkey until well-coated.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and other seasonings you prefer.
Take a sharp knife and gently separate the skin from the breast meat.
Slide lemon halves under the skin, peel side up, one on each side. This way the juice from the lemons will release into the breast.
Cover and bake for 45 minutes.
Remove cover and continue to roast until juices run clear, basting every 20 minutes.

If you've followed these steps correctly, your turkey should look like the one below.

Bon Appetit!

I'm Still A Leg-man,
Brother Tim

Don't Stand In Front of the Fan

2009-11-02T07:04:00.003-06:00

I have a feeling this is gonna get ugly.

Just in from the WaPo....

Afghan Election Commission Declares Karzai Winner

KABUL -- Afghan election officials canceled a presidential runoff scheduled for Saturday and declared President Hamid Karzai reelected on Monday, a day after Karzai's top challenger declared he would not take part in a second round of voting because of a persistent risk of fraud.

"The Independent Election Commission declares the esteemed Hamid Karzai as the president . . . because he was the winner of the first round and the only candidate in the second round," commission's chairman Azizullah Lodin told a news conference.

[...]

Lodin said the seven-member commission had decided by consensus to cancel the runoff and declare Karzai the winner of a second five-year term after consulting legal experts.

Peppered with questions about how the commission reached its conclusion, Lodin said, "It's like a wrestling match. If one wrestler refuses to wrestle, the referee raises the hand of the other and declares him the winner."

A national election is 'like a wresting match'? .......that's sure to win the hearts and minds of Americans at least.

Well, once again the 'esteemed Hamid Karzai' has stuck a knife in Obama's back. Let's see how he deals with this gem.

I Saw It Comin',
Brother Tim

Another One Bites The Dust

2009-11-01T12:22:00.007-06:00

.......and it's doubtful there'll be another.

Since this was our first Halloween here at The Compound, we really didn't know what to expect. But our expectations were high as we made our preparations. Since our house sits a good ways back from the road, we decided to 'set up shop' outside the front gate by the road.

We made our preparations early, and at about 5:30 I went out to start a fire. I guess I've always had a tad of pyromania in me. There is a certain sense of calm satisfaction in burning something up. Whether it be in a fireplace, a bonfire, a campfire, or even in an old washtub, it brings a feeling of peace and serenity to me. So, I grabbed an old washtub that had outlived it's intended purpose in life, and helped it on it's journey into it's next phase of existence......... a Firetub! Since primitive times, man has always had a fascination with fire, and I proudly carry on with the tradition. The man who can build and maintain a nice fire, will always survive, just as in the primitive times. A man who controls fire is a valuable asset to his fellow-man. In the early days, you could not cook or stay warm without a good fire.

After spending the better part of an hour getting the fire 'just right' (these things take time), I set us up and called for Miss Hallie, the keeper of the candy.

She came out and we sat there all pleased with ourselves, drinking coffee (note the Thermos next to the table) and having conversation while we waited..... and waited..... and waited. Then two little ones showed up, and we serviced their 'loot bags', and waited some more. Twenty minutes later a lone gobblin came by, and we waited some more. Finally two more straggled by, and then it was 'business as usual'. I believe we ate more candy than we gave out. The five that did show up however, made off like bandits, as Miss Hallie was using both hands to scoop up a mound of treats for each one.

At 8:00, everything became eerily quiet and dark in the neighborhood. It was over. The bright side though, was we enjoyed ourselves. Time always passes so quickly when you're in the presence of good company!

So, I drug the Firetub inside the gate, and stood for a time, appreciating the beauty of the dying embers. I made up my mind, there and then, that I would NOT do this again. And then again, who knows? We did manage to spread joy to five little Trick-or-Treaters. We also had a good time sharing each other's company around a roaring redneck city-campfire.

Fired Up,
Brother Tim

Whistling In The Graveyard

2009-10-31T06:00:00.006-05:00

Or hiking the ole Appalachian Trail
........South Carolina has something for everyone.

The South Carolina Tourist Commission must be simply overjoyed. It's the state that just keeps on giving. The stories are getting curiouser and curiouser. This story comes from The State, South Carolina's largest newspaper.

State official Roland Corning out of a job after incident

Columbia S.C. -- An assistant state attorney general was stopped in his car by a Columbia police officer Monday on suspicion of illegal activity, identified himself as an employee of the attorney general's office, and was not charged with a crime.

Roland Corning, an assistant attorney general, was pulled over by officer Michael D. Wines at 3:15 p.m. Monday, according to a Columbia Police Department report.

Wines is married to Megan Wines, who also works in the attorney general's office. Wines called his wife during the incident to verify Corning's identity.

Megan Wines then reported the incident to Deputy Attorney General John McIntosh, who relayed the information to Attorney General Henry McMaster, according to Trey Walker, spokesman for McMaster's office.

Less than two hours later, Corning was no longer employed with McMaster's office, Walker said Tuesday.

Wines wrote in his report that two people were in the car - Corning and an unnamed 18-year-old female, an "employee of Platinum Plus Gentlemen's Club."

Earlier, Wines had witnessed the Ford Explorer that Corning was driving pull into a secluded portion of Elmwood Cemetery that Wines had "received past complaints in ref. to illegal activity, i.e. sex acts and drug abuse," Wines wrote in the report.

[...]

Wines then interviewed Corning and the woman, and said they gave "conflicting statements as to why they were at the location, and to their relationship." Because of that, Wines wrote, he asked Corning some more questions, which is when Corning identified himself as an attorney and showed Wines his "state attorney general's badge."

"At that point I asked if there was anything illegal in the vehicle, which he stated no and gave consent to search," Wines wrote.

The search revealed a sex enhancement drug and some sex toys. According to the report, Corning told Wines he had a prescription for the medication and the other items were always in the car "just in case."

[...]

Corning is an assistant deputy attorney general and deputy securities commissioner with the S.C. Attorney General's Office.

He is a former state lawmaker from northeast Richland County and has been active in the state's Republican Party.

I thought things were strange when I lived in Louisiana and Florida, but South Carolina takes the cake, hands down.

A few questions that cross my mind are: Why would a police officer, in the midst of an investigation, phone his wife for verification? And why was no arrest made?

The police report was obtained by the Associated Press on a FOIA request. If you read the second page of the report, you will see that the 'sex enhancement drug' was Viagra, and the 'sex toys' were two vibrating penis rings. Corning stated he keeps them in his car 'just in case'.

I would venture to say that everyone in South Carolina keeps an Emergency Kit in their car. Let's see:

Spare Tire --- Check
Jack --- Check
Road Flares --- Check
Viagra --- Check
2 Vibrating Penis Rings (1 for back-up) --- Check

I wonder if he had the forethought to stock extra batteries?

Cum Visit South Carolina,
Brother Tim

American as Baseball and Apple Pie

2009-10-29T05:00:00.005-05:00

Well, Apple Pie at least.

With the World Series just beginning, I thought it apropos to write about this. This is not something new, but it is something I find few people are actually aware of.

Those hand-stitched, cowhide spheres used in the Great American Pastime, like most everything else nowadays, are not even made in the good ole U.S.A.. The company that is exclusively licensed since 1977 to supply all Major League, Minor League, and NCAA baseballs is Rawlings Sporting Goods. The company was founded here in St Louis, Missouri by brothers, George and Alfred Rawlings in 1887. The company now does business under the name Rawlings of Costa Rica, S.A., and manufactures all of it's baseballs, as well as apparel and other equipment, in Turrialba, Costa Rica.

Workers inspecting baseballs at the Rawlings plant.

I should have titled this piece 'American as Third-World Slave Labor and Apple Pie'. The wages and working conditions are horrid to say the least.

The approximately 600 workers at the baseball factory in Turrialba are either sewers, who stitch the cowhide covers onto the baseball’s sphere, or they are assemblers and winders who are responsible for assembling the core’s parts, made of two kinds of rubber and cork, and the winding of the ball’s four different grades of yarn. Those who stitch are required to complete 108 stitches into the cowhide leather of each ball by hand.

Each sewer must complete one ball every 15 minutes. They are required to reach a minimum quota of 156 balls a week in a factory without air conditioning, in temperatures exceeding 90°, requiring permission to use bathrooms, and denying speaking between workers on the factory floor. The hours that workers put in average 11 per day and they must always reserve their Saturdays for the factory in the event an “emergency order” comes through. If not available on Saturday, they are terminated.

They work piecemeal for about .30/ball. Rawlings' total manufacturing and shipping cost is about .88/ball, and they sell them at retail for $14.95.

In 2005, the average salary for a Major League Baseball player was $2,632,655, according to Baseball Almanac. The workers at the plant earn about $2,750 per year, about a penny/hr above the local minimum wage.

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, when interviewed at the 2006 All Star Game, stated that, “I really believe this is the Golden Era of baseball.” Many have scratched their heads since that remark but he followed up to say, “Do you know we will have $5.2 billion in revenue this year? I feel good about where we are." It is quite clear about what he means by the Golden Era. Sadly, however, some of that gold has come at the cost of others’ basic rights and human decency.

It doesn't take an economist to see what's wrong with THAT picture.

On top of that, in 2005, the United States government entered into the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), allowing for further tax breaks for U.S. corporations doing business in Central America and without providing for genuine policing of unfair labor practices in offshore U.S. manufacturing.

Rawlings was awarded a 54,000-square-foot free-trade zone by Costa Rica. It pays no taxes. It imports, duty-free the makings of millions of baseballs — cores from the Muscle Shoals Rubber Company in Batesville, Miss.; yarn from D&T Spinning in Ludlow, Vt.; and cowhide from Tennessee Tanning in Tullahoma, Tenn.

The company manufactures 2.2 million balls per year, with MLB accounting for 1.8 million of them.

Warny Goméz, 33, worked for four years at Rawlings, put himself through college and became a primary school teacher. "People here have no choice but to work there," he said. "There are almost no other jobs."

"There's tremendous pressure to produce," he added. "The balls have to be exactly alike, totally perfect, and for this work people are paid $50 or $60 a week. A machine can't make them — it has to be done by hand. But they demand the precision and speed of a machine."

Dr. Carlos Guerrero, who worked at the Rawlings plant as a company doctor in 1998, and at the national health insurance clinic in Turrialba from 1991 to 1997, said a third of Rawlings workers developed carpal tunnel syndrome in those years. (The syndrome, which causes pain and numbness in the hands, is common among assembly-line workers, typists and computer operators worldwide.) He said perhaps 90 percent of Rawlings workers experienced pain from their exacting work, from minor cuts to disabling aches.

I can't help but think, that there is a special place in Hell reserved for those that would abuse their fellow-man to such a degree.

So, with this in mind, enjoy the World Series ................. if you can.

Play Ball,
Brother Tim

The United States of Amnesia

2009-10-27T08:19:00.001-05:00

More random thoughts from the ole rabbit hole.

Americans are, by and large, stricken with invincible ignorance. We refuse to acknowledge mistakes, and fight tooth and nail to perpetuate the status quo.

This applies to virtually every aspect of our sorry state of affairs. We've learned absolutely nothing from past wars of aggression for profit. We are all to quick to eat up the propaganda that is spoon-fed to us about our 'National Security Interests'. We are like little school kids, peeing our pants, every time we hear the word 'terrorist'. We have bought 'hook, line, and sinker', the mantra of 'We must fight them there to avoid fighting them here'. The sad reality is, we have lost more lives in two un-Godly, immoral, illegal wars of aggression, than the 'terrorists' could have accomplished in decades. Why are we obsessed with doing their work for them? Have the death merchants of the Military/Industrial Complex, along with their political lackeys we call our 'Representatives', not plundered and pillaged enough of our resources?

The same can be said about Health Care, Big Insurance, and the Pharmaceutical Industries. Why are we stuck on stupid when it comes to changing the status quo? Are the invincibly ignorant happy with what is being done to this nation? Why is it we are afraid to stand up for our rights? Why do we continue to coddle the elite corporatists? Are we living in fear that they may may decide to cut off our 'crumb supply'? I, for one, would rather suffer starvation, than live off the crumbs given me for a meager existence. My purpose in life, is not to make sure that the already obscenely wealthy are well taken care of. I live by the words of the New Testament, and THAT is not in there.

We provide trillions of dollars to the banking and corporate industries because they are too big to fail, yet fail to regulate or reign in the practices that caused the need for the bail-outs to begin with. Apparently, 'too big to fail' grants them license for 'too big to change'.

We are duped into believing that we live in a Democratic Republic. Bwahahahahahaha. We live in an Oligarchy, Aristocracy, or Plutocracy. There is not a whole lot of difference between them, identify it as you see fit.

We soothe ourselves with illusions like, 'Home of the free and the brave'. We are a nation of sissies, cowering with fear at the mere mention of the word 'terrorist', which has led us to give up our liberties and freedoms in the name of 'safety'. We would do good to remember the words of Benjamin Franklin: Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

We refuse to fight fair, like real men, in hand-to-hand combat. Ever wonder why? Instead, we like to reign death and destruction from 30,000 feet, or hundreds of miles away with cruise missiles and unmanned drones; caring little about the innocents, many woman and children, whom we slush off as 'collateral damage'. Yet, at the same time, decry and denounce the other side's use of IEDs and suicide bombers. The reason for this is glaringly apparent, but never mentioned. We call them cowards, when in fact, we are just projecting our own lack of courage and commitment. We like to laud our service personnel as 'heroes', putting their lives on the line. When one is involved with going into another country and killing innocent people, they are far from heroic; they are murderers. 'Just following orders' is no excuse. Where are these people's souls?

We like to proclaim ourselves a 'Nation of Christians', but the truth of the matter is, we are a nation of sadists, heathens, barbarians, and atheists. Those who insist on calling themselves Christian and perpetrating these atrocities will have one rude awakening come Judgement Day.

What say y'all?

Praying For Justice,
Brother Tim

Moose Tracks

2009-10-19T05:30:00.017-05:00

Tracking the news that others won't.

President Comes Clean On Moon Bombing

Washington D.C. ~ President Barack Obama, at a press conference on the South Lawn, Friday, gave clarity to the latest NASA mission.

"I had planned this briefing for the Rose Garden last Friday", he started, "But I was awoke early in the morning with news that I had won the Nobel Peace Prize. As you can surely understand, I felt uneasy making this announcement along with the Nobel thingy."

"The official NASA story of trying to find oil and water, and determining if the moon is really made of cheese, was, for security reasons, a cover story. This was a national security matter propagated by religious zealots"

Pausing to draw a deep breath, and wiping his brow with a kerchief clutched in his left hand, he continued, "I'm here to do some testifying today."

"Americans have been led by satan to believe that the Muslims are their biggest threat. Can I get an Amen on that? But I know Islam, and I'm here to tell you, Muslims are NOT our biggest threat. Ya wanna know who we should be fearing? Ya wanna know who would destroy everything America stands for? Well, I'll tell ya who ..............................the Moonies!"

"We've gathered intelligence from the U.K., France, the Vatican, and other sources in the Solar System, that the Moonies are an imminent threat. So, for the sake of national security interests, I used the AUMF, enacted on September 18, 2001, to preemptively 'shoot for the moon'".

The Blog of Revelation contacted National Security Advisor, Gen James L Jones, for comment. Referring to the President's 'solar system' remark, we asked, "Does that mean some of the intelligence came from Uranus?"

He laconically replied, "Affirmative".

When pressed further, he expounded, "I know this might smell a little bad to some people, but this is some serious sh*t. We're not just shooting moons like a bunch of boozed-up frat boys."

Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama), members of the Senate Lunatic Intelligence Committee, issued a joint statement.

"We have reliable intelligence that the Moonies are manufacturing WMDs (Wicked Moon Drugs), and have a viable program for Moon Dust Enrichment, which will power a TMZ (Tidal Modification Zapper). They could literally wreak havoc on our planet. Our intelligence indicates they could have enough enriched moon dust to power three zappers within a year. Time was of an essence. For once, we stand behind the President 100%. The Republicans got this started by ridding the airports of them, and now the President, a Democrat, has courageously and valiantly carried the ball forward."

"This is a win-win-win situation. It hits all the bases; the War on Terror; the War on Drugs; and most importantly, the War on Sanity."

"We have bombed the snot out of just about every country on Earth, it is time to expand our horizons on a more Galactic plane. Our Crater-buster bomb had pin-point accuracy, and burrowed deep into the moon's South Pole to completely destroy their enrichment facilities. Let this be a warning to the Martians and Venusians, and anyone else out there, that this is OUR universe."

Michelle Bachmann (R-Minnesota), who is head of the House Kool-Aid Caucus, told reporters, "I'm sure gonna miss those Moon Pies, even though they went straight to my thighs."

Not to be outdone, Vice Presidential hopeful, Sarah 'Mooselini' Palin opined on The View, "I can see the Moon from my front porch."

In other news: John Boehner (R-Ohio) was trapped for 12 hrs in his tanning bed.

Keepin' Track,
The Moose

Random Thoughts from the Rabbit Hole

2009-10-08T05:35:00.008-05:00

One of my favorite books, is Lewis Carrol's, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It is chock-full of life's truisms and philosophies. There are several quotes I like, but I will use just three. The first two are:

"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?"
~Alice

"It would be so nice if something made sense for a change."
~Alice

Although they seem at first to be contradictory, a closer look manifests the harmony.

I read about current affairs, both domestic and global, from literally dozens of sources daily. Everything from the economy to health care to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to our destruction of the environment we live in and depend on. I try to bring forth the truth of what I see to be happening.

I find myself, at times, to feel like I'm in a no-win situation. Signing petitions; letter writing; e-mails; phone calls; blogging; and even voting, has an almost zero effect. Call it what you will, fascism; police state; oligarchy; faux aristocracy; plutocracy; whatever. One thing it's not, is a democratic republic; not anymore, if it ever truly was one.

Being the old hippie I am, I thought I'd let y'all listen to Grace Slick while you finish reading this.

Now, an explanation for my absence in the blogosphere this past week. I was feeling somewhat burnt out, and didn't fully realize it until good friend, Betmo, got me interested in a couple of games on Facebook. Two farm games and a cyber cafe game

I found extreme relaxation playing with these. I would equate the strategies required, as being similar to a computer chess game. It is interesting to see the personal tastes of other players, as they go about setting up and managing their farms and cafes.

I also took care of many neglected chores. I groomed the pack (except for Miss Hallie) and took them to the Vet for their annuals (shots, check-ups, etc). I always like to have them smelling and looking good when they visit the Doc.

I also bought lumber and built some much-needed shelving for the basement. We need a lot of shelving. It's the curse of a pack rat, trying to store and organize a lifetime's of collections and future projects. Some of these projects I've hauled all over the country for the last 35 years or so. Although I do try and reduce the inventory, it seems that the 'in dept' always overwhelms the 'out dept'.

Changing my normal fanaticism for current events to a minimal amount of time has been a balm for my spirit. I apologize for being slack on making my rounds, but have found this time to be a blessing. I will come back, hopefully stronger than I was when I left. I will, however, be aware that I am powerless to change the status quo. It's no fun to watch human suffering and think, 'I told you so'.

It boggles my mind how our elected representatives in Congress, and the rest of government, can be so callous to the needs of the populace. They harp on the sanctity of life, yet refuse to address the suffering and deaths of tens of thousands of their fellow citizens. They are addicted to war, any war, killing hundreds of thousands more. Can this, by any stretch of the imagination, be a moral and upright way to live? How can these people look at themselves in the mirror every morning? How much is a human life worth to them? I guess the mathematical formula would be: Lobbying and Campaign Contributions + Corporate Profits divided by the number of deaths = the worth of a human life. I have never seen a statistical compilation, but I would venture to suggest it is next to nothing.

Oh, and that third quote:

"Oh, how I wish I could shut up like a telescope! I think I could, if I only knew how to begin."
~Alice

Chasin' Rabbits,
Brother Tim

Update-- Musical credit: White Rabbit (1967), Jefferson Airplane. But y'all knew that, huh?

We Just Don't Know When To Stop

2009-09-29T13:01:00.009-05:00

Will we ever, ever, ever learn?

"Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead"
~David Glasgow Farragut

As we supposedly try to bring peace to the world (haha), we have this escalation.

From the Telegraph.....

Asif Ali Zardari was given an ultimatum by America Photo: EPA

US threatens to escalate operations inside Pakistan

By Ben Farmer in Kabul and Javed Siddiq in Islamabad
Published: 5:42PM BST 27 Sep 2009

Washington has long been frustrated at Islamabad's reluctance to target the Afghan Taliban's ruling council, the Quetta Shura, which is accused of directing large parts of the insurgency across the border in Afghanistan.

State department and intelligence officials delivered the ultimatum to Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan's president, last week as he visited the US for the United Nations' security council sessions and the G20 economic summit.

[...]

An official at the Pakistani interior ministry told the Daily Telegraph: "The Americans said we have been raising this issue with you time and again. These elements are attacking Nato forces in southern Afghanistan, especially in Helmand. The Americans said 'If you don't take action, we will.'"

Rehman Malik, Pakistan's interior minister, said the US had so far been unable to provide detailed intelligence to target the Quetta Shura. He said: "We need real-time intelligence. The Americans have never told us any location."

US unmanned drone strikes have so far been confined to Pakistan's federally administrated tribal border regions where Islamabad holds little sway. But attacks in or around Quetta, in Baluchistan, would strike deep into the Pakistan government's territory and are likely to cause a huge outcry in the country.

Playing video games with remote-controlled drones armed with hell-fire missiles is sure to endear us to the Pakistani people. How else can we get rid of all those pesky wedding parties.

Now along with escalating the war in Afghanistan, we plan on expanding it to include Pakistan as well. When will the hegemonic insanity stop?

Praying For Peace,
Brother Tim

The Iranian Situation

2009-09-28T06:00:00.012-05:00

Put yourself in their givehs.

Persian Givehs worn by Iranians

Iran, and by extension, most of the world, now finds itself in a most precarious situation. If this situation is not brought into check quickly, it could well lead to disaster for everyone involved. It is indeed a possibly horrifying scenario with no pleasant outcome. It's a sad and unnecessary equation.

American hegemonic hubris + Iranian defiance = Mexican standoff

The new American mantra of, "My way, or you die way", must be changed. All the blathering propaganda of, "The world community will be with us this time", is just that; blathering propaganda. Sadly, it all boils down to two things. 1) We want to control the world (except for Israel) and 2) We want to protect Israel. We are wrong on both counts. I find it ludicrous, absurd, and down-right farcical, that we keep insisting that Israel is our friend and ally. Israel doesn't give a rat's ass about what we think, or there would be a Palestinian State and an end to their planned genocide of the Palestinian people. We should bear in mind, that Israel is NOT our 51st State, and should be treated accordingly. Israel is now 60 years old and should be forced to take care of itself. Maybe if that responsibility were to be laid on them, they would learn to start playing civilly with others.

As it is, the Americans are engaging in chest-pounding, only to have the Iranians nose-thumbing in response. How, and when, will this come to resolution? I will offer some food for thought, with some statistics and a graphic.

As I have said many times, "I don't know if Iran has a nuclear weapons plan or not. But I DO know this: They'd be fools if they didn't". Take a good look at the map. They are surrounded by nuclear-armed states. Pakistan; India; Israel; the United States (Iraq/Afghanistan); China; and Russia. In addition to that, the U.S. Military footprint covers just about the entire area, including, but not limited to, Uzbekistan; Turkmenistan; Kyrgyzstan; Oman; Saudi Arabia; et al. How should Iran feel? How would we feel if the Chinese were to establish bases in Canada; Mexico; and Central American nations?

Next, I would like to address Iran's size and population. Again, look at the map. Iraq has 167,618 sq mi, with a population of just over 28 million. Afghanistan has 249,347 sq mi, with a population of almost 32 million. Iran has 636,374 sq mi, with a population of around 72 million. This shows that Iran is 50% larger than both Iraq and Afghanistan combined, with about 12 million more in population. Since we are doing such a fabulous job in those two theaters, what do you suppose the outcome will be should we go off half-cocked, and attack Iran? Can you spell D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R?

Our Treasury has been pillaged while we live off of credit, and our Military is on the verge of depletion, what will we do? Will we abandon Iraq and Afghanistan? Will we re-institute the draft? Will we re-visit WWII rationing of gas, food, metals, etc, etc?

Then we have those mythical allies of Russia and China. As they see our military footprint growing closer and closer to their borders, how logical would it be for them to assist us?

Also thrown into the stew, is the fact that China imports 15 to 20% of it's crude oil from Iran. Who would replace that?

And understand that Iran is also a huge customer of both Russian and Chinese arms sales.

It's time for American bravado to cease. It's time for America to view the situation as the rest of the world sees it. It's another no-win situation for us.

It's time to practise tough-love and cut Israel loose, lest we all go down together.

It's Time For Justice,
Brother Tim

I Am The Voice

2009-09-26T00:15:00.003-05:00

......of one crying in the wilderness.
~John 1:23a

I can truly empathize with John the Baptist. I too, feel like the lone voice trying to bear witness to the truth.

I read scores of articles and news reports daily. When they are concerning Iran, there is one common thread: Macho Hubris. There are virtually no rational voices in the United States. With the latest news of Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities, all I've heard, non-stop, is sabre-rattling, chest pounding, and the renewed beating of the war drums.

President Obama has now threatened Iran with military force. It was not an overt threat, by any means, but a threat nonetheless. He said, in effect, his 'preferred way was diplomacy, but military force would not be taken 'off the table'. It is up to Iran to make the next move. They will either comply with what we want or .........................' .

This is an almost verbatim recitation of what Geo W Bush said to Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Basically, what he is asking them to do, is the same thing Bush demanded from Iraq: Prove a negative. And just as with Iraq, nothing Iran says, or does, will convince him otherwise.

He makes grandiose claims of 'intelligence gathering' from the U.S., Britain, and France. Remember, these are the same intelligence sources that swore on a stack of Bibles that Saddam had WMDs and imminent plans and capabilities for using them against us. We all know how that turned out.

The Congress has been complaining for months that we can't afford $900 billion for Health Care Reform in this country. Watch how fast they will be ready to cough up $1 trillion or more to attack Iran. We haven't even clawed our way out of the Iraq/Afghanistan hole we've dug for ourselves.

We're hearing the chicken-hawks heralding the good news that Russia and China will be with us. Don't believe it.

We have deceived ourselves into believing that we, and our 'allies', have the only intelligence gathering capabilities on the planet. We've heard how Russia was 'surprised' and 'upset' with this latest disclosure on Iran. Don't believe that either. Both Russia and China have very good intelligence gathering abilities. They are fully aware of what Iran is doing. In fact, they probably know more about Iran than we do. China has remained curiously silent on this. What does THAT tell you?

America has a knee-jerk personality with a need for instant gratification. We seem to be oblivious to the fact that Iranians and Russians are Masters at the game of chess. They have patience and think many moves in advance, something our checker-playing mentality can't seem to comprehend.

I don't know if Iran has nuclear weapons ambitions or not; but I do know this: They'd be damn fools if they didn't. Their biggest enemy, and threat, is Zionist Israel, which HAS nuclear weapons. They are surrounded by nuclear-armed States. India; Pakistan; U.S. (Iraq/Afghanistan); Israel; Russia; and China. How would you like to be the only one in your neighborhood without a gun?

Rather than bullying and coercion, we would do better at realizing WHY Iran would want nuclear weapons, and solving the problem from that perspective. Double-standards simply do not work. Put yourselves in the Iranian's sandals. THEY signed the NPT, while Israel; Pakistan; and India refused, and continue to refuse, signing on. Yet the U.S. not only allowed THEM to arm, but actually helped them (one of many Articles of the NPT we have breached). The irony is, Iran received much of it's uranium enrichment knowledge from Pakistan. Had we stopped Pakistan in it's tracks, it would have set Iran back decades. Had we stopped Israel, in all probability, Iran would not be so hell-bent on arming themselves.

Nuclear weapons are deterrent weapons. Notice how we no longer sabre-rattle and threaten North Korea. THAT is the sole reason America is against Iran being nuclear armed; we could no longer threaten and bully them. Iranians are human beings, just like all the rest of us. The Iranians are a highly intelligent people. They will not commit suicide and have their people and country laid to waste by using a pre-emptive nuclear strike on another. Iran has not attacked, nor invaded, any country in modern history; and it would be my guess, that they would not do so in the future.

My advice to America: Stop with all the arrogant hubris and bravado. Live and let live.

My advice to Iran: Be careful. You're dealing with some greedy folks who are only interested in your natural resources.

~~Cross-posted at Stop the Second Holocaust.~~

Give Peace a Chance,
Brother Tim

Moose Tracks

2009-09-25T06:00:00.010-05:00

Tracking the stories that are much too hot for the American MSM.

Glenn Beck: "It's all over, but the crying"

The Latest Setbacks for Fox News and Glenn Beck

New York - That snowball, known as, 'advertisers jumping ship', is now as big as the State of Alaska. In a phone interview to Rupert Murdoch, with much wailing and moaning in the background, Murdoch angerly growled, "Aaaaaarrrrrrgggghhhh, I'll get rid of Beck when hell freezes over, aaaaarrrrrrggghhhh". Well, with the size of that snowball, that time may be soon approaching.

As of this morning, several more advertisers have pulled their ads, bringing the total to around 70. The latest 'jumpers' include the American Nazi Party, the Ku Klux Klan, and Pedophiles for Sexual Equality; all of which stated their reason as, 'Beck is too damaging to our image'.

KKK Imperial Wizard, Bubba White told the Blog of Revelation, "We have revoked his membership and have demanded that he return his sheet to us. Real men, especially in a fine organization such as ours, don't cry like titty-babies".

A spokesperson for the American Nazi Party said, "Beck's continual comparisons of Obama to Hitler give a bad name to the Fueher, and his interchanging of the terms 'Socialist' and 'Fascist' show his ignorance. We cannot tolerate this any longer. We have withdrawn his membership card, and denounce any further affiliation with him".

Also on the list of bailed-out sponsors, is the American Psychiatric Association, which issued a press release stating, "It is counter-productive to our organization to advertise on a show that proves the study of psychiatric medicine is a sham".

Can Glenn 'Lonesome Rhodes' Beck survive the onslaught? Too bad he's not as charismatic as Andy Griffith.

In other news, the National Pest Management Association, Inc has announced a revolutionary discovery, that having Fox News tuned on your TV, actually increases vermin infestation. Home is where the heart is.

No Bugs Here,
The Moose

Us or Them in Afghanistan?

2009-09-23T00:20:00.005-05:00

Don't bet your last shekel on either one.

"Look there, friend Sancho Panza, where thirty or more monstrous giants rise up, all of whom I mean to engage in battle and slay, and with whose spoils we shall begin to make our fortunes."
~from "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes

We keep hearing about this phantom Afghan Army that supposedly numbers 90,000, yet no one has actually seen it.

TomDispatch has a riveting article by the ever articulate Ann Jones. It's an eye-opening account by someone who is 'on the ground' over there. Do yourselves the favor of reading the whole article.

Meet the Afghan Army

Is It a Figment of Washington's Imagination?
By Ann Jones

The big Afghanistan debate in Washington is not over whether more troops are needed, but just who they should be: Americans or Afghans -- Us or Them. Having just spent time in Afghanistan seeing how things stand, I wouldn't bet on Them.

Frankly, I wouldn't bet on Us either. In eight years, American troops have worn out their welcome. Their very presence now incites opposition, but that's another story. It's Them -- the Afghans -- I want to talk about.

Afghans are Afghans. They have their own history, their own culture, their own habitual ways of thinking and behaving, all complicated by a modern experience of decades of war, displacement, abject poverty, and incessant meddling by foreign governments near and far -- of which the United States has been the most powerful and persistent. Afghans do not think or act like Americans. Yet Americans in power refuse to grasp that inconvenient point.

[...]

Their American trainers spoke of "upper body strength deficiency" and prescribed pushups because their trainees buckle under the backpacks filled with 50 pounds of equipment and ammo they are expected to carry. All this material must seem absurd to men whose fathers and brothers, wearing only the old cotton shirts and baggy pants of everyday life and carrying battered Russian Kalashnikov rifles, defeated the Red Army two decades ago. American trainers marvel that, freed from heavy equipment and uniforms, Afghan soldiers can run through the mountains all day -- as the Taliban guerrillas in fact do with great effect -- but the U.S. military is determined to train them for another style of war.

[...]

American military planners and policymakers already proceed as if, with sufficient training, Afghans can be transformed into scale-model, wind up American Marines. That is not going to happen. Not now. Not ever. No matter how many of our leaders concur that it must happen -- and ever faster.

It's really not that long of an article; please take the time to read it. It explains, quite simply, how we are emulating Don Quixote, tilting at windmills.

Chasing The Wind,
Brother Tim

PTSD

2009-09-22T05:45:00.008-05:00

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

This is probably the most glaring oxymoron since the words, Senate Intelligence Committee, were combined. It is just another exercise in psycho-babble. It should be called out for exactly what it is: State Induced Trauma. I will spell it out in large, bold, blood-red letters.

Anyone who is forced to witness, or ordered to commit, such heinous atrocities, and WERE NOT traumatized, would have a disorder.

This is the product and aftermath of mental and emotional abuse. This abuse was perpetrated by those that fomented illegal, unnecessary, immoral, un-Godly, wars of aggression based upon lies, including the military officers who made and carried out the orders for the atrocities. The chain extends from the lowly Lieutenants, up through the Generals, all the way to the military and civilian overseers in the Pentagon; and yes, ending with the Commander-in-Chief, the President of the United States of America.

The cowardly fomenters, who lacked the courage themselves to fight on the battlefield, played on the rawest, and the most obscene, of all human emotions: Vengeance. However, vengeance had little to do with their agenda; it was pure avarice, a greed so powerful, it overtook all common human decency.

They played the citizens and their leadership like a cheap fiddle, and the resultant music has been horrendous. Worse yet, is it has produced a deaf ear on compassion, honesty, and righteousness. It has wounded our national soul, possibly mortally.

The vengeance was stoked by calls such as, 'We'll make them pay' and 'They hate us for our freedoms' and 'The Islamists want to kill us all'. They couldn't reveal the true game plan: 'We want their natural resources; and be able to establish military bases in the region, so as to have an innate capacity to control or steal their neighbor's resources as well'. Americans, by and large, would not have stood still for that. Hence, the lying manipulations. We were duped and played like 'Marks' at a Carnival. But responsibility also lays with those that were duped, yet to this day, refuse to admit that they were beguiled and betrayed by their fellow-citizens and leadership. Many simply refuse to acknowledge the fact that their leadership could be so nefarious, evil, and black-hearted.

I'm reminded of a line Harold Hill said to Mr Dunlap in The Music Man. "Either you are closing your eyes to a situation you do not wish to acknowledge, or you are not aware of the calibre of disaster.......".

September 11, 2001 brought the perfect scenario for the money-grubbing power elite to open the Gates of Hell. We suffered losses of around 3,000 people, three aircraft, and the Twin Towers. "Vengeance.", they screamed, "We need to take vengeance. We shall get even, and Justice will prevail."

Well since that tragic day, eight years ago, we have lost over 6,000 additional American lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have suffered almost 50,000 severe, life-long injuries such as traumatic head injuries and loss of limbs. The Rand Corporation estimates there are over 300,000 cases of PTSD already, while a recent study by Stanford University estimates the number will eventually top 700,000. Others have estimated the number at over 1 million.

Add to that, over one trillion dollars of borrowed cash spent. Excuse me for being a slow-thinker, but it seems like, rather than 'getting even', we are going deeper in the hole. With that much financial outlay, we could have purchased a fleet of commercial aircraft, and built an Octo Towers. More importantly, we would still have over 6,000 Fathers; Husbands; Sons and Daughters; Brothers and Sisters alive, and almost 50,000 healthy and whole fellow Americans in our society.

The irony is, while we will have close to a million people grappling with their inner selves in this SIT (State Induced Trauma), the real victims are the ones we wrought havoc on. We don't hear of studies about Iraqis, Afghans, or Pakistanis suffering from PTSD. Ever wonder why?

They are not plagued with the internal spiritual battle of 'right vs wrong'. They were invaded, and are only defending their soil from the infidel invaders. Their Scriptures give them both solace and justification. There are literally dozens of Verses in the Qur'an such as this one:

God does not prohibit you, regarding those who do not fight you or drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them. Indeed, God loves those who are just.
~Surah al-Mumtahinah 60:8

History does not refer to Afghanistan as 'The Graveyard of Empires' without due cause. Time is of the essence. We must cut our losses, repent (turn 180 degrees), and withdraw ALL of our people. Troops; Advisers; Logistics; et al.

To put it on a level closer to home; if you are fighting with your family, the last thing you need or want, is a foreign third party joining the fray. You, or your Brothers, may accept the weapons and money the stranger gives; but when sufficient strength is obtained, you will again join forces with your family to eliminate the intruder. We are already seeing evidence of this from Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and others. WE are the infidels, and eventually the Muslim 'Brothers' will re-unite.

Our arrogance, once again, has us acting counter to our own self-interests.

Bring 'Em Home Now,
Brother Tim

The Solution

2009-09-20T07:42:00.004-05:00

To Friday's Re-Gifting Puzzle.

I must admit, that Friday's Post had me going for about 20 minutes. I get these different puzzles and mind-benders in my in-box on a regular basis. Normally, I can see through them and solve them in short order. This one however, had me stumped for awhile.

The solution (once figured out) is really pretty simple.

The directions state: First, pick any 2 digit number. (example: 25)
Next, subtract both the first and second digits from your number. (example: 25 -2 -5 = 18)

Any number picked between 10 and 99 will always result in only one of 9 different numbers: 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, 54, 63, 72, or 81. When you go to the next screen (numbers and gifts), you will notice that the preceding 9 numbers all have the same gift assigned to them. Each time you play the game, the gifts on the numbers/gifts screen change, i.e., box of chocolates, bath salts, neck tie, etc, etc., but the 9 numbers mentioned will always be assigned the same gift.

At first, it seems really amazing, but in fact is very simple.

It was a good mental exercise though, and I tip my hat to the person who thought it up.

Now, if I could only solve the Health Care riddle.

The Power of Cognition,
Brother Tim

"You Lie"

2009-09-19T03:36:00.007-05:00

Well, it looks like we finally found out really caused Joe Wilson's outburst.

For those that missed it, SNL has the scoop.

Cross-posted at And, yes, I DO Take It Personally

So Help Me God,
Brother Tim

Only The Good Friday

2009-09-18T05:00:00.003-05:00

..............And a good one it is.

Betmo, at Life's Journey, got me started on this meme. It was first started by Shelly, at This Eclectic Life. You can hit this link to get the info and links to all the sites that participate. It does a body (and mind) good to free oneself from the harshness of reality, if even for only a few minutes at a time.

We all get those 'puzzles and mind-benders' in our inboxes on an almost daily basis. Some are easy to figure out, and some, not so easy. The following is, to me, one of the most amazing I have ever seen. I consider myself to be an 'above average' thinker with a very high cognitive intelligence level, but this one really has me stumped. Click on 'The Thinker' picture below, and see if you can figure out how it's done. If you figure it out, please, please, let me know. I did this exercise in my head, without even moving the cursor near the chosen number. It was NEVER wrong.

C'mon, click da pic, and see what you think.

The Thinker

by Auguste Rodin

I hope everyone has a most enjoyable Friday!

UPDATE ------- I figured it out! Now, instead of feeling smart, I feel stupid. But I must say, it was a good mental exercise.

I'm Still Thinkin',
Brother Tim

Moose Tracks

2009-09-16T00:22:00.009-05:00

Tracking the stories that are much too hot for the American MSM.

Hi! My name is Moose, Brother Tim's new sidekick. I finally talked the ole boy into giving me contributor access to the blog.

I'm a Progressive Social Liberal with Fiscal Conservative leanings. I detest doling out money to Bankers and Corporations via Bail-outs, and the feeding of the Military/Industrial Complex with no-bid contracts for wars of aggression; but would not bat an eye at emptying the Treasury for the sake of the poor and down-trodden. I have been kicking around the idea of forming a new political party, and calling it, The American Altruists. This new AA could implement a 12 step program of it's own, to cure America of it's fascination and endearment of Greed.

As my lead-in says, I will concentrate on the stories that the Mainstream Media are afraid, or refuse, to cover.

I broke this story a few days ago, and I believe that's why Bro gave me access. Or he saw me reading Blogger about starting my own blog.

Marijuana Soon To Be Legalized

Washington - Lawmakers in the Capitol have put Health Care, the Environment, and all other legislation on hold since the latest copy of the AMA's Journal of Medicine came out.

The peer-reviewed and peer-tested paper titled, 'Marijuana: The Cure For Erectile Dysfunction', co-authored by Doctors Woody Cox and I. M. Virile, has the lawmakers in both houses of Congress scrambling to draft legislation. The study, conducted on 878,673 patients, showed erectile dysfunction was cured in 99.2% of the cases, with the remaining .08% having 'soft data', whatever that means.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) told my sources, "This is the most important piece of legislation since the Constitution was drafted, maybe even since the Magna Carta".

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca) was at first hesitant, saying, "I think this would put too much of a burden on the young people in the Congressional Page Program", but after seeing it put 'on the table', gave her whole-hearted ~~endowment~~ endorsement.

Rep Barney Frank (D-Ma), in a floor speech, said, "I can get behind this, and will push hard, and if necessary, ram it through".

There seems to be little opposition however.

Rep David Vitter (R-La) said, "We would be hard-pressed not to pass such useful legislation. It will be a Bipartisan Bill, even though most of us Republicans don't need it".

On the Senate side, Sen Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca), addressing the chamber, blushingly said, "Finally, a bill that benefits me. I'll be in the cloak room, fellas, if anyone wants to discuss this further". At the time of this writing, she still has had no takers, but then, the legislation hasn't been passed yet.

Caught leaving his hotel after researching the subject himself, Presidential hopeful, Sen John McCain (R-Az) exclaimed, "As you can see from Cindy's smile, it's all true! It's definitely got my vote".

Sen John Ensign (R-Nev), the ranking Republican on the Bills Under Development Committee, issued this statement:

"The Bill we brought out of the BUD Committee has three historic facets. 1) It was passed unanimously. 2) It took a total of four minutes to draft and pass, and, 3) It is the shortest piece of Legislation ever written, six words, 'Marijuana is legal in all forms'.

Majority Leader Harry Reid announced, "Under a seldom used Parliamentary Procedure, we will hold a 'joint conference' with the House to vote on this. I see little opposition, except from the lobbyists for Pfizer and Lily, which are the manufacturers of Viagra and Cialis. I believe the advantages far outweigh the loss in campaign contributions. Besides, as I've told my colleagues, 'The Cartels have deep pockets, and I'm certain they will have some lobbyists of their own to help make up for the lost campaign revenue'. We may be heading back to the days of the 'smoke-filled' backroom deals. This is a good thing".

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave her approval, and lamented, "If Bill would have only inhaled, Chelsea would not be an only child".

It even has widespread gubernatorial backing.

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford noted, "A dime bag is a helluva lot cheaper than a trip to Buenos Aires. No more hiking the ole Appalachian Trail for me".

Texas Governor Rick Perry was quick to call a press conference. "I formally, and unequivocally, withdraw all my Secessionist Bullsh*t. I love America. My God, what a country!"

And California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said, "This will be very goood for Cowlifornia, as it is already our #1 cash crop. We will finally be able to get out of the red, and finally go all green".

************************************

In other news, Warren Buffet invests $38.6 Billion on latex futures, stiffening the market.

America, Coming Together,
The Moose

Another Misconception

2009-09-10T04:00:00.008-05:00

Afghanistan might be the final nail in our coffin, but it will be Pakistan that buries us.

The myth the U.S. Government has fabricated, and the American MSM has parroted, is that Pakistan is our friend and ally in the so-called 'War on Terror'. We hear all sorts of feel-good stories about how the Pakistani government and the Pakistani people are killing and routing out the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The facts on the ground however, tell a much different story.

Anti-Americanism rises in Pakistan over U.S. motives

By Saeed Shah -- McClatchy Newspapers

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — For weeks now, the Pakistani media have portrayed America, its military and defense contractors in the darkest of lights, all part of an apparent campaign of anti-American vilification that is sweeping the country and, according to some, is putting American lives at risk.

Pakistanis are reacting to what many here see as an "imperial" American presence, echoing Iraq and Afghanistan, with Washington dictating to the Pakistani military and the government. Polls show that Pakistanis regard the U.S., formally a close ally and the country's biggest donor, as a hostile power.

U.S. officials have either denied the allegations or moved to blunt the criticism, but suspicions remain and relations between the two countries are getting more strained.

The lively Pakistani media has been filled with stories of under-cover American agents operating in the country, tales of a huge contingent of U.S. Marines planned to be stationed at the embassy, and reports of Blackwater private security personnel running amuck. Armed Americans have supposedly harassed and terrified residents and police officers in Islamabad and Peshawar, according to local press reports.

Much of the hysteria was based on a near $1 billion plan, revealed by McClatchy in May and confirmed by U.S. officials, to massively increase the size of the American embassy in Islamabad, which brought home to Pakistanis that the United States plans an extensive and long-term presence in the country.

The U.S. Ambassador in Pakistan, honing her skills as a stand up comic, had this to say:

"I think this recent brouhaha over the embassy expansion has been difficult to beat back," said Anne Patterson, the U.S. ambassador, in an interview Thursday. "I can't really understand what's behind this because what we're doing is actually quite straightforward. We've tried to explain it carefully to the press, but it just seems to be taken over by conspiracy theories."

[...]

Pakistani press and bloggers also targeted Craig Davis, an American aid worker, insisting that he's an undercover secret agent. Davis, a contractor to the USAID development arm of the government, is based in the volatile northwestern city of Peshawar, and now appears to be at risk. Last year, another American USAID contractor in Peshawar, Stephen Vance, was gunned down just outside his home.

"In one or two cases these commentators have identified very specific embassy employees as CIA or Blackwater, and that very much puts the employee at danger. In at least one case we're going to have to evacuate the employee," said Patterson, without identifying the individual involved. "What particularly scared us about him is that Stephen Vance, who was the other AID Chief of Party in Peshawar, was of course assassinated a few months ago. So there is a track record here that's sort of alarming."

In recent days, shows on two popular private television channels, Geo and Dunya, which broadcast in the local Urdu language, put up pictures of homes in Islamabad which they claimed were occupied by CIA, FBI, or employees of the controversial Blackwater company of private security contractors, now called Xe Services. Some of the houses were identified with their full address. It is believed that several of the homes weren't occupied by Americans but others were. According to the U.S embassy, bloggers are now calling on people to "kill" the occupants of these houses.

A survey last month for international broadcaster al Jazeera by Gallup Pakistan found that 59 percent of Pakistanis felt the greatest threat to the country was the United States. A separate survey in August by the Pew Research Center, an independent pollster based in Washington, recorded that 64 percent of the Pakistani public regards the U.S. "as an enemy" and only 9 percent believe it to be a partner.

And the good ole water-carrying MSM McClatchy has to throw out the C-Bomb, as used by Patterson........ Conspiracy!

A widely believed conspiracy contends that America is deliberately destabilizing Pakistan, to bring down a "strong Muslim country", and ultimately seize its nuclear weapons. Pakistanis, especially its military establishment, also are distrustful of U.S. motives in Afghanistan, seeing it as part of a strategy for regional domination. Further Pakistanis are appalled that the regime of Hamid Karzai in Kabul is close to archenemy India.

[...]

Many also blame the U.S. for "imposing" a president on the country, Zardari, who is deeply disliked and who last year succeeded an unpopular U.S.-backed military dictator. So democrats resent American interference in Pakistani politics, while conservatives distrust American aims in Afghanistan.

"You used to find this anti-Americanism among supporters of religious groups and Right-wing groups," said Ahmed Quraishi, a newspaper
columnist and the leading anti-American blogger. "But over the past two to three years, young, educated Pakistanis, people you'd normally expect to be pro-American modernists, and middle class people, are increasingly inclined to anti-Americanism. That's the new phenomenon."

The 'Official' reason we're there, is to eliminate terrorism; but most rational people understand the real reason is to secure a military presence in the region to facilitate the corporate stealing of their natural resources.

The indigenous people however, see it as a crusade against Islam.

This is the reason we are doomed to failure. Pakistan is 97% Muslim, and Afghanistan is 99% Muslim.

The main difference between Christians and Muslims (you never hear about this) is that Muslims are far more faithful to the tenets of their religion. In Islam, the Qur'an teaches that religion is central to government. We have developed the myopic view that Christianity=Good and Islam=Evil. We have decided that Sharia Law is bad, the Taliban practise Sharia Law, so the Taliban have got to be destroyed. Never mind that out of the 99% Muslim Afghans, 80 to 85% are Sunni Muslims. In Pakistan's 97% Muslim population, 75% are Sunni.

We seem to be oblivious to the fact that although the Afghans and Pakistanis may be comprised of several different groups of people, they are all bonded by the roots of Islam. Another misconception is that Americans are the smartest people on earth; they know the best way to do everything, and peoples from the Mid-East and Central Asia are still Stone Age educated. These people are dumb as foxes. They will take us for everything they can. When push comes to shove, they will not be used as pawns for the Imperialistic American Government to wipe out Islam.

And you can take that to the bank.

We're All Children Of God,
Brother Tim

Bank of America

2009-09-07T22:50:00.005-05:00

"We don't want to let go of any of that bail-out cash."

Bank of America demands thumb print from armless man.

Everytime I think I've seen it all...............................
Apparently, you can't get cash from Bank of America if you're unarmed.

Is There No Sanity?,
Brother Tim

My Question

2009-09-04T05:30:00.006-05:00

Is it possible to educate, or maybe better put, re-educate, people into not supporting things that go against their own interests?

I find these types of people (some very close to me) are, at the core, very self-centered. They have let themselves be deluded into believing that the insurance companies, health care industries, and both of the political parties who reside deep in those pockets, as being some sort of philanthropic organizations that only desire what's best for them. Those at the top have perpetrated the myth that 'in America, you can be anything you want to be' and 'work hard and you too can become wealthy'. That myth has persevered for generations, and prevails to this current date. The sad truth is, only 1/10th of 1% will ever make it. The ones at the top are extremely picky about who is allowed to 'join the club'.

Talking to these people for more than 5 minutes will always reveal their selfishness. They're afraid someone is going to get something for free; or get something that they're not getting. They label all societal aid as socialism, not really fully comprehending exactly what socialism is. They have bought into the propaganda that socialism is to be avoided like the plague.

I hear things like, 'I was smart enough to get a good job that had health insurance benefits' or 'It's not my fault they took a job with no benefits' or 'Why should my tax dollars go to give others health care?'.

I've met people making $20K/yr that support tax breaks for the rich. Why? Because they hold to the myth that maybe, just maybe, they too will someday make $250K/yr or more, and they want the tax breaks to be in place. And others are so simple-minded as to believe their $18K/yr burger-flipping job will be taxed higher, not understanding that their taxes will probably go down.

They scream "Socialism" at every opportunity; yet when you mention socialistic things like fire and police protection, roads and bridges, parks for their children to play in, Medicare and Social Security, they deem those things to be 'inalienable rights'.

More often than not, their wake-up call comes when they are hit with a catastrophic illness or accident that requires prolonged hospitalization, and they find that those philanthropic insurance and health care organizations they adored, either refuse the claim, or at best, raise premiums, raise deductibles and co-pays, and assess out-of-pocket expenses for being 'out of network'. They are then faced with making the decision of either losing everything they have for treatment, or dying untreated so they can leave something for their children. With their selfishness though, the latter is rarely done.

I have never once heard of anyone who wanted to give up their government-run Medicare. Why would anyone be against Medicare for all?

If the health insurance industry were to be eliminated, or at least forced to compete with Medicare (they could still make a profit, believe me), it would either raise real wages, or lower the cost of living. What is wrong with that?

As I have preached many times, "When all prosper, society progresses; when only a few reap the profits, society regresses".

We ARE Our Brother's Keeper,
Brother Tim

God Save The Bookies

2009-08-22T05:00:00.003-05:00

Q: What's the difference between Bookmakers and Insurance Companies?

A: When Bookmakers lose a bet, they pay off.

People who 'buy' insurance will tell you that they are protecting themselves from a financial disaster. Maybe we should call it 'Protection' instead of 'Insurance'.

In reality, when you purchase insurance, you are 'betting' that something bad will happen to you. The Insurance Companies are 'betting' that it won't. This applies to ALL types of insurance, Life; Auto; Homeowners; Accident; and yes, even Health insurance.

The Insurance Companies get to hold all the 'bets'. Each month you are required to wage another 'bet'. If you miss making your 'bet', all previous 'bets' are off. The rub comes when you suffer a loss, or 'win the bet'. The Insurers quite often try to welsh on the bet.

I was living in Pensacola, Florida on September 16, 2004 when Hurricane Ivan came ashore. The damage was devastating, with thousands of homes and businesses completely and utterly destroyed. Today, in 2009, I know people who are still waiting to be paid for their properties and belongings.

The same goes for many people in New Orleans who suffered losses from Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. They use one excuse after another to try to avoid paying their claims.

In 1978, Louisiana enacted their mandatory auto insurance law. I remember all the hoopla at the time. 30% of Louisianans had no auto insurance. The thing that sold the bill to all the barefoot bumkins searching for crawdads amongst the cypress stumps was, "If everyone is required to have insurance, it will form a bigger base, and premiums will go down". They took to that quicker than a blue crab to a chicken neck. In those 31 years since it's passage, not only have our premiums never gone down, they have steadily gone up. And (fortunately) we have never been charged with an accident.

Health insurance has turned into the biggest swindle. 20 or 30 years ago, our insurance had no deductibles, and the only co-pay was $1.50 on prescriptions.

Keith Olbermann had, as his guest on Countdown, Wendell Potter, the whistle-blowing former communications director for health insurance giant Cigna. Potter stated that in 1993 Americans with insurance paid about 5% of their medical bills. This has gradually increased to 20% in 2009. Olbermann asked, “So, why is the Senate Finance Committee, run by Democrat Max Baucus [of Minnesota] considering making even Americans who have insurance pay 35 percent of their medical bills?”.

Three guesses, Keith, and the first two don't count. There will be no true reform in insurance OR health care coming out of Congress. Why? Because the providers don't want it, and Congress represents THEM, not US.

These greedy scum-bags are driven by profit, and profit alone; and they use those profits to buy Congress, which rewards them with even more profits. All those red-faced, screaming town-hallers have been duped and manipulated. How can they believe that the Insurance Companies and Health Care Providers are somehow philanthropic organizations, looking to take care of them, when they refuse to honor the 'bets' they've lost?

Idiots!

Bet On It,
Brother Tim

It Tried To Kill Us

2009-08-17T14:02:00.007-05:00

Warning: Do Not Try This At Home

This past weekend has convinced me that I need to spend more time with my blogging and ministry than on home renovations and moving. When I say 'It tried to kill us', I am referring to..................................

THE SAFE

This story begins about 36 years ago.

I was working as a Machinist at Crown, Cork and Seal (a can plant). My tool chest had been broken into twice, and I said, "Enough is enough!". I stopped by and saw a previous employer who had an old safe stored in the back corner of his warehouse. I asked him if he would sell, or make a deal for it. He laughed, and said, "That old safe has been sitting back there gathering dust and taking up room for over 20 years. If you've got a use for it, you can haul it off."

I was ecstatic! I got my truck, loaded up that 500 lb monster, and took it home. I removed all the inside compartments and fitted it with shelves. I then fabricated some drawers and took it to work. It was virtually burglar-proof, with only one failed attempt a few years later while on a short stint at a Nabisco cracker plant.

Since the acquisition, I have hauled it all over the country with me, and have had it on many job sites. I have noticed though, as the years roll by, it seems to be getting heavier and heavier.

Fast forward to 2009.

As we moved into The Compound, I decided to put it into my 10x12 Morgan Bldg. I planned on turning this storage shed into my workshop. As I thought out my plans more ~~thoroughly~~ realistically, I realized, that with no windows or insulation, it would be about 7 degrees cooler than Hell in the Summer, and just as miserable in the opposite direction during the Winter. In addition, I would need to run at least 50 amps of electrical service out there. So I decided to put all the tools and shop equipment down in my newly 100% waterproofed basement.

I had been carting all the tools and equipment down, when I decided to take the safe down before it got too crowded. I had the safe strapped to the hand truck when Miss Hallie came out to see what I was doing. In my best James Cagney impersonation, I said, "Hey, Louie, ya wanna help me steal dis here safe?"

"You betcha", she said in her Gangsta Palin impersonation.

In the next hour and a half, we had moved it, about the 100 feet, from the Morgan Bldg to the inside of the house, and set it at the top of the stairs. We decided a break was in order. When we returned to the task, I told her I thought I could handle it from there. She insisted that she go down first, and push back on it, while I eased it on down the stairs. Being concerned for her safety, I argued vehemently against that, but to no avail.

So, once again in my best James Cagney, I said, "Hey Louie, if I shout 'Run for your life'....................."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah", she interrupted, "Stop the clowning, and let's get this thing downstairs."

First step ----- No problem.

Second step ----- Like clockwork.

Third step ----- It's all good.

As we started on the fourth step, I was somewhat hunched over, getting ready to start down the steps myself. That is when gravity manifested itself and let us know who was really in charge of the job. It shot down the stairs, jerking me off of my feet, face-down, head first behind it. It was 180 lb Brother Tim vs 500 lb Safe. It was not a fair fight. My main concern was Miss Hallie, who was on the bottom side, so I refused to let go. The only thing that came out of my mouth was a loud, guttural
"AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHH".

When things came to a stop, the safe was resting (like it needed rest) on the basement floor with the handles of the hand truck laying on the bottom step, with me still attached to it like a lifeless tail on a downed kite, sprawled out on the concrete steps that I can only describe as a dry Gitmo Slip 'n Slide. My first thoughts were of Miss Hallie, as visions of Wile E Coyote, embedded in the desert floor with a safe on top of him, flashed before my eyes.

I looked up and feebly called out, "Miss Hallie, are you alright?".

She poked her head around the corner and with her mock-gangsta voice said, "Yeah, Mugsey, I'm fine; but ya fergot to yell that 'Run for your life' thing".

Now it was my turn to use the 'Stop the clowning' line. "This ain't funny, Sweetie", I reply, "I was worried about you".

"There ain't no stupid down here, Bud", she says, "When I felt that safe starting to go, I didn't need anyone to tell me to get out of the way. How are you?".

"I'm fine", I say, as I survey my banged up right ankle, left elbow, and stair burns (like road burns, when a motorcyclist lays his bike down at 60 MPH, only worse) on the left side of my face and my knuckles.

As we got the safe righted and off the hand truck, I noticed the chunks of cement that had been knocked out of the stairs. "I guess I'll have to mix up some mortar and repair those now", I said.

"Let's just leave them as is", she opined, "That way, every time we use the stairs, we can be reminded of the time we cheated death...........again".

I was at least smart enough to hire a professional piano mover to bring in the piano.

Stay tuned for the next exciting installment of 'This Old Compound', starring ~~Laurel and Hardy~~ Brother Tim and Miss Hallie.

Gettin' Too Old For This Stuff,

Brother Tim

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2009-06-12T04:30:00.027-05:00

"The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley (Go oft astray)"
~Robert Burns (1759-1796)

From TO A MOUSE (1785)

The Scotsman sure hit the nail square on the head with that line. He must have wrote it shortly after buying a house!

Plans have changed and changed, and changed again. They have changed so frequently, that I often find myself sitting there wondering, "Where do I start today?".

The Good

Picking Fruit from the Tree of Negotiation

The only appliance that came with the house was a dishwasher. We had planned on using our old refrigerator and buying a used gas stove. We figured that would get us through a year or two until renovations were complete.

While shopping at Lowe's for paint, we wandered into the Appliance Dept. We found a Whirlpool Side-by-Side 25 cu. ft. Stainless Steel Refrigerator, originally priced at $1,440, marked down to $896. It was a floor model with a couple of small scratches on one side. It's on the wall-side, so it's no big deal. This thing is HUGE! It didn't look that big sitting on the floor at Lowe's. It dispenses cubed or crushed ice, and has a cold water dispenser; something Miss Hallie has always wanted. The night-lite in the dispenser compartment is also a nice touch.

Then we found a Frigidaire Professional Stainless Steel Gas Range, originally priced at $1,260, marked down to $948. It was a discontinued model still in the crate. This is a commercial grade range that has 5 burners (17,000BTU, 15,000BTU, 10,000BTU, and two 6,500BTU) with heavy cast iron grates, with the center burner that converts to a griddle. The oven has convection capabilities and is self-cleaning. Since I do a lot of the cooking, I can't wait to crank this baby up and see what it will do. Gas service will be turned on next week.

We negotiated for an additional discount, using the argument that we were buying two major appliances at the same time. The salesman went to talk to his supervisor (haha), and came back saying they would give an extra 10% (we asked for 15%) and would give us free delivery. We couldn't pass it up. We ended up getting $2,700 worth of appliances for a mere $1,660 plus tax. They are both covered with full warranties.

More Good: Upgrades in electrical wiring, switches, receptacles, fixtures, and ceiling fans, are 98% complete. The 2 rooms we scheduled for painting (walls, ceiling, and trim) are 50% finished.

The Bad

The appliances were delivered the next day, and as I was installing them (leveling and hooking up the ice-maker, which is 23 linear feet from the water source), I discovered the floor is way out of plumb. Since leveling the floor will be a major undertaking, the tiling will have to wait a year or so. The linoleum is in good shape, so we can live with it, even though we HATE linoleum.

And The Ugly

For the past two weeks we have experienced torrential rains in the area, and to my dismay, found a few leaks in the basement.

I first planned (there goes those plans again) on waterproofing the entire basement. After calculating the cost, I decided on doing just the bottom four feet. After starting to scrape, and chip off, the old paint and waterproofing material (first photo), and seeing the time and effort that would be needed, I decided to just attack the problem areas. Fortunately, engineering-wise, there is little difference between basements and boat hulls; success depends on the ability to retain "negative hydrostatic pressure". Although this is a slightly(?) different application, with our marine experience, we forsee no problems. I'll post a few photos on this project as I get it underway.

We still intend on tiling the foyer/atrium room, reconfiguring one wall, and ripping out a couple of old door jambs and making them clean passageways; but the leaky basement has taken priority.

This Old House,
Brother Tim

I Shouldn't Have Laughed

2009-05-29T02:30:00.004-05:00

But doggone it........ it was funny!

I have an old friend (going back to my college days) named Dave S. In the 40+ years I've known him, I can't even estimate the number of laughs I can associate with him. The man is a virtual magnet for humor. He has a quick and razor-sharp wit. The strange thing about him is, even dull humorless people, when in his presence, become suddenly funny.

He has lived here in St Louis County his entire 62 years, and is a walking Wikipedia of the area. Whenever I have a question about the area, he's the one I call.

Since I am in the process of doing some renovations on the new house, I called on him as my 'Yellowbook'. I was looking for tile, cabinets, electrical supplies, etc., and knew his help would be invaluable.

The story starts at Hood's, a discount building supplies company. As we were walking around the store, we came upon a big display of toilets on sale. Since he was planning a DIY bathroom renovation for his home, he had been pricing toilets and was shocked at the low price Hood's had on these. He said the price was less than half of the ones he'd been looking at. He was going to get one.

As we were loading it on the flat truck to go to the checkout, he noticed the words, 'hecho en Mexico' (made in Mexico) on the back of the water tank.

Well, Dave is a 'made in the USA' type of guy, willing to pay a little extra for stuff made here in America. So he was quite uncomfortable finding himself in a Jewish Dilemma*. After listening to about 10 minutes of his ranting, I tried to lighten the situation by saying maybe he should try it out for size, to see if his flabby, white, American ass fit. He saw no humor in that. We went through the checkout and loaded it in the truck.

On the way home, we decided to stop at the local watering hole (no pun intended) to get a sandwich. The place was crowded with old regulars, and wouldn't you know it, the topic of conversation was: Offshoring of American jobs, and how most everything we buy is from China, Korea, Mexico, etc, etc. This only served to stoke Dave's ranting.

"Tell me about it", Dave pipes in, "I just bought a Mexican toilet at Hood's".

"What's that?", asks the straight-faced bartender, "A five gallon bucket?".

*Jewish Dilemma -- Ham 50% off.

Forgive Me, Lord,
Brother Tim

The Compound

2009-05-28T02:30:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally got the pictures uploaded from my camera to my computer. I'm not computer-illiterate......... I'm computer-stupid. I bought a new camera recently, and when I tried using my USB cable, like I did with my last two cameras, to transfer the pictures, it wouldn't work. I tried different ways with different programs, no luck! My Brother stopped by and said, "Why don't you just put your SD card in the card reader?" (I didn't even know I HAD a card reader). I popped it in and Voila!, instant transfer.

These are a few pictures of the outside of the property.

The Front Gate

Inside the Front Gate

Walkway from the Driveway

Prayer and Meditation Pond

The 1100 sq ft, 3 BR/2 Bath home sits nestled on just under a half acre. It was corporate owned (foreclosure) by Wells Fargo. The house is in need of some work, but at the price we paid, we can afford to spend a few thousand more.

The house was appraised at $124,000 in 2008. The bank foreclosed in December 2008 for a balance of $68,000. They listed it 'as is' in January for $40,000; then, in April lowered it to $33,000.

On April 28, we made them an offer of $28,000 cash with them paying closing costs. On May 1, Wells Fargo counter-offered, saying, they would accept the $28,000 but would not pay for closing. Our agent estimated closing for a cash sale would be about $530. We accepted the offer, adding an express closing clause (two weeks). On May 18, we closed with no hassles. As it turned out, closing was only $340.

Most of the work is cosmetic (paint, flooring, etc). The roof is in good shape, as is the central air and heat (gas). It has a new 50 gal water heater (gas).

Miss Hallie and I will be doing all the work (setting tile, painting, re-configuring one wall, etc), so there will be no hassles, or expenses, of dealing with contractors. We have our work cut out for us.

It is amazing what the banks will accept in cash to unload their 'paper'. It took a chunk out of our retirement nest-egg, but heck, this IS our retirement. A mortgage would have cost us 2 or 3 times what our money was earning, and we would have had to pay much more for the house. This way, the house is ours, free of rent or mortgage payments. We need only put back about $120/mo for taxes and insurance.

I am moved to quote the closing lines of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr's, 'I Have A Dream' speech.

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

As we start the work, I will be posting more pictures on the progress.

This experience has made me somewhat psychic though, I can distinctly see a riding lawn mower in my future.

Give Me Strength, Lord,
Brother Tim

It's A Done Deal

2009-05-19T02:30:00.002-05:00

You don't have to be a millionaire to benefit from the economic downturn.

We came to St Louis 6 months ago and have looked at hundreds of real estate listings. We narrowed it down to a couple dozen, and looked at about half of those. We settled on a Corporate-owned (a Wells Fargo foreclosure) piece of property in Calverton Park, in the suburbs of St. Louis. It is conveniently located to shopping and Interstates, yet kind of secluded. The 3 bedroom, two bath home sits on just under a half acre, with about a dozen mature trees (Pines, oaks, maples, and a beautiful red Japanese maple).

They had it listed for about 35 cents on the dollar, we made them an offer of just under 25 cents on the dollar and they accepted. It's amazing what the banks will accept on a cash sale, and the speed of the transaction. It took exactly 20 days from our initial offer, to closing, with most of that time spent on doing title searches and getting the warranty deed. I assume the previous mortgage was split up into derivatives and other financial instruments, as the paperwork had to be rounded up from California, South Carolina, and Missouri.

Although the house is currently habitable, we have decided it would be easier to do some renovations before we move in, rather than after. The first thing on the list is the flooring in the kitchen and the foyer/atrium. I will be setting tile in those two rooms (about 350 sq ft) and the stairway leading to the basement. The question now is: Ceramic, porcelain, stone, marble, or slate? And should we replace the kitchen cabinets?, as this will dictate how I lay the floor. The current cabinets are in good shape, and look OK, but they are budget cabs, and not of very high quality. Since the house has been added on to, I plan on taking out 3 old door jambs that haven't had doors in years, and finishing them to 'clean' passageways. I also plan to rip out and replace some old wiring that I'm not particularly happy with. There's also some painting to do, and we are considering adding some crown moulding in a few rooms.

On the plus side: Since I will be doing all the work myself, it will probably motivate me to get off my *ss and go out and get a job. Another plus: No more rent or mortgage payments. All I need to put back, is about $100/mo for taxes and insurance.

I wanted to take some pics after we closed and took possession, but (duh) the batteries in the digital were dead. I'll post a few in the next couple of days. I want to document the before, work in progress, and after photos, so I can look back and see exactly how crazy I really am.

Give Me Strength Lord,
Brother Tim

Some Rambling Thoughts

2009-05-17T05:25:00.002-05:00

Of our Nation's ills.

I had originally planned on posting today about Obama's ~~outright lying~~ reversal on the Military ~~Kangaroo Courts~~ Commissions Tribunals. Since this has become 'old newz', I figured, "What's the sense?". His 'reversals', 'flip-flops', 'recalculations', or any other buzz-word you care to use, have become so commonplace, they have left me jaded.

As usual, the Right will praise him from one side of their mouths while vilifying him from the other side.

And the Left will apologize and make up far-fetched excuses for him, all the while, whining and complaining, yet refusing to hold his feet to the fire.

It's way past time for the populace to arise out of their slumber and face the fact, that we once again have been duped. We have elected a black Harold Hill, a snake oil salesman from Chicago. The consummate, silk-tongued con-man. What is it gonna take? Will his Health Care Reform be smoke, or will it be mirrors? Take this as prophecy: It will NOT be what he promised. And you can be sure that he, and his sycophantic idolaters, will have a litany of excuses of how the Nasty Republicans; or the Big Mean Corporatists; or the Complicit Congress; or any combination of them, derailed his well-intentioned plans. Will he ever stand up to the Bankers of Wall Street? Only if there's no room for him to lay down.

I am coming to the conclusion that the last mistake I made, before leaving Florida, was to cast my ballot for him. I left the State of Florida, moved to the State of Missouri, and still find myself living in the State of Melancholy.

What a difference 60 years can make. I was born in a Democratic Republic and will die in a Corporate-run Fascist Oligarchy. The most amazing thing, is that the vast majority are hoodwinked into living in a state of denial, singing songs like 'I'm Proud to be an American'. Exactly what the hell do we have to be proud of? That we torture people? That we lie to engage in illegal wars? That we let our government take away our privacy rights? That we starve and make homeless the less fortunate amongst us? That we have the highest incarceration rate in the world? That we claim to believe in the sanctity of life, while we kill millions world-wide? Somebody, anybody, please tell me what it is that should generate the pride in me to be 'an American'.

Those of us that can see what has, and currently is, happening, are all together in the same leaking boat, bailing with thimbles, because no one wants to go through the time or expense to repair the bilge pumps. Look over the gunwales people, the freeboard is quickly shrinking; this boat will go down if something drastic is not done, and soon.

Many of us can clearly see the answers and solutions to the problems, but are powerless to implement them. It is time for us to stand up and take back what our Founding Fathers bequeathed us. To refuse to accept flimsy and flaccid excuses; and demand, yes, DEMAND, that OUR Representatives do what WE want them to do; not what the corporate puppet masters desire.

I have been, for the greatest part of my life, a pacifist; but this government is broken from the bottom up. There is no fixing it. It will not change by legislation (lawmakers will not cut off their noses to spite their faces, or any other reason), nor will it magically and mysteriously cure itself. The corrupt system we are presently living under makes the Founding Fathers situation pale in comparison. It's a shame that today's American cannot muster the moral and intestinal fortitude of our ancestors to say, "STOP THIS SH*T Enough is enough!". We have fed them so many carrots they have become slothful and obese. It's time to bring out the stick. It is the only language they truly understand (Note the way they deal with other countries).

We are overwhelmed with archaic laws and procedures which will not change without violent force being applied.

Lifetime job appointments to the Supreme Court (Regardless of mental or physical capabilities).

No term limits for Congressional Pigs at the Trough (Embedded incumbents are next to impossible to dislodge).

No mandatory retirement for Politicians (Anyone else that is employed by the Federal Government has forced retirement).

Exorbitant salaries and benefits for all the above ($174,000.00/yr base, plus an equal or greater amount in 'perks', for a part-time job).

Congressional Retirement vested after 5 years (No one, I repeat, NO ONE else has that benefit). *And they talk about 'Golden Parachutes'.

Ad infinitum, ad nauseum.

All of the above will not be relinquished voluntarily, they will have to be forcefully taken. Channel the Founding Fathers and ask them what they would do.

That's my opinion. What say y'all?

With Evaporated Hope,
Brother Tim

A More Plausible Rationale

2009-05-16T03:00:00.003-05:00

......of Obama's back-pedaling.

There has been much analyzing (myself included) of Ba~~ckt~~rack Obama's 'recalculating his position' or as one blogger described it, "It is not a reversal, he is merely engaging brain" about not releasing the abuse photos. No, it IS a reversal, as just three weeks earlier, he promised to release them. But it stretches back way farther than that. Throughout the campaign, he promised honesty and transparency in Government. To date, we've seen precious little of either.

An Op-Ed from today's WaPo---------

A Story of Abuse That Should Be Told

By Karen J. Greenberg
Saturday, May 16, 2009

When President Obama announced this week that he would renege on his promise to release a set of detainee abuse photos at the end of this month, he said three factors drove his decision: that "these photos would not add any additional benefit to our understanding of what was carried out in the past by a small number of individuals," that they would "further inflame anti-American opinion" and that they would "put our troops in greater danger." But those may not have been the real rationales. By appealing the court order authorizing the photos' release and thereby delaying publication of viscerally powerful evidence of detainee abuse, Obama may be attempting to reduce political pressure to investigate Bush administration officials who crafted arguably illegal policies on interrogation and detention. In choosing this tack, Obama makes clear how deeply potential prosecution is affecting every decision he faces about detention, interrogation and torture.

Coming on the heels of the newly released Justice Department memos on interrogation and a Senate Armed Services Committee report, these photos, allegedly numbering in the thousands, are expected to demonstrate that detainee abuse wasn't merely a case of a few bad apples but a systematic policy for which no policymakers have been held accountable. Shockingly, Obama said that guilt for these crimes has already been addressed. In his words, the Pentagon has "gone through the appropriate and regular processes" to investigate these abuses. Moreover, "the individuals who were involved have been identified, and appropriate actions have been taken" against this "small number of individuals."

There are reportedly hundreds of American troops involved in the activities shown in these pictures, not just a few. Yet the architects of abusive treatment of detainees in American custody -- at the top levels of government -- have avoided public acknowledgment of their creation of a policy that, despite secret memos crafted to provide a patina of legality, violated U.S. law, not to mention the integrity of the American people. However many Lynndie Englands have been tried or penalized for crimes of abuse, mistreatment and torture, no one at the upper levels has been punished, reprimanded or even officially accused of the wrongdoing that is at the heart of creating a torture policy.

[...]

The facts need to come out. Keeping the public in the dark about government illegality is corrosively antidemocratic. We may not need the photographs to understand what was done in the people's name, but we do need to know who did what, when and to what effect. We need to know how many prisoners died in U.S. custody because of abuse, how many were harmed and who approved that abuse at the highest levels of government.

[...]

[If] Obama does nothing else as president, he needs to stand up for the integrity of factual truth and clear thinking rather than the convenience of government-led obfuscation. Not releasing the pictures to reduce public pressure for an investigation of Bush administration officials should not be confused with genuinely protecting the safety of our troops. If it is, Obama cedes the one power he was elected to exercise: the power of leadership in the name of candor, lawfulness and clarity rather than deceit, secrecy and spin.

**Karen J. Greenberg, executive director of the Center on Law and Security at the New York University School of Law, is the author of "The Least Worst Place: Guantanamo's First 100 Days" and co-editor of "The Torture Papers: The Road to Abu Ghraib."

Obama's words are very troubling to me. He is an eloquent speaker with a superb command of the English language. What I hear him saying, is a hybrid mix of political word-parsing, semantics, hyperbole, and bald-faced lies. Go back and re-read Obama's statements in the first two paragraphs of Ms Greenberg's article. Anyone who can't see the afore-mentioned linguistic tactics, let me know, I'll gladly point them out.

Tomorrow, I will post on another of his 'reversals': The Military ~~Kangaroo Courts~~ Commissions Tribunals. Each incident of his 'recalculating' and 'reversing' chips away at my trust in him.

This is Brother Tim, Mr President, not John the Baptist. I am not 'the lone voice crying out in the wilderness', there are millions more just like me. Public trust and approval is a very fragile and fickle commodity, and once lost, is extremely hard to regain. Get real, be honest, and deliver the transparency you promised. You, Sir, are skating on mighty thin ice.

War Crimes are heinous, I'd say, worse than Bank Robberies. Would you, even for one minute, consider not investigating and prosecuting bank robbers? Oh, never mind, I forgot who the victims of bank robberies are. The victims of the war crimes are just sub-human, worthless Muslims and Arabs.

Lord, Help Him,
Brother Tim

'Only the Good' Fridays

2009-05-15T12:12:00.008-05:00

I picked this idea up from Betmo, over at Life's Journey, who picked it up from............. I don't remember who she picked it up from. It is a way to take a breather from all the political and corporate skullduggery that has permeated America today. Sometimes, even those at the top do the right thing; and those rare occassions should be reported on and applauded. The good news this week was reported by Israel's DEBKAfile.

Iranian sources: Obama to free four Iranian "diplomats" as swap for US journalist

According to DEBKAfile's Iranian sources, US journalist Roxana Saberi was released Tuesday, May 12, as part of an exchange deal under which Washington agreed to free four senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards intelligence officers captured in Irbil, northern Iraq in January 2007. Defined as "diplomats" by Tehran, they ran terror operations and covert arms supplies from Iran then to al Qaeda and Sunni insurgent networks.

[...]

Our intelligence sources stress that the Obama administration's willingness for this kind of swap goes partway toward admitting to Tehran's charge that Roxana Saberi performed services in Iran for the United States.

After the Tehran court commuted the eight-year sentence against her for spying to two years suspended, her lawyer revealed that part of the Iranian case against her was that she had a copy of a confidential Iranian report on the US war in Iraq which, he said, she had copied "out of curiosity."

Well, we all know what curiosity did to the cat. This a fair resolution, as the Iranians probably had more on Saberi than the Americans had on the four Iranians they have held without formal charges for two and a half years. The Iranians at least gave her a trial.

As usual, the Iranians had to extend the 'olive branch' and make the first 'goodwill gesture'.

I sincerely hope that THIS TIME, the Big O will be a man of his word; and not ~~backtrack~~ 'recalculate his position' as he is so wont to do to those who support him here at home.

UPDATE--- Checking my link at Betmo's, I found out where she got it. You can check it out and join in the fun at 'Only the Good' Fridays.

Praying for Posterity,
Brother Tim

What A Dolt

2009-05-13T12:33:00.005-05:00

........Tell me again, that he's not owned by the Establishment.

The Omniscient Obama, that Herald of Honesty, the Transfiguration of Transparency. Why does this not surprise me? This is just in from the WaPo.

Obama Reverses Position on Release of Photos of Detainee Abuse

By Michael D. Shear and Scott Wilson
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, May 13, 2009; 1:25 PM

President Obama will oppose the release of several dozen photos depicting abuse of detainees held in U.S. military custody abroad, reversing his previous position on the grounds that the pictures could inflame anti-American sentiment and endanger U.S. troops.

In announcing the shift today, the White House said in a statement that Obama "strongly believes that the release of these photos, particularly at this time, would only serve the purpose of inflaming the theaters of war, jeopardizing US forces, and making our job more difficult in places like Iraq and Afghanistan."

Justice Department officials told a federal judge late last month that the U.S. government did not intend to fight a court order to turn over a total of 44 photos, which were sought by the American Civil Liberties Union under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

A U.S. attorney was unequivocal in a letter to the judge on April 23: "The parties have reached an agreement that the Defense Department will produce all the responsive images by May 28, 2009."

[...]

The administration said today that Obama met last week with White House lawyers and informed them that he did not "feel comfortable" releasing the photos because of the reaction they could cause against U.S. troops and because "he believes that the national security implications of such a release have not been fully presented to the court."

At the end of the meeting, Obama directed the lawyers to object to the release of the photos. He informed Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, of his decision during a meeting yesterday at the White House.

[...]

Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) wrote Obama last week to urge him to fight the release of the photos.

"The release of these old photographs of past behavior that has now been clearly prohibited can serve no public good, but will empower al Qaeda propaganda operations, hurt our country's image, and endanger our men and women in uniform," wrote Graham and Lieberman.

No, Mr President and Sens LIEberman and Graham-cracker; these are assumptions, at best; bald-faced lies, at worst.

It serves the public, both domestic and international, by showing the actual depravity this country had stooped to. It proves acknowledgement, and paves the way for contrition. And your bloviation about 'hurting the countries image and endangering our men and women in uniform' is pure hyperbole; those things were accomplished over the last eight years.

From my viewpoint, NOT releasing them only exacerbates the problem, hurting and endangering even more. Do you guys actually, and honestly, think that releasing the photos will 'empower al-Qaeda propaganda operations'? Put yourselves in the terrorist's sandals for a minute.

Mohammad: "Now, the Big O has decided to not release the pics".

Ahmed: "Alright!!!!!".

Mohammad: "Whadda mean, 'Alright!!!!!'? Is your tin-foil turban wrapped too tight? They've already admitted to torture and they acknowledge the pics exist".

Ahmed: "Holy Crap, Mo, that must mean that they're worse than we thought".

Mohammad: "Now you're smokin', Ahmed, pass me the hooka, we got us some recruitin' to do".

With all this 'Sunshine' Obama's been promising, even 'Junket John' Boener is in danger of losing his tan.

So Much for Transparency,
Brother Tim

Innuendo

2009-05-03T15:29:00.008-05:00

Obama's approach to

Bipartisianship

Hellooooooooooo,
Brother Tim

You Are Being Lied to About Pirates

2009-04-18T02:30:00.008-05:00

.............so what else is new?

I picked this up at Renegade Eye, and realized you'll not see anything like this in the sycophantic American MSM, pirates in their own right.

Johann Hari
Columnist, London Independent
Posted April 13, 2009 10:05 AM (EST)

Who imagined that in 2009, the world's governments would be declaring a new War on Pirates? As you read this, the British Royal Navy - backed by the ships of more than two dozen nations, from the US to China - is sailing into Somalian waters to take on men we still picture as parrot-on-the-shoulder pantomime villains. They will soon be fighting Somalian ships and even chasing the pirates onto land, into one of the most broken countries on earth. But behind the arrr-me-hearties oddness of this tale, there is an untold scandal. The people our governments are labeling as "one of the great menace of our times" have an extraordinary story to tell -- and some justice on their side.

Pirates have never been quite who we think they are. In the "golden age of piracy" - from 1650 to 1730 - the idea of the pirate as the senseless, savage thief that lingers today was created by the British government in a great propaganda-heave. Many ordinary people believed it was false: pirates were often rescued from the gallows by supportive crowds. Why? What did they see that we can't? In his book Villains of All nations, the historian Marcus Rediker pores through the evidence to find out. If you became a merchant or navy sailor then - plucked from the docks of London's East End, young and hungry - you ended up in a floating wooden Hell. You worked all hours on a cramped, half-starved ship, and if you slacked off for a second, the all-powerful captain would whip you with the Cat O' Nine Tails. If you slacked consistently, you could be thrown overboard. And at the end of months or years of this, you were often cheated of your wages.

Pirates were the first people to rebel against this world. They mutinied against their tyrannical captains - and created a different way of working on the seas. Once they had a ship, the pirates elected their captains, and made all their decisions collectively. They shared their bounty out in what Rediker calls "one of the most egalitarian plans for the disposition of resources to be found anywhere in the eighteenth century." They even took in escaped African slaves and lived with them as equals. The pirates showed "quite clearly - and subversively - that ships did not have to be run in the brutal and oppressive ways of the merchant service and the Royal navy." This is why they were popular, despite being unproductive thieves.

The words of one pirate from that lost age - a young British man called William Scott - should echo into this new age of piracy. Just before he was hanged in Charleston, South Carolina, he said: "What I did was to keep me from perishing. I was forced to go a-pirating to live." In 1991, the government of Somalia - in the Horn of Africa - collapsed. Its nine million people have been teetering on starvation ever since - and many of the ugliest forces in the Western world have seen this as a great opportunity to steal the country's food supply and dump our nuclear waste in their seas.

Yes: nuclear waste. As soon as the government was gone, mysterious European ships started appearing off the coast of Somalia, dumping vast barrels into the ocean. The coastal population began to sicken. At first they suffered strange rashes, nausea and malformed babies. Then, after the 2005 tsunami, hundreds of the dumped and leaking barrels washed up on shore. People began to suffer from radiation sickness, and more than 300 died. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the UN envoy to Somalia, tells me: "Somebody is dumping nuclear material here. There is also lead, and heavy metals such as cadmium and mercury - you name it." Much of it can be traced back to European hospitals and factories, who seem to be passing it on to the Italian mafia to "dispose" of cheaply. When I asked Ould-Abdallah what European governments were doing about it, he said with a sigh: "Nothing. There has been no clean-up, no compensation, and no prevention."

At the same time, other European ships have been looting Somalia's seas of their greatest resource: seafood. We have destroyed our own fish-stocks by over-exploitation - and now we have moved on to theirs. More than $300m worth of tuna, shrimp, lobster and other sea-life is being stolen every year by vast trawlers illegally sailing into Somalia's unprotected seas. The local fishermen have suddenly lost their livelihoods, and they are starving. Mohammed Hussein, a fisherman in the town of Marka 100km south of Mogadishu, told Reuters: "If nothing is done, there soon won't be much fish left in our coastal waters."

This is the context in which the men we are calling "pirates" have emerged. Everyone agrees they were ordinary Somalian fishermen who at first took speedboats to try to dissuade the dumpers and trawlers, or at least wage a 'tax' on them. They call themselves the Volunteer Coastguard of Somalia - and it's not hard to see why. In a surreal telephone interview, one of the pirate leaders, Sugule Ali, said their motive was "to stop illegal fishing and dumping in our waters... We don't consider ourselves sea bandits. We consider sea bandits [to be] those who illegally fish and dump in our seas and dump waste in our seas and carry weapons in our seas." William Scott would understand those words.

No, this doesn't make hostage-taking justifiable, and yes, some are clearly just gangsters - especially those who have held up World Food Programme supplies. But the "pirates" have the overwhelming support of the local population for a reason. The independent Somalian news-site WardherNews conducted the best research we have into what ordinary Somalis are thinking - and it found 70 percent "strongly supported the piracy as a form of national defence of the country's territorial waters." During the revolutionary war in America, George Washington and America's founding fathers paid pirates to protect America's territorial waters, because they had no navy or coastguard of their own. Most Americans supported them. Is this so different?

Did we expect starving Somalians to stand passively on their beaches, paddling in our nuclear waste, and watch us snatch their fish to eat in restaurants in London and Paris and Rome? We didn't act on those crimes - but when some of the fishermen responded by disrupting the transit-corridor for 20 percent of the world's oil supply, we begin to shriek about "evil." If we really want to deal with piracy, we need to stop its root cause - our crimes - before we send in the gun-boats to root out Somalia's criminals.

The story of the 2009 war on piracy was best summarised by another pirate, who lived and died in the fourth century BC. He was captured and brought to Alexander the Great, who demanded to know "what he meant by keeping possession of the sea." The pirate smiled, and responded: "What you mean by seizing the whole earth; but because I do it with a petty ship, I am called a robber, while you, who do it with a great fleet, are called emperor." Once again, our great imperial fleets sail in today - but who is the robber?

Although I am in no way advocating piracy, looking at it from this angle, does make it more understandable
.............and palatable. Just as with any problem, resolution requires it to be addressed at it's roots.

Thanks, and a Tip o' da Hat, to Renegade Eye.

Avast, me hearties,
Brother Tim

Editorial Cartoon of the Week

2009-04-17T04:00:00.001-05:00

More Piracy Afoot?

This cartoon was sent to me via e-mail by Blog of Revelation friend, Mike S, of Mike's Mixed Memories fame.

It is from Australian Editorial Cartoonist, Peter Broelman. Broelman is the President of the Australian Cartoonists' Association. His work is wide-spread, and has been included in People, TV Week, Sunday Mail, MAD, Cracked, Reader's Digest, and countless other publications.

Maybe President Obama should think about dealing with ALL pirates equally.

Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhhhhhh,
Brother Tim

A New Day Has Dawned

2009-04-14T03:09:00.001-05:00

It was a Blessed Easter for sure!

I would first like to apologize to all who come here. I just haven't felt up to posting, or doing much visiting since Wally's passing. Wally was not 'just a pet', he was a full-fledged member of the family and my side-kick. We miss him soooooo much. He will never be forgotten. I would also like to thank everyone who left condolences in the comments, e-mails, and phone calls. They were a balm to our spirit.

In my quest for succor and solace, I did what any blogger would do (in addition to industrial-strength prayer) ---- I turned to the Web. I posted Wally's story along with a link to The Final Soapbox on a couple of sites. What followed was a bulwark to my faith in God.

Miss Hallie and I had talked several times about filling the void Wally left in our lives, and decided that since Wally was irreplaceable, it was not a good idea. Apparently, God thought differently.

The word 'angel' in the New Testament, is translated from the Koine Greek word 'aggelos', meaning literally, 'messenger'. Angels are not just supernatural beings in heaven; many are walking around the earth in human form. I met one on Saturday night.

When I checked my in-box Saturday around lunchtime, I found an e-mail from a wonderful woman named Miss Teresa. It was a rather lengthy letter that really touched my heart. Miss Teresa, and her husband Mr Pat (along with their six children), do volunteer work in Animal Rescue, and foster several small animals (mostly dogs). She said she had three ferrets of her own, a male and two females. She offered us the male, an approximately 9 month old chubby lil fella named, Moose.

I checked her IP address, and lo and behold, she lives right here in Florissant (North St Louis County), Mo. about 12 minutes from our house. How strange is that? Well, Miss Hallie said, "I thought we talked about this". I told her that since the lady took the time to write such a lengthy touching letter and make such an unselfish offer, the least we could do, is at least go look at him. She agreed.

We arrived about 7:30 PM, and when we saw him, it was love at first sight. Now, the O'Donnell Clan has a new member, Moose. And the O'Donnells have some new friends, Teresa and Pat.

On the short drive back home, I had tears in my eyes. No longer were they tears of pain, but tears of joy. Miss Hallie was sitting next to me playing, and getting acquainted, with Moose; laughing and giggling, sounds I hadn't heard from her in over a week.

When we got home, Pushkin da Pug took an immediate liking to him. They took turns chasing each other around the house, but me and my camera weren't fast enough to catch the action.

After about six hours of checking out everything in the house (a long time for a weasel to stay awake) he headed to our bedroom, to one of Wally's old nests, a bushel basket turned on it's side. After rearranging the bedding some, he crashed; probably from sensory overload. As he laid there, drifting off to sleep, he was looking at me; and I could sense him saying, "I'm gonna help you through this, Bro".

I thank God for the blessing; Miss Teresa for answering His call and stepping up to the plate; and to Moose for being our segue from grief to healing.

Yesterday, as I randomly opened my Bible, it was at Psalm 30. This verse stood out like a neon sign.

For His anger endureth but a moment; in His favour is life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
~Psalm 30:5

* Moose is as smart as a whip. He seems to be a Progressive Independent. However, I'm not giving him computer access until I figure out exactly what his political views are.

Morning Has Broken,
Brother Tim

The Final Soapbox

2009-04-08T00:30:00.002-05:00

The popular feature, Wally's Soapbox, sadly comes to an end.

These are dark times for the Blog of Revelation and the entire O'Donnell clan. On Monday night, April 6, 2009, at 10:30 PM CST, Wally da Weasel went to be with the Lord.

Around Christmas 2008, we took Wally in for a check-up, as he was starting to show some signs of hair loss. The diagnosis was tumors on his adrenal glands, with one of them being inoperable. The tumors were found to be benign, and we were told he should have a life-expectancy of two years or so left.

On January 30, 2009, Wally awoke crying and in distress. We rushed him to the Emergency Room. He had a urinary tract blockage caused by a growth. After surgery to remove the growth, he had been steadily recovering. Although not 100%, He was quite active and playful.

Then, on Thursday, April 2nd, he once again awoke in distress. We rushed him to the Emergency Room again, and heard the words that we had been dreading. The adrenal tumors had grown at a tremendous rate, putting much pressure on his prostrate, which wreaked havoc with his hormonal production, including his lack of marrow producing abilities. He was given a pain injection and an injection for the adrenal disease to shrink the tumors. We were told he had from two days, at worse, to about a month at best, left to live. We got a good supply of pain meds and took him home. Miss Hallie and I supplied 24 hr hospice care, tending to his every need. Friday and Saturday he showed some improvement, which gave us hope; but by Sunday, he started declining. Monday found him too weak to leave his nest. His heartbeat and breathing remained normal and was not labored. He was not in pain and seemed quite content with the pain medication. At 10:15 PM he licked my hand for the last time. I realize now, he was telling me good-bye. At 10:30, he closed his eyes and headed home.

In Memory Of

Wally da Weasel
2004 - 2009

We spent the day Tuesday making arrangements and reminiscing the good times we had with him. The above photo is a couple of years old, but it is how we like to remember him. This picture is the wallpaper on my monitor. To the world, he was known as Wally da Weasel; but to Miss Hallie and I, he was Wally-Doo.

He was inquisitive and energetic, with a heart full of love. He was a wonderful traveler, and went on many long road-trips with us. He loved hotels/motels with a gusto; 'popping' and dancing while checking out every nook and cranny in the place.

He liked crisp, sugar-cured bacon, and bakery goods (particularly raspberry tarts) and Rice Krispie treats. He also enjoyed playing with Pushkin.

He was vibrant, happy, and full of life. From the time he left his mother, as a kit, and came to live with us, he was never caged. He was considered a member of the family and had free roam of the house, just like all other family members.

In one of his 'Soapbox' posts of 2007, Be True To Thine Own Self, he wrote:

"The Spirit of God dwells in all of creation, and the sooner humans come to this revelation, the better off they will be. Many will be surprised indeed, when come Judgement Day, they see me curled up on the lap of He who sits on the throne."

Well, I won't be surprised. Maybe that's why, like Jesus, he had a short life. He heard the message and was committed to following it: Love God, and Love thy neighbor as thyself. Wally's commission in this life, was to spread joy and happiness to everyone he met, and be a burden on no one. He fulfilled those tasks admirably. His reward was to be freed from this earthly prison known as our bodies. He will be sorely missed around here.

To Wally

Rest in Peace, my furry friend --
For this is not Good-bye.
Our Spirits will unite again,
For Spirits never die.
Love,
Bro

As I was listening to this video and putting it up on the page; I could feel his presence on my lap where he frequently sat while I did my posting. I could sense his spirit looking at me with those bright shiny eyes and saying, "That's good, Bro, really good!".

I love you, Wally-Doo, and will miss you more than mere words can ever convey.

Commend Him, Lord,
Brother Tim

The More Things Change

2009-04-05T12:09:00.003-05:00

........the more they remain the same.

I may have mellowed somewhat over the years, but the old hippie that resides within me is still alive and well. This song is more apropos and applicable today than it was 45 years ago when it was penned.

Praying For Justice,
Brother Tim

Breaking News

2009-04-03T03:30:00.005-05:00

Following Betmo's lead, posting 'Only the Good' Fridays, we at the Blog of Revelation (Brother Tim, Wally da Weasel, and Pushkin da Pug) decided to take a break (dancing, that is).

WWBTD?

2009-04-02T02:45:00.001-05:00

What Would Brother Tim Do?

I have no doubt that President Obama is a very intelligent man. I also believe he wants the very best for this country. However, high intelligence and good intentions do not always produce optimum results. In Mensa, when a fellow member has a hard time grasping a simple concept, we jokingly refer to them as 'Densa'. At times, I think that is applicable to Obama.

He has said many times, making it somewhat of a mantra, that he 'Looks forward, not backward'. In today's press conference with Great Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Obama once again stated:

"So I actually think that there's enormous consensus that has emerged in terms of what we need to do now, and I'm a big believer in looking forward rather than backwards."

This mindset has been damaging in more ways than one.

Yes, it is very important to look forward; but without looking backward, you can't fully realize what got you where you're at. This is what is causing the conundrums he's dealing with. If he can't, or refuses, to look back and see what the bankers have done, and how they did it; how can he expect to come up with a viable cure?

The same can be said of all the criminal acts of the last Administration. Torture; Lying us into war; Illegal wire-tapping; Secret renditions; Firing of Federal Prosecutors; et al.

He constantly talks about responsibility, yet to date, no one has been held to account. It is, for the most part, Business-As-Usual. He doesn't want to look backward. This is deja vu of the Bush Administration.

This is calamitous in more ways than one.

To begin with, it sets precedent if it is not addressed in a timely fashion.

Secondly, how will we look to the world, if the Spanish Courts are successful in indicting our leaders for war crimes, while we sat back saying, 'Let's not look backward"?

Steering this country forward is no different than steering a car or a ship. You have to also keep an eye on the rear view mirror. It will not only help you with course correction, but will also let you know if you're about to be 'rear ended' by the past.

Looking forward and backward is not a 'rather' situation. Neither is it an 'either or' scenario. Both needs to be done with equality.

No Densa Here,
Brother Tim

Pennys From Heaven

2009-03-31T02:25:00.008-05:00

.............can brighten your day.

The Parking Lot Penny

I found a penny today
Laying on the ground.
But it's not just a penny,
This little coin I've found.

Found pennies come from heaven,
that's what my Grandpa told me.
He said Angels toss them down.
Oh, how I loved that story.

He said when an Angel misses you,
They toss a penny down;
Sometimes just to cheer you up,
To make a smile out of your frown.

So, don't pass by that penny
When you're feeling blue.
It may be a penny from heaven
That an Angel's tossed to you.

**********************************************

While reading the Nation, I came across this 'penny' of sorts. It's by William Greider. Greider has been an Editor at the Rolling Stone and the Washington Post. He is normally a very straight-forward writer, so I was pleasantly surprised to see this very ironic parody. It's a short piece, so I hope both the Nation and William Greider will forgive me this Fair Use violation as I reprint it in full.

Obama's New Monopoly Set

President Obama has invented a new board game for Wall Street money guys to play that promises to be a lot of fun. It's very much like the regular Monopoly game that kids play--only better--because this one uses real money, provided courtesy of the taxpayers. The best thing about Obama's game is nobody loses. Usually, the winner in Monopoly is the one who winds up with the most money. In the Obama version, the losers get any losses back from the government at the end of the game. The president has promised.

The guy is a genius. He located these two whiz kids--Tim and Larry-who are smarter than God about financial matters. President Obama commanded the advisors to solve the financial mess, raise the zombie banks from the dead and start the good times rolling again. This game is what they came up with. It's a very complicated game and not everyone can understand it. But the Wall Street titans smell hope. For this Monopoly set has no "Go to Jail" card in the deck.

It starts just like the real Monopoly game. The president hands out tall stacks of cash to all the players--hedge funds, insurance companies, big-time investors, any well-heeled capitalist with a serious taste for acquiring greater wealth. The players then roll the dice and move their little titan icons around the Monopoly board. They can buy up properties wherever they land, sort of like landing on Boardwalk and Park Place. Only in this case the properties are the nearly worthless financial assets held by the country's leading banks, like the mortgage-backed securities now known as "toxic assets."

The banks are glad to be rid of their rotten stuff and will begin to feel better about lending again to commoners. The titans accumulate a stack of property cards and sell them off to other players at extraordinary profits. At least this is what Tim Geithner and Larry Summers told the president to expect and he believed them. Before you know it, everyone will start feeling better about themselves. The once worthless financial paper that no one would buy will begin glowing with rising value. Now wealthier titans and much relieved bankers will buy more cars and houses, hire more gardeners. More jobs, more hope, everything starts rolling toward national recovery. Everyone is a winner, even the losers.

Only adults are allowed to play this game. It is much too for ordinary citizens so sophisticated financiers are needed to do such tricky deals. But Americans at large can have fun watching the action and rooting
for various participants. The contest will be a welcome distraction from other anxieties. Who is going to accumulate the tallest stack? It's like Monopoly Olympics for the grand masters of the universe. Will Warren Buffett take a seat at the table? Bill Gross, the PIMCO bond king, is salivating at the prospect of double-digit returns and says Obama's game is "win-win-win." Can billionaire George Soros resist such an opportunity? Will legendary traders at Goldman Sachs square off against James A. Baker III's Carlyle Group with its oil-rich Arab backers? What a kick that these famous people will be playing with our money.

But, remember, this is not about a few shrewd players accumulating more wealth. It's about saving the country. Everybody will want to do their part. Obama has shown them the way.

Probably there are some naysayers in the public who won't get it. They will whine about the odd ways in which winners always seem to get another chance in US capitalism to win again. Some people will look around them and complain that things do not seem to be improving in their neighborhood. They will attack our president personally, try to undermine his authority.

President Obama can charm them out of their anger. He might say, "Hey, guys, lighten up. It's only a game."

With the Fed and the Treasury playing the part of 'Banker', how can anyone lose?

UPDATE ------ After reading what the Obama Administration is demanding from the Auto Industry in return for what is a small fraction of what they gave the Bankers with hardly NO restrictions; I have to ask that three-word question that starts with 'What the ....?'.

Losing My Faith,
Brother Tim

Wally's Soapbox

2009-03-29T03:00:00.016-05:00

Employment Demographics of the American Empire

I am still recovering from my surgery. Progress is slow, and I'm realistic enough to know that I will not make a full recovery. They found tumors on my adrenal glands, which caused urinary tract problems. They say the tumors are benign, with one being inoperable. So the decision was made to leave them alone. I'm feeling a lot better though, now that the stitches are out. The tumors are causing hair loss on my legs, neck, back, and tail. Brother Tim loves me just the same. Hell, he ought to, I'm starting to look like HIS bald-headed ass.

Now, on to the post.

As I sit back observing the American employment demographics, I am struck by just how far America has progressed in it's empire-building goal; not so much in it's progress abroad, but domestically. I'm astounded by the arrogance they have to totally disregard historical models, and think that they can do it better. This time will be different. We are much smarter than prior civilisations. We can make it work. We'll semantically parse words like 'democracy', 'liberty', and 'freedom', and it will all work out in the end to our favor. Wrong.

Empires dating all the way back to the Romans, and continuing up until the U.S.S.R., have all succumbed to the same thing: The weight of their military and security forces. It will end no differently for the American Empire, regardless of how you choose to define her. Adolf Hitler had a better approach with his Third Reich. He at least had the common sense to realize, that to be a powerful empire, you had to have a manufacturing base. Had we not had a strong manufacturing base, we wouldn't have defeated him. Even China realizes that fact.

People need stuff and want stuff. All kinds of stuff. Stuff to make 'em happy, and stuff to help 'em work. Even stuff they don't really need. However, there is one very important component in stuff........ it has to be manufactured.

Those orchestrating the development of the American Empire believe it can be done with the financial and military/security sectors, with the remainder serving as serfs in the service sectors.

Look at the employment in this country today.

First, we have the Financial/Political sector.

I link these two together because they have become intrinsically inter-twined. They consider themselves to be the brightest of the bright and the smartest in the land. I guess, to a degree, they're right. They have fooled the majority into believing it, and letting them get away with anything they want. The Corporatists also fall into this category.

Next, we have the Military/Security sector.

On the Federal level -----
FBI
CIA
ATFE (expanded from ATF)
Secret Service
ICE
Military
U.S. Marshall Service
Homeland Security
and dozens of lesser-known agencies. All, of who's budgets have skyrocketed over the last decade or two.

On the State level -----
State Police
Investigative Units
Corrections Departments
Parole and Probation Departments
National Guard Units
and also a host of lesser-known agencies.

On the local level -----
Sheriff Departments
Local Police Departments
Enforcement Departments

In addition to all those, the government, at all levels, has an ever-expanding Judicial System replete with a vast array of liberty-infringing laws designed to corral the masses. Their Authoritarian Heads are more than willing, actually quite eager, to severely punish any who will not conform to their slightest whim; yet simultaneously turning a blind-eye to egregious violations committed by those in their sectors.

The thing all of the afore-mentioned have in common is this: The average citizen does not have the right to question their authority without risking harsh retribution.

On the private level -----
A myriad of private security, ranging from the lowly security guard at construction sites and malls, to mercenaries like Blackwater and Triple Canopy.

Then we have the Service sector.

These are the ~~fast-food~~ Culinary Arts workers, the ~~drones~~ Associates at the local Mao-Mart, ~~grass-cutters~~ Lawncare Specialists, ~~hotel/motel~~ Hospitality workers, and dozens of other low-paying ~~jobs~~ occupations.

Although empires always seem quite viable in their ascension, they never have been, or never will be, sustainable. Don't just take this ole weasel's word for it either, go get a few history books and read it for yourselves.

It's hidden in plain view, staring us in the face and laughing at us; and we say,
"Naaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, No Way, Dude".

Prayin' for an American Epiphany,
Wally da Weasel

The War on Drugs

2009-03-28T00:50:00.004-05:00

........and the reasons it will never end.

I will start by saying, I don't consider marijuana to be a drug. It is a naturally growing plant or herb, and is neither manufactured, nor chemically processed. I find it ludicrous, absurd, and down-right farcical to class it as a Schedule I narcotic along with things like cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin. I believe that de-criminalizing and legalizing marijuana would have huge societal benefits. In addition to providing astronomical tax revenues, it is my opinion, that legalizing marijuana would reduce the use of drugs such as heroin and cocaine, along with many prescription drugs.

The reasons for it's prohibition, although widely varied, all boil down to two things: Money and Power. The government, and most of the brain-dead populace that supports this so called 'War on Drugs', like to blame it on the big mean nasty drug cartels. However, it is not the cartels that spend hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying and promoting the prolonging of this un-winnable so-called 'war'.

When it comes to generating profits, the cartels are near the bottom of the totem pole. Sure, drug profits are in the billions, but that pales in comparison to what is being hauled in by corporate and government interests. And therein lies the reasoning for perpetuating the farce known as the War on Drugs.

Corporate and Banking interests make obscene amounts of money, both through financing and money-laundering of the drug trade. The government, and it's agents too, have had their greedy hands in it. Iran/Contra and the Afghanistan poppy trade are but two examples (remember the Taliban had all but eradicated it before we came to the rescue and revived it).

Then we have the seizure laws, Federal, State, and Local. Hundreds of millions, if not billions, in drug money is seized annually, and probably just as much, if not more, in assets such as cars, planes, boats, houses, etc.

In addition to the seizure laws, the Federal Government doles out 100s of millions in grants. Which is used, in part, to equip police with armored personnel carriers, humvees, high powered assault weapons, and body armor; which sums up as combat gear.

Legalizing marijuana would put a crimp on those perverted *ssholes that have a fetish to dress up like some kind of ninja commandos and kick doors down in the middle of the night, busting someone for a bag or two of weed. All you have to do is watch any of the SWAT or COPS shows on TV, to see the jack-booted gestapo tactics they use. They sit around in the briefing rooms, salivating and getting woodies, as they plan out their raids. You see them all acting like giddy little girls ready to wet their pants with orgasmic pleasure after making a 'successful' raid. And that's just the stuff they allow to be shown. Imagine what's left on the cutting room floor.

The Courts too, profit immensely, along with massive armies of lawyers and Bail Bondsmen. They then split the business up with the Department of Corrections and the Probation Departments, who then pass on some business to the crony-connected over-priced Diversions and Rehab Programs. There's big bucks there, folks.

And we can't forget about Big Pharma. All those 'legal' drugs. Prescription drugs sold 'on the street' still make tremendous profits for them. Very few people have the knowledge, skill, or raw materials to manufacture Oxy-contin, Valium, Quaalude, Xanax et al; but ANYBODY can grow a pot plant. If more people got their 'cure' from cannabis, where would they hawk their pills?

The same applies to the Brewers and Distillers.

There's also the Arms and Munitions Manufacturers and Dealers. They supply the weapons and ammunition to both sides. They're helped out by law enforcement destroying the captured and confiscated weapons, thereby creating a never-ending demand that needs to be filled.

And finally, the most probable core reason of all: Marijuana makes people happy. If there's one thing this Fascist Plutocracy can't stand to see, it's happy peasants.

I'm Goin' Green,
Brother Tim

A Clarification

2009-03-26T02:30:00.003-05:00

.........of my frustration.

Miss Hallie read my post yesterday and noted that I have been having an 'angry tone' in my political observations of President Obama. I have also had some commentators (you know who you are) chastise me with things like 'give the guy a friggen break'. I've also heard talk of how 'complicated and complex' things are, and how 'he's new to the job', or 'he's only been there for two months', or 'government moves slowly', blah, blah, blah.

I will try to explain my position on these matters. To begin with, after 18 months of rigorous campaigning, I gave the man 'a friggen break' on November 4th, 2008 when I cast my ballot for him.

These are complicated and complex issues we're dealing with. This is the standard platter of steaming bullsh*t that's dished out every time politicians don't want to deal with something. It gives them a feeling of superiority, like they're smarter than the average people, and we just can't possibly understand what is being dealt with. It is usually followed by, "Trust us, we're doing what's best for you and the country". These things are only made to seem 'complicated and complex' for their own self-aggrandizement. More often than not, the solutions are quite rudimentary and simple. The major problem is, the solutions would dig into the pocketbooks of the wealthy minority, with quite a few of them being the politicians themselves.

He's new on the job. Give ME 'a friggen break'. The man didn't hop off the turnip truck at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave on January 20 and be forced to assume the Presidency. He's an educated man who has studied the office since God knows when.

He's only been there for two months. While as true as that might be, he has been actively running for the office for more than two years. In the last year alone, he has had, literally, hundreds of advisers helping him shape his agenda. Between 11/4/08 and 1/20/09 he has had the most comprehensive transition team in Presidential history. So this isn't a matter of 'on the job training'. He knew what he wanted to accomplish, and had a very good idea of what he would have to do to attain it. He, and the Democrat Party, won by very large margins. This was a mandate given to them by the voters (of which I'm one) to straighten out this mess created by the last 8 years of Republican mis-rule. Obama and the Democrats promised change, immediate change.

Government moves slowly. Another line of crap! They only move slowly if it will benefit the poor and working classes, or negatively affect the wealthy corporate ruling class. Think about it. How slow did it move when they wanted to adopt the fascist Patriot Act, the Iraq War, the un-constitutional Military Commissions Act, the immunity for the Tele-coms, the TARP Bail-out for the banks, or the tax-cuts for the already obscenely wealthy? That stuff was drafted and sailed through Congress in less time than it takes to get a car loan. The list goes on and on; but when it comes to helping the poor with health care, or home-owners under the threat of foreclosure, or energy independence, or undoing all the damage done by 8 years of the Bush Administration, well, 'That's complicated and will take awhile'. By the way, has anyone but me noticed that when all the talk about alternative energies started heating up, the price of oil took a nose-dive?

Am I angry? You betcha! And my anger stems from my frustration at seeing politics largely remaining status quo. I'm sick and tired of hearing about all this bi-partisan bullsh*t. Forty one Republican Senators is as good as an overwhelming majority. I believe we need to start using the Republican definition of bi-partisanship: 'This is the way we're gonna do it. Like it or lump it'.

Obama and the Dems promised swift change. The voters believed them, and gave them the mandate. What the hell are they afraid of? Oh yeah, the rich and wealthy corporatists who really pull their strings.

This is what peaceful revolution at the ballot box produces. Zilch. Rise up, my fellow citizens, and fight for what is rightfully ours. Wake up now, lest you awake in the near-future under total subjugation.

The Time Is Now,
Brother Tim

Naivity or Collusion?

2009-03-25T02:35:00.001-05:00

What is the impetus of Obama's economic plans?

Giving Obama the benefit of the doubt, I will believe (for now) that he has the best interests of the country at heart. Having said that though, here are four reasons his economic plans will not work:

1) Tim Geithner
2) Larry Summers
3) Ben Bernanke
4) Robert Rubin

I'm feeling a bit lazy right now, and don't feel up to the task of providing a bunch of links; but you can google any names you're not familiar with. They are all tied together as either mentors or proteges of each other. To top that off, they are all worshippers of Alan Greenspan.

This is analogous to the old saws of having 'the fox guarding the hen house' or 'the wolf watching over your sheep'. These men are neither independent nor progressive thinkers. They are indoctrinated and ingrained with the financial philosophies that got us into this mess to begin with. A leopard cannot change his spots.

I understand that Obama is a Constitutional Lawyer and Social Activist, and not an expert on Economics, hence his reliance on people he feels know more about the subject than he. That leads to my post title question.

Has he used good sound judgement on his picks? Not in my estimation. The common denominator linking all four of these men together is accumulation of wealth and power for themselves and their financially elite cronies. They have no compassion or concern for the well-being of this country, nor the people in it.

They know what many suspect, but are afraid to verbalise: America is bankrupt. Their goal right now, as it has been forever, is to keep this hidden until every last possible asset is firmly in their grasp. It is just like when a company goes belly-up, the employees steal everything they can get their hands on, all the way down to the light bulbs and toilet paper. When all is said and done, they will have theirs and screw everybody else. So what, if things are only worth 5 cents on the dollar? Most billionaires will still be billionaires and a lot of millionaires will still be millionaires. They may no longer be worth 100 million, but they will still have 5 million. It is the poor working saps who have their life-savings wiped out that will be the ones bearing the brunt of the pain. The ultra-rich will still be ultra-rich. This is the reasoning behind all the exorbitant salaries and multi-million dollar compensation and bonus packages. This is also the reason why those in power refuse to reign in these abuses.

Alors, my question, once again: Is Obama naive, or is he in collusion?

A Poor Man's Observation,
Brother Tim

Hummingbird Lane

2009-03-22T05:30:00.002-05:00

Ahhhhhhh..........The wonders of nature.

I guess I'm internally wired with some sort of protection device that prevents my head from exploding. All of the corruption, evilness, and wickedness that abounds in this world, and the apathy and complacency people have for it, is sometimes more than I care to handle.

The following was sent to me, via e-mail, from my sister-in-law and Blog of Revelation friend, LakeGranny. This post, combined with my two previous posts about butterflies and Sarah 'Mooselini' Palin, may seem like I'm turning this blog into some kind of feel-good nature blog; but y'all can rest assured this is NOT the case. It's just that 'protection device' kicking in.

HUMMINGBIRD LANE

This is something I have never seen before, or ever even heard of. This woman lives in a Hummingbird fly zone. As they migrated, about 20 of them were in her yard. She took the little red dish, filled it with sugar water and this is the result. The woman is Abagail Alfano of Pine, Louisiana - she has been studying them daily and one morning put the cup from the feeder, with water in it, in her hand; as they had gotten used to her standing by the feeder they came over to her hand. She says in touching they are as light as a feather. Abagail also said, 'if she had known her husband was taking pictures she would have put on makeup.'

How cool is that?

About two years ago, I was working in my backyard and sat down to take a rest. I heard a buzzing sound, and about 4 to 6 inches in front of my face, I saw, what I first believed to be a very large Bumble Bee. As I was preparing to swat it away, I noticed it was a Hummingbird. For approximately 15-20 seconds, time stood still as we checked each other out. Knowing the excitement that encounter afforded me, I can only imagine the joy and wonderment this woman must have experienced.

Thanks and a Tip 'o da Hat to LakeGranny

With the Love of Nature,
Brother Tim

Beauty and Innocence

2009-03-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

A little Midwestern Photo-Blogging

On St. Pat's Day (our Anniversary), Miss Hallie and I drove out to Chesterfield, Mo., about 45 minutes from St. Louis to see the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House at Faust Park. I keep calling it a Butterfly Sanctuary, but it is really a Conservatory. It's 8,000 sq ft of glass and a very impressive piece of architecture.

It houses around 80 butterfly species and 150 tropical plant species. Since the life-span of a butterfly ranges from 3 to 6 weeks depending on the species, they have chrysalids (butterfly pupa) shipped in daily from around the world. The Conservatory has a meandering pathway that winds through the lush vegetation filled with waterfalls and water-lily ponds. Near the end of the pathway, as you approach the exit, there's a section called "Miracle of Metamorphosis" which features butterflies emerging from their chrysalis. It's hard to believe that I could live over 59 years, and never witnessed that. It was amazing. I was so enthralled, I forgot to take a picture of it. I did find out that it is extremely difficult to photograph butterflies in flight. They said there were approximately 10,000 butterflies in there. They were swarming everywhere, but my camera was not fast enough to freeze them in flight. I did get several pictures of some at rest though.

Blue Morpho

Morpho peleides

Costa Rica

The underside of the wings of two Blue Morphos

(Paper Kite hanging from leaf)

Paper Kite

Idea leuconoe

Malaysia/Philippines

Blue Gredan
Heliconios sara
Central and South America

Owl Butterfly
Cailigo memnon
Central and South America
(Dining on bananas)

After leaving the Conservatory, we went and took a spin on the Carousel. The Carousel was built in 1920 by the Dentzel Company of Philadelphia. It has about 60 hand-carved wooden horses and deers. It has been totally refurbished and is in a climate-controlled building to insure it's preservation.

Although most people, and dictionaries, consider Carousels and Merry-Go-Rounds to be synonymous, there is a distinct difference to amusement ride manufacturers. Carousels turn counter-clockwise, while Merry-Go-Rounds turn clockwise. Talk about trivia you may need next week, huh?

One of the half-dozen deer on the right

Miss Hallie on her steed

We were somewhat apprehensive when we first arrived, as there were scores of people with children (we forgot it was Spring Break). Those fears quickly dissipated as we saw their awe-struck, wide-eyed innocence and their thirst for knowledge of nature. It also brought back many fond memories to hear the excitement in their laughter as they enjoyed the galloping horses on the Carousel.

The Carousel worked it's magic, mystically transporting us back to a time of Beauty and Innocence.................. and we were children, once again.

To Simpler Times,
Brother Tim

Having A Little Trouble

2009-03-18T05:00:00.000-05:00

Getting my pictures of the Butterfly Sanctuary and the Carousel ride uploaded.

As I continue to work on it, here's an interesting thing I found on my Traffic Feed.

Wasilla, Alaska arrived from linkreferral.com on "Blog of Revelation".

The OS was Windows Vista. It HAS to be Sarah. It's just GOT to be. I KNEW she was winking at ME during the debate. I just KNEW it.

All Hail Mooselini,
Brother Tim

Happy St Paddy's Day !

2009-03-17T10:20:00.006-05:00

Today, March 17, 2009, marks the 34th Anniversary of the marriage between Miss Hallie and I. Talk about the Luck-o-the-Irish! What a marvelous time it's been! The two who are most responsible for what I am today, are God and Miss Hallie. I don't have a picture of God, soooo..................................

Actually, there were a couple of times she said something about being God, but I think she was joking?

As you can tell, I'm not one of those dumb Irishmen who was gonna forget his anniversary. I do too much other dumb sh*t, so I married the lass on St Patrick's Day 1975. Haven't forgotten a one.

We're getting ready to take a short trip (an hour or so) to Chesterfield, Mo., to see a butterfly sanctuary and some other stuff. I'm taking the camera, so if I get any decent shots, I'll do a little photo-blogging when I get back this evening.

Tonight I'll be fixing my World Famous Corned Beef and Cabbage. Haven't even put a pot on, but can smell it already.

Happy Paddy's Day,
Brother Tim

The Tree of Deception

2009-03-15T04:01:00.000-05:00

.........and the bitter fruit it bears.

A lie is a lie is a lie is a lie.

Lies come in a myriad of forms. There are bald-faced lies and little white lies; lies by word parsing and lies by omission. The most dangerous and damaging though (in my opinion), are the lies of ignorance.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Exodus 20:16

How simple is that? If you say, or repeat, something that is not true; you are, in effect, bearing false witness.

For a lie to take root and become viable, it must be nurtured by one in a position of trust or authority. Family, friends, political leaders, pastors, preachers, et al, all fall into those categories. This is where personal responsibility comes into play; for everyone has, to some degree, an influence on others around them.

This is especially true for those who hold positions of political or spiritual authority, for their perpetuation gives credence to the lies. With the information super-highway virtually accessible to everyone, the truth is readily available. But laziness and apathy are the roadblocks that keep many from moving forward to truth.

It is the flaw in the nature of man to seek justification in place of truth. I have said many times, "The easiest and most gullible person to fool, is that person staring back at you in the mirror". Looking for justification, we can literally convince ourselves of anything.

I grow weary, when asking for references, to hear things such as: 'The President says...', 'My Senator says...', 'My Pastor says...', etc, etc. The MSM is also complicit. In days of old, journalists were the seekers of truth; but now, as they have succumbed to conglomeration and monopolization, they have become the de facto foot-soldiers in the 'War on Truth' . The plutocrats for whom they work, lay the battle plans, and they march forward without question. Any journalist who pushes too hard for the truth, will either find themselves in the unemployment line at best, or at worst, in the graveyard.

Using this information as a foundation, I will describe what I see as the genesis of the current situation this country (and the world) now faces. It was birthed by greed and nurtured by lies, and the lies are perpetuated and preserved on a widespread scale. So much so, they are now considered the 'new truth'.

The cardinal lie, and the one that could quite conceivably destroy mankind (and the planet), is: Muslims are evil. This lie has propagated many other lies. Muslims want to take over the world. Muslims want to kill all Christians and Jews. Blah, blah, blah.

I am a Christian and no Muslim apologist. However, being a Christian, means I must search for and reveal truth when I see it. Are there some radical Muslims that fit the aforementioned descriptions? Absolutely. But there are many more Christians and Jews that feel the same way about Muslims, hence the lies.

If those in power had been honest and said they wanted to subjugate or drive the Muslims from their lands in order to steal their resources, the American people, in their goodness, would not have stood still for it.

It is both a pity and a shame, that 99% of those 'good christians' and 'good jews' have never even held, much less read or studied the Qur'an, which they so bombastically deride as evil. Here are just a few verses from that 'intrinsically evil' book.

So remember all the bounties of Allah and do not evil, making mischief in the earth.
Surah al-A'raf 7:73b

O my people! Give full measure and full weight in justice, and wrong not people in respect of their goods. And do not evil in the earth, causing corruption.
Surah Hud 11:84

God does not prohibit you, regarding those who do not fight you or drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them. Indeed, God loves those who are just.
Surah al-Mumtahinah 60:8

That is Scripture, albeit not canonized Christian Scripture, but Scripture nonetheless. The Apostle Paul exhorted in one of his pastoral epistles:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
2Timothy 3:16

Note the first two words. He said 'ALL SCRIPTURE', not just the 66 canonized books in the catalogue we refer to as the Holy Bible. In fact, when Paul penned those words from a Roman prison in A.D. 67, a lot of the New Testament had yet to be written, let alone canonized.

So why are these lies so harmful to the future of America and the World? Because the Muslim population is estimated at between 1.4 and 2 billion. According to the CIA World Factbook, the countries of Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan, all have populations of 96-99% Muslims.

Can anyone in their right mind honestly think, or say, that the way to peace is trying to piss off this region of the world? Another well-circulated lie is that the Muslims are all looking towards Armageddon and Martyrdom. Methinks it might be the 'good christians' that are wanting to hasten it.

And that, my friends, is the obvious truth.

Praying for Peace,
Brother Tim

Doggone It!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-14T04:47:00.003-05:00

I decided to put the Followers gadget in my sidebar. I found that in order to do so, I had to switch to the 'new' Blogger. Well, I got the gadget installed alright, but in the process, lost just about everything I had on my old sidebar. I can't even get back to see what I had (they said they would save the old one, haha).

I am extremely frustrated right now. It's a curse getting old and becoming 'stuck in your ways'. If anyone has any advice for me (Jim, Betmo, anybody?), please drop me an 'e' or leave a comment.

Anyhooooo, I'd appreciate having anyone adding themselves to my Followers List in the sidebar, so all this destruction is not in vain.

C'est la vie,
Brother Tim

A Wally Special

2009-03-08T15:35:00.011-05:00

No Soapbox this Week, Friends

I'm still recovering from my surgery. The stitches have come out, but I'm still not at 100%. I've always felt a weak rant was worse than no rant at all.

Alors, I thought we could use a little feel-good stuff. Bro got this video from one of his ole seafaring buddies in Florida, Cap'n Cliff. It's an animation of US Airways Flight 1549's landing in the Hudson River. It is overdubbed with the actual tower-to-plane radio transmission. It's amazing what can happen in less than two minutes.

......And the man God placed at the controls............

Photo Copyright & Source: Safety Reliability Methods, Inc.

Safety Reliability Methods, Inc. Founder Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, III is a captain for a major U.S. airline with over 40 years of flying experience. A former U.S. Air Force (USAF) fighter pilot, he has served as an instructor and Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) safety chairman, accident investigator and national technical committee member.

There is no such thing as coincidence.

With Bro's Help,
Wally da Weasel

Avarice

2009-03-07T03:45:00.004-06:00

The enemy of altruism.

Jim, at An Average American Patriot, had a post yesterday on the profligacy of the Republican Party. He ended the post with this sentence:

This party should just die out soon because the American people see that they do not stand for the American way: truth, justice for all but only a return to Bush's Fascist Republican policies!

Commenting on this wishful thinking, I responded: "There will always be a Republican Party. They may change the name, but the players will remain the same."

I do not agree that, 'the American people see that they do not stand for the American way'. Sure, there are some of us that see it, but we are in a small minority. Many are firm believers in the Republican ideology, and the rest, including many Democrats, are just apathetic simpletons. They'll sit impotent, glued to American Idol, until it directly affects them, and by then it will be too late.

This is not something that will be changed by the ballot box alone. For it is not just the politicians; nor is it just the corporatists and bankers. It also includes all of their poor, pathetic minions. Y'all know some of them. They're members of your communities, possibly even your neighbors. Some may not even realize their complicity, but that does not negate the fact of the matter. Who are these people?

Many are employed in the Defense Industry. The people who make missiles, bombs, and bullets. The ones who design, manufacture, and assemble the delivery systems such as fighter jets, bombers, missile launchers, unmanned aerial drones, etc, etc. The weapons of death and destruction. Also included are many in the military, who blindly follow orders from cowardly leaders who lack the courage themselves, to rain death on innocent woman and children from 30,000 feet in the air. When confronted with the reality of exactly what it is they are doing, they respond with flaccid excuses.

I've heard them all. 'I have to pay my bills', 'I have a family to support', 'Jobs are hard to come by', 'I need my pension', I'm doing it for my country', ad nauseum, ad infinitum.

These jobs pay good, average $25 or $30/hr with benefits like medical insurance and pensions. They have to, no one would do such despicable work for minimum wage. They laugh, and revel in their illusions; living in big houses, driving their SUVs, stuffing their 401ks, and saying to themselves, "I'm gettin' mine, screw everybody else". It's a tragic thing though, because the Lord will not hold them guiltless. At some point, all things will be held to account.

Jim is right on target though, with his recognition of the Fascist State. Unfortunately, it is not 'coming', it is already here. Maybe not as severe as some historical models, but it hasn't reached fruition yet. Yes, even with Obama at the helm, it is on it's charted course.

A quote that is often attributed to Huey P Long or Sinclair Lewis goes something like, "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the American flag".

Take a close look at our police departments, terrorist task forces, intelligence gathering communities, and the hair-bristler of them all, the Department of Homeland Security. The word 'Homeland' alone conjures up horrifying images in my mind. Adolf Hitler loved the word. Then we have that fascist manifesto, all lipsticked up, and called the Patriot Act. The people took to that faster than a rat to cheese. We are now, caught firmly in the snare. Avarice is the scourge of man. It is far more complex than simple greed.

The people employed in these fields are willing and committed to do whatever their bosses order them to do. This includes arresting their own mothers or gunning down their fellow citizens. They are given guns, badges, limited authority over their fellow man, and a certain degree of immunity. In return, they serve allegiance to those that order the atrocities.

The so-called 'security' we now see at airports, subways, government buildings, sporting events, and even concerts, has nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism; it is but a way to acclimate the American people to a police state, the Fascist State.

"Your papers.........we need to see your papers."

Your Comrade,
Brother Tim

Joy and Hope

2009-03-06T04:30:00.003-06:00

Joy from the past and hope for the future can make a wonderful present.

As I sit in reflection of the past, I realize that, on the whole, I remember the good times much more vividly than the bad times. After reading Betmo's post yesterday on Great Depression Cooking, I thought back to my own childhood of 'cheap meals'. They weren't prepared due to frugality or 'cheapness', but out of necessity. In retrospect, they were some of the happiest and most filling meals I've eaten. We didn't complain about what we weren't eating, and were grateful for the food we had. We had steak maybe twice a year, and a roast every couple of weeks. We considered it a treat. Our meals consisted of countless rice-based recipes. We enjoyed pancakes that were made with flour, eggs, and water, topped with molasses bought at the cane fields.

The same goes for other things. A family of five, we had one automobile, one television (with 3 channels), and a full-time Mother that was there whenever we needed her. Sure, there were hand-me-down clothes, but hey, they were new to us.

There is a distinct difference between hope and expectation. When hope is fulfilled it brings joy. When expectations are fulfilled it creates a mindset of entitlement. We were taught, not to keep up with the Jones', but to be happy for them.

I had moved out on my own before my family got their first color TV or air conditioning. Complaining births negativity. We were happy and grateful for what we had. Did we hope for more? Absolutely. But we did not expect it.

We would get in our 12 year old Buick every Sunday after church, and go on little family day trips enjoying the sights and people we'd meet along the way. Maybe stop for some ice cream, a malt, or some boiled peanuts. Without the grip of expectations, disappointments were kept to a minimum.

Evil will never be eradicated from this world, and world peace may never be attained. Avarice and lust, be it for money, blood, or power, will never be eliminated from the human genome as a whole. But individually, each one of us has the power to generate joy and hope in our own lives, and by extension, to those we come in contact with. We need to be thankful for what we DO have, not pining for the things we DON'T have. Learn to appreciate the simple things of life. A cool breeze on a hot Summer's day, the simple beauty of creation, the happy giggling of a child at play, the smell of freshly mowed grass. All the things that make this such a wonderful world. So adorn yourselves with the most precious, priceless thing you can wear...............A Smile.

Here's a fellow New Orleanian that grew up in the bowels of poverty, but never complained. Instead he gave credit to it for his happiness.

Satchmo Was Right,
Brother Tim

Jesus Swept

2009-03-04T18:18:00.003-06:00

Another 'first' for the Blog of Revelation.

Book reviews are something I never would have imagined here. But last Thursday on the BlogTalk Radio Show, 'And, yes, I DO take it personally', (co-hosted by Profmarcus and Brother Tim), our guest was James Alexander Protzman, an author from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. You can listen to the interview by clicking the above link, and going to the archived episode 2/26/2009.

Fortunately for me, James was willing to give an extended interview, as Profmarcus was experiencing technical difficulties in Kabul, Afghanistan.

It was a wonderful interview, with James being a most gracious and interesting guest. His new book, Jesus Swept, had just been published this past December. I wish I had discovered it sooner, as it would have made marvelous Christmas presents. Now, I haven't written a book review since my grade school 'Book Report' days, so bear with me, and cut me a little slack.

This is NOT what I would consider a 'religious' book by any means, but does have a deep underlying thread of 'spirituality'.

It is an exhilarating read, with intriguing character constructions; including a Duke University fund-raising director, hillbilly druggie fraternal twins, a redneck racist Marine, hippie-like Jesus-freaks from another time, and a few more. It's a deeply affecting story of one community's tumultuous engagement with society-at-large. Irreverent, cheeky, imaginative, and a tad perverse, it is a humorous, yet tragic tale, that is both rueful and razor-sharp.

Living on the Gulf Coast most of my life, the landscape descriptions had me smelling the salty air as I turned from page to page. Since childhood, I have always had a great love for those prehistoric birds, the pelicans. At the risk of sounding nuttier than some of y'all already think I am; about 30 years ago, I had a telepathic experience with a pelican (that's a post in itself). With that in mind, you can imagine the chills I got when I read this excerpt at the close of the second chapter.

On the next breath Liz looks up to see three brown pelicans gliding over the crest of the dune, sailing above the grasses that hold the sand in place. They slip past silent, nearly in her reach. The last pelican, she is sure, winks at her with a sad and ancient eye.
What's wrong? she almost thinks.
You cannot hold the threads.
Why not? she almost asks.
The pelican does not answer. It has said too much already.

The underlying theme to this book is, quite simply: Do Good. Be Nice. Have Fun. "These are the threads of life fully filled".

I highly recommend this book. The book is available on Amazon, and you can reach James Protzman's website to read other excerpts and information by clicking on the link or the book cover graphic above.

Since this was my first public attempt at a review; any comments, critiques, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Now, go get the book, you'll not regret it.

Peace and Grace,
Brother Tim

No Tongue In Cheek This Time

2009-03-01T09:41:00.003-06:00

This really IS just what I needed.

It's a twofer day at the Blog of Revelation. When I told Wally I wanted to 'bump' his 'Soapbox' today to make room for this, I guess he sensed my excitement, because he matter-of-factly said, "Whatever floats your boat, Bro. When you go out for bakery goods, make mine raspberry tarts". It sounded more like an order than a request, but I digress.

The last few months have not been any of the high points of my life. Every day I would awake, and wonder what test the devil was wont to lay on me next. I was finally able to generate enough ballast to provide the buoyancy to lift me to the top of that melancholy sea that was threatening to drown me. Breaking free from the anchor of depression, I found new joy amongst the living.

My blogging had virtually stopped for about three months, and I was concerned that I had lost my readership, as my traffic had all but flat-lined.

After the first half-dozen posts, traffic had been on a slow gradual rise, and then had a small spike. Looking at my Traffic Feed, I happened to notice several hits being directed from the Huffington Post. It had me thinking that three-word question that begins with, 'What the.......'. I tracked it back, and lo and behold, the HuffPo had linked to my post 'Judgement and Forgiveness'.

I read the Huffington Post just about every day and must have either skimmed over it, or missed it completely. I don't believe I could have been any more happy, or amazed, if the New York Times had run my URL as their headline! Now, I know this is no big thing for a lot of Bloggers, but to me and my crappy little blog, this is like getting a Pulitzer Prize nomination (notice--I didn't say 'winning' it).

That was spirit-lifter number one.

It must have been my day for missing things, because I found blessing number two when I went to visit my friend Betmo, at Life's Journey. My heart was warmed as I found Betmo had bestowed upon me, the most prestigious,

Blogger Friendship Award

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”

I have found my blogging-buddies to be some of the most sensitive, caring, and loving people around. Though they may not be physically 'in-your-face', they are always there to give of their time, effort, and understanding when you need it. THAT is the greatest gift a friend can give. Even though we may have differing points of view at times, we stay connected through that common golden thread, the human heart.

Betmo was given the Award by Naj, at Neo-Resistence. I would think that giving the award to Naj, who already has it might be considered an act of laziness, but in this situation, it is morally imperative. Although we differ in age, gender, ethnicity, culture, religion, and I'm sure other things as well, I discern in her a good heart. I am both happy and proud of that golden thread that links us, as well as it joins together all the rest of my picks. Here they are, and if any are unfamiliar to anyone, I would ask that you drop in and see them. They may prove to be new friends for you. Friends are a form of love, and as anyone knows, you just can't get too much of that. I was limited to eight, but for some of my favs who had already gotten the award, and others, where there wasn't enough room, I offer my heart and my prayers.

Neo-Resistence --- Naj

And, yes, I DO take it personally --- Profmarcus

AWOP TeamZine --- A Progressive Girl

Adored By Hordes --- MarcLord

International Political Will --- Wil Robinson

Mike's Mixed Memories --- Mike S

Reconstitution 2.0 --- Jolly Roger

The River --- Bruce

Lookin' For Love In All The Right Places,
Brother Tim

Just What I Needed

2009-02-28T03:47:00.006-06:00

....................to feel talentless.

CHOPSTICKS

One of the first songs anyone learns to play on the piano is Chopsticks. It is, in it's original arrangement, a song so simple to learn and play, that almost anyone can quickly master it.

It was written by a 16 yr old British girl, named Euphemia Allen, and first published in 1877. The original name of the composition was 'The Celebrated Chop Waltz'. Instructions printed on the sheet music read: "This must be played with both hands turned sideways, the little fingers lowest, so that the movements of the hands imitate the chopping from which this waltz gets its name."

Children (and many adults) found it easier to play with just the two forefingers, which gave the appearance of someone using 'chopsticks'. It then took on the name 'Chopsticks Waltz', and then referred to as just plain 'Chopsticks'.

Since I have lost about 40% use of my right hand, I have been re-teaching myself a predominantly left hand playing technique on the piano. I find the progress to be painfully slow. Miss Hallie says I'm sounding a lot better.

Now, I have been a musician for 45 years, and consider myself to have a pretty good ear for music. I'm not impressed with what I'm hearing. She either has a tin ear, or she's just trying to make me feel better. Either way, I love her just the same.

As I was checking in at the poor-man's Juilliard (YouTube) to see if I could pick up a few tips on left hand playing techniques, I stumbled across the following video.

This is made by a girl who is also just 16 yrs old. Her playing (with both hands) left me awe-struck. She is a piano prodigy, and plays with some fairly unorthodox techniques. Some things to take notice of are the paddling bass octaves starting at 1:50 and 1:57 and the soft, flat-hand glissandos played with the right hand throughout the piece.

Her brother shot the video, and says she wrote the arrangement. His exact words were, "She made it up". She plays by ear and does not use sheet music.

Janna playing Chopsticks

This girl's got a great future ahead of her. One thing is for certain, no matter how bad things get, she'll never have to work for a living. Any good musician will tell you, "Good musicians don't work for a living".

Here's Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, Sting, and Phil Collins, together at the Montserrat Trbute 1997, explaining it.

I Gotta Go Practice,
Brother Tim

Judgement and Forgiveness

2009-02-27T03:02:00.009-06:00

Watcha Gonna Do?

While researching through the archives at the Washington Post, I came across an article that really set me thinking.

I am the first to admit, that Christianity has more than it's fair share of hypocrites. I'll also note that it has an unusually high number of misinformed, or at best, ill-informed members. This article gives rhyme and reason to those observations.

The piece was written by the Rev Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, a Professor of Theology at Chicago Theological Seminary, past president of CTS from 1998-2008, and currently a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.

Now, I have serious problems with everything in the preceding paragraph, but that is a post (or two) unto itself. What I want to deal with today, is the article itself.

I will provide a few snippets. If you care to read the full article (it's not long), click on the link in the article title. The thing that first caught my eye, was the misspelling of the word 'saith' by a well-educated(?) Theologian.

Vengeance is Mine, Sayeth [sic] the Lord

It's a good thing I believe that judgment and forgiveness belong to God and do not depend on human action, especially mine. Perhaps Elizabeth Edwards has forgiven her husband; I know that speaking personally, I want to shake John Edwards until his bleached white, perfectly aligned teeth rattle like castanets.

[...]

If Elizabeth Edwards is able to let go of her anger at this betrayal and forgive, more power to her. It is not necessary either to her health or to the state of the soul of her husband that she do so, however. Women are constantly urged to "forgive and forget" their husband's infidelities or their violence or both--if they do not own their anger at this mistreatment, it actually can be more harmful to them than if they honestly admit to themselves and others how angry they really, really are and kick the bum out.

[...]

To think that John Edwards being forgiven somehow depends on his wife's action is a common misunderstanding about forgiveness. This view is wide-spread, though not well founded in the Christian tradition.

The common misperception is that the really faithful thing to do is "forgive and forget" so that the victimizer, the one who has perpetrated the harm, can "get right with God." In fact, the bible says that judgment and forgiveness are the work of God, not human beings.

The result of the "forgive and forget" pressure for the victim can be harmful. The victim, in addition to being victimized, does not need the additional pressure of being held hostage for the state of grace of the victimizer. The one who has been harmed needs grace and compassion, not transcendent pressure to be responsible for someone else's soul.

[...]

Reserving judgment and forgiveness for God frees victims from responsibility for the one who has harmed them, and it puts the focus where it belongs, on their healing; it means that the chief concern of faith is not with the sinner but with the sinned against.

Since this article was written by a Christian, all verses that I quote will be from the New Testament, as this is the Scripture upon which the Christian faith is founded. But rest assured, there are just as many verses of this nature in the apocryphal and pseudopigraphical scriptures, as well as in the Torah, the Qur'an, the Vedas, et al.

To begin with, it is NOT a good thing to believe that judgement and forgiveness are proprietary to God alone, nor that they do not depend on human action. Scripture says otherwise. In Koine Greek, in which the New Testament was written, there are several different words that were translated as 'judge', or any of it's tenses. In addition to that, many times the words have to be taken in the context in which they were written.

Most Christians like to hide behind Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. They like to hurl that verse out when being told something they don't want to hear. No one enjoys being told their feet stink. However, if they were to read verses 2 thru 5 they would understand what was meant in verse 1. Most must be using redacted Bibles that don't include verses such as 1Corinthians 6:2-5 2) Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3) Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life? 4) If then ye have judgements of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. 5) I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? No, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?

The same goes for forgiveness. It clearly states in Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And Matthew 6:14-15 14) For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15) But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Simply put, you must forgive to be forgiven.

Then, she finishes the first paragraph with wanting to commit violence on John Edwards, rather than help him with his iniquity.

Then, in the next paragraph listed, speaking of Elizabeth Edwards, she states it is not necessary, either to her health, or to the state of the soul of her husband, that she do so. Well, she's half-right. Elizabeth's forgiveness has nothing to do with the state of her husband's soul. It is necessary for her though, because as most people know, holding grudges and anger inside, is very detrimental to one's health. She ends by counseling to 'kick the bum out'.

She uses the term 'forgive and forget' loosely, four times in an eight paragraph article. Nowhere is this found in the NT. It is a man-made doctrine. Jesus warns in Mark 7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines, the commandments of men. Human forgiveness has absolutely nothing to do with the victimizer or perpetrator. Human forgiveness benefits the forgiver. The victimizer, alone, is responsible for the well-being of their soul. She claims it is a common misperception, that forgiving the victimizer helps the perpetrator 'get right with God'. I don't know who she's hanging out with, but in my 60 years of living, I can't remember ever hearing that.

She teaches a 'feel-good' and 'easy-street' Gospel, by 'reserving judgement and forgiveness for God', making Him do all the work. She preaches, 'It means that the chief concern of faith is not with the sinner, but with the sinned against'. She fails to understand that forgiveness IS a chief concern of faith. Divine forgiveness for the sinner, and human forgiveness for the sinned against.

She closes by arrogantly stating:

I think John Edwards still has a long way to go toward true repentance and reconciliation with his maker. I wish I could find it in my heart to wish him well in that, though I find I cannot at this point. It is, as I pointed out earlier in this post, a good thing that I am not God.

Only God truly knows the heart of John Edwards, and that is where repentance and reconciliation with his maker resides. If one cannot find it in their heart to forgive him, then they need to spend more time in their prayer closet, communing with God. If it still can't be found, especially by an ordained minister and a person in a position of spiritual authority, then they are better off holding their tongue. Inferring to the flock that it is A-OK to disregard any part of the Bible that can't be easily accomplished does a disservice to all involved.

Yes, it IS a good thing she is not God. Having an unforgiving, unmerciful, insensitive God, would be pure Hell.

Forgive Her, Lord,
Brother Tim

A Good Observation

2009-02-24T17:33:00.005-06:00

Of our President

Although I still have my fair share of doubts, I also share the following observation. Obama's performance, on many planes, has been lackluster at best. I can only hope that it is, somehow, a part of his overall strategy.

This post is a comment left by MarcLord at Adored By Hordes, to another of his commenters. It is referring to Obama's performance at the Fiscal Responsibility Summit. I felt the same as MarcLord did, and wondered why it got such light treatment in the MSM (I didn't really wonder). Ole Marc has a Golden Keyboard and a way with words (that's why he's on my Blogroll).

I watched Obama run the Senators at the fiscal responsibility summit yesterday and it was a thing of beauty. He's for real. It was like a professor leading a law class in front of a bunch of smartasses he's seen before and just effortlessly going kung fu on them.

McCain started off with the Marine One Price Scandal. Obama was prepped, said two sentences and when he was done McCain had sat back down and from the look on his face it quite literally appeared that he had been kicked in the balls and everybody in the room except McCain had belly laughed.

No matter what happens, this guy is my leader. Eisenhower is the only President I can think of with leadership abilities as high.

The only disagreement I have with this, is the words in that penultimate sentence: No matter what happens, this guy is my leader. Been there. Done that. Got the shaft for eight years running. I will be just as tough on him as I was on Bush; tougher, actually. He knows better!

His Justice Department, headed by Eric Holder, has already waffled in the courts on torture, renditions, illegal detainments, wire-tapping, and freedom of information disclosures. He seems more interested in upholding Bush's policies than reversing them. And Obama's CIA Chief, Leon Panetta, seems comfortable with extraordinary renditions, and now plans to use CIA Blacksites, 'business as usual'.

I will, for the time being, continue my support of the President; but I must say, He's skating on mighty thin ice.

Keepin' the Faith,
Brother Tim

Breaking News!!!!!!!

2009-02-23T00:25:00.022-06:00

This is BIG...............no,................

This is HUGE!!!!!!!

The Last Supper

Da Vinci's, Last Supper, is arguably the most universally recognized painting in the world today. For over 500 years, it has generated many questions; such as 'the hand with the dagger', 'the absence of the Holy Grail', 'what was Jesus saying', et al. This breaking news story puts that final question to rest.

After much theological and scriptural debate, it was assumed (up until now) that it was Jesus' narrative in John 13:21b Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

Now, after many years of translating and studying the extant ancient manuscripts; I, Brother Tim, have finally discovered the long-sought-after answer to that question.

So as to not keep y'all in suspense any longer, translated from the original Aramaic to modern English......

"Anybody who wants to be in the picture, get on this side of the table!"

Everybody Say, "Cheeeeeeese",
Brother Tim

A Simple Man's Logic

2009-02-16T01:48:00.006-06:00

Is sometimes better than the biggest think tanks.

Complex solutions are the machinations of man. More often than not, problems are solved with simple rudimentary answers. Even more often, the ones who are tasked with the remedies, usually complicate the solutions so as to make themselves appear superior.

I will state for the record, that even being on the low end of the 'food chain', I am opposed to ALL tax-cuts in any stimulus package. Especially corporate and upper-income taxpayers.

It has been proven time and again over these past eight years, that tax-cuts do absolutely nothing to stimulate the economy, nor do they do anything about reducing the deficit.

The figures I use below are hypothetical; they may be 10% or 50%, but the formula is still applicable.

The Problem: The economy is tanking, spending is shrinking, and tax revenue is on the decline. So what do our 'brilliant' politicians propose we do?

First, they give out $75 Billion to Insurers like AIG. Then, they turn around and dole out over $700 Billion (actual cost is estimated to be at least $1.3 Trillion). Have we seen our economy stimulated? Have we seen tax revenues increasing?

What to do next? Well, we create a stimulus package costing $779 Billion, with 38% of that in tax-cuts, the bulk of which will benefit the corporations and already obscenely wealthy.

Tax-cuts have not stimulated the economy. The super-rich and corporatists stuff the greenbacks in their mattresses, and the lower and middle class use the bulk of theirs to help pay down their debts. It's a win-win situation for the wealthy, they still end up with the majority of the money.

Now, for the logic with those hypothetical numbers.

The economy is in recession, and tax revenues plunge 25%. The geniuses in Washington then decide to cut the tax-rates by 25%, thereby shrinking tax revenues even more. This is not money that we have sitting around in some gigantic piggy-bank somewhere. So we borrow it from foreign countries.

Spending for infrastructure, entitlements, two illegal wars, and everyday running of the government continues to be needed, so we borrow some more. Hence, a ballooning and run-a-way deficit, and a soon-to-be overwhelming National Debt.

Now, let's use that kind of formula for our everyday lives.

The economy is tanking, so they cut our work week 25% to 30 hours. We decide to be 'patriotic' and help out by cutting our hours to 20 hours, so that others may also have some work. How do we then meet our bills? Easy. We borrow against our credit lines and credit cards. Maybe things will get better in the future. Maybe we'll hit the lottery and be able to pay off all our debts.

Then again, we will most likely hit our credit limits, have absolutely no money to meet essentials, and end up having to file for bankruptcy.

This is where the rub comes in. No one knows what the credit limit of the United States of America is. Even American Express will not give a credit limit of a gazillion dollars. What happens when we hit that limit? What happens when there are no more lenders?

The most shameful and embarrassing thing is, we are borrowing from countries like Japan, that are 1/25 our size in land mass, and 1/3 our size in population. Maybe we have the wrong people leading this country.

The main problem though, unlike the common man, there are no $20 Trillion Lotteries for the Government to hit. SOMEONE is gonna have to eat this debt.

Of well over 300 million people in this country, am I the ONLY simpleton that can see this? Someone needs to sit down and explain this to me.

And please don't give me that tired worn-out answer about it being extremely complicated.

What say y'all?

It's as Plain as the Nose on Your Face,
Brother Tim