As I See It (Subject To Change . . . )

ACORN busted

2009-09-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

An ACORN employee named Juan Carlos Vera, who used to work in the San Diego ACORN office until he was fired, seems to be crying NO FAIR!

"I never done anything wrong in my life," Vera said. "They destroyed my family."

The trouble with that is, he is caught ON TAPE offering to help smuggle under-age Central American girls into the U.S.A. by way of Tijuana using his "contacts." He also wanted to contract for the services of the supposed prostitute in his office.

The last I knew, human trafficking and soliciting for prostitution were both illegal. Even if they weren't, they are morally wrong.

If Mr. Vera engages in such behavior and manages to keep it from his family, he is also guilty of lying. That's wrong, too.

His family may be "destroyed" but it isn't the fault of the film makers. Mr. Vera needs to look in the mirror when he points fingers at who is to blame for his woes.

Tax on soda?

2009-09-18T07:13:00.000-07:00

There is a commercial running on TV in which a woman tells "government" not to tax sodas and juice drinks (a.k.a fruit-flavored sugar water) because it makes things too hard on families who are struggling to get by as it is.

I am all for lower taxes. There are too many taxes already and people are paying too much of their income into the bottomless hole of government programs.

HOWEVER, her reasoning leaves a lot to be desired. If times are so hard for her and her family, DON'T BUY THE STUPID SODAS IN THE FIRST PLACE!

If you don't buy them, it doesn't matter how much tax is on them because you won't be paying it.

They aren't good for you, anyway.

WAIT! This ad is sponsored by the people who make and sell juice drinks (a.k.a fruit-flavored sugar water) and sodas. They are TERRIFIED that you will figure out this is one tax you can so easily avoid if you don't buy their useless and unhealthy product!

Don't buy the products - don't pay the taxes. The companies lose, the government loses, but YOU WIN!

Jimmy Carter

2009-09-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

Jimmy Carter seems to think that if people don't agree with Barack Obama then people are racist.

Are you kidding me?

Does he really think that people have to agree with Obama's socialist destruction of America or they are RACIST?

Unbelievable.

Besides, what Obama says he believes in and what he says he is going to do depends on who he is talking to. That means what he says to group A can be polar opposite of what he says to group B. Are both groups racist because they disagree with what he told the other guys?

The Train Wreck That Is Jon & Kate Plus 8 - Part 2

2009-09-17T15:29:00.000-07:00

So sad.

You Lie!

2009-09-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

Joe Wilson told the truth. Barack Obama does not. Too bad Joe Wilson chose an inappropriate moment in time and an inappropriate place to point out that inconvenient but irrefutable truth.

It Begins In The Home

2009-09-07T06:54:00.000-07:00

"On the Job: Employers struggle with unprepared college grads" published in The Salt Lake City Tribune features the struggles employers deal with when they hire irresponsible immature self-centered children masquerading in adult college graduate bodies.

The article meandered around without ever establishing how this mess could happen.

Let me suggest that it happens at home, as the child grows up physically but is never taught to be a responsible adult.

Far too many parents pull their kids out of school for frivolous reasons such as vacations, trips to Disneyland at the parents' convenience, or for any other spur of the moment reason.

It may be dry, boring and fuddy duddy, but a kid's job is to be in school, and he or she should be there unless he or she is sick, or unless there is a real family emergency such as an accident or death in the family.

Another cause is that while parents may TELL their kids it is wrong to lie or steal, they don't actually live their lives that way. The child isn't taught that calling in sick when you are not sick is lying. The child isn't taught that when you are at work, you are exchanging what you have (skills) for what the employer needs. They are buying your time and your skills and paying you money for what you do for them.

>>EMPLOYERS ARE NOT PAYING EMPLOYEES TO SURF THE INTERNET OR TALK ON THE PHONE TO THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY! <<

Employees who accept pay while engaging in such behavior are guilty of theft.

The newly hired college grads featured in the article probably have no idea why they were fired. No one ever taught them such behavior is not acceptable in the workplace. That concept probably should be reinforced in the schools, but it need to be a lifelong mindset that begins at the beginning - at home.

The Train Wreck That Is Jon & Kate Plus 8

2009-08-29T17:04:00.000-07:00

I confess that I don't watch this show as much as some people do, for the same reason most people I know don't watch it at all: it is *REALLY* hard to watch Kate bash and totally disrespect Jon behind his back, to his face, in front of the kids, to the kids, and all on national TV.

As professing Christians, Jon is commanded to love his wife, and Kate is commanded to respect her husband.

That doesn't happen. At least there is no evidence of it.

I remember watching part of a re-run of the episode where they first went to Utah. Jon took off up the slopes and I remember thinking, "Oh my gosh! He looks like such a weight has been lifted off of him!" I had never seen him so free and relaxed.

To me that was the beginning of the end.

Did Jon get a taste of - or was he reminded of - what it felt like to be free of domination? And once he tasted liberation he just couldn't go back?

Who knows? Certainly not me!

FWIW, I am fully aware that no separation is totally the fault of one person. I have no idea how Jon behaved off camera and we did not see a whole lot of him on camera except in the interviews. Even then Kate did not seem to think he could do anything right. She seemed to find countless ways to belittle and humiliate him, such as the time she picked him to pieces for saying something like "lunch picnic" instead of "picnic lunch."

The media is paying a lot of attention to Jon lately and he has been behaving quite badly. Flailing around like a balloon that somebody just let the air out of is the best description I can think of.

Do neither of these people stop to think their kids will read ALL of this some day?

Are they still going to church?

Are they getting marital counseling?

Does Kate not realize that when it isn't her turn to be in charge, Jon has the right to bring people into the kids' lives that Kate might not like? Oops - unintended consequence here.

I just think this whole sordid mess is really sad and there are eight innocent victims.

What a shame.

I really hope both Jon and Kate get some Biblically based Christian counseling.

Sat It Ain't So!

2009-08-07T05:54:00.000-07:00

According to CNN, certain people are trying their best to do away with IE 6 and force people kicking and screaming in protest to upgrade to IE 8.

IMHO, that would be an absolutely terrible mistake.

I recently "upgraded" to IE 8 and was reminded once again that "New and Improved" is almost always always only half right. In the first few minutes - *MINUTES* - of use I discovered that not only did the screen look "funny" but the spell check feature of the Google Toolbar did not work, I was not able to listen to the radio online as I like to do while working on the computer, and every time I signed into a second G-Mail account IE 8 automatically signed me out of the first one "for my own protection."

You gotta be kidding me.

All that in just a few minutes? And this is supposed to be BETTER??????

I couldn't uninstall that "piece of work" fast enough.

I am quite happy with IE 6 and I will thank you meddling techies to leave well enough alone.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Miss California USA

2009-05-15T15:52:00.000-07:00

Beauty pageants are nothing new. The Biblical Esther became queen because she won a beauty pageant.

But the most recent Miss USA pageant got downright ugly.

Miss California answered a really loaded question with her honest opinion, an opinion shared with the majority of USA residents and citizens. However, the person who asked her the question has a different opinion.

When she gave her opinion he immediately launched into the most vicious, vile, profane and mean personal attacks imaginable. He didn't just disagree - he personally attacked her. He threw verbal temper tantrums and called her all sorts of derogatory names. His behavior exhibited a total lack of class.

And he wasn't the only one. She actually received death threats. Her mother had to get a new cell phone number.

Throughout this all, she has remained gracious and polite, respectful and tasteful. Says a lot for one so young.

In fact, the ONLY people who I have EVER heard say ANYTHING negative about her don't even know her.

The people who actually know her all say positive things about her. All of them.

Queen Esther was put where she was "for such a time as this." The same can be said about Carrie Prejean.

Obama is NOT Cutting the budget

2009-05-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

President Obama's team is lying about the "budget cuts" in Obama's 1,500-page, $3.5 trillion budget.

They are not cutting the budget. In fact, Obama's budget is over $400 billion larger than President Bush's 2009 budget and $100 billion larger than the bloated budget resolution Congress just passed!

The fact is, the budget Obama released this week is basically the same budget his team released two months ago in "outline" form...

--This is the largest budget ever proposed by a President with the largest deficits in American history.

--It adds over $9 trillion to the national debt -- doubling the total debt accumulated from the start of our country through the Bush presidency.

--It includes the Carbon Tax, which could be as high as $2 trillion.--It includes the massive socialized health care program.

--It even ignores the $3.4 trillion budget Congress passed and reverts to Obama's original $3.5 trillion budget.

+ + The "budget cut" slight of hand

What about those "budget cuts"? As the Chicago Tribune Reported, the "news" of the budget cuts grabbed the headlines even though the supposed "cuts" were all in Obama's original budget!

There is nothing new. No new budget cuts.

Obama has simply repackaged his bloated budget -- ignoring Congress' budget resolution -- in terms of supposed budget cuts.

Obama fed this headline to the liberal media and they ran with it. Sadly, Republican leaders are trying to downplay the supposed budget cuts when, in reality, THERE ARE NOCUTS IN THE BUDGET!

+ + Expose this blatant, manipulative lie that is designed to portray Obama as a fiscally minded budget cutter when, in fact, he is the biggest spender EVER to sit in the White House.

+ + Action #1 -- Push the petition to 275 k. Please forward this to your friends and ask them to sign the "Stop The Spending" petition by going here:http://www.grassfire.net/r.asp?u=18902&PID=19941563

+ + Action #2 -- Spread the Word! We cannot allow the President to get away with this gross misrepresentation.

Also, call the White House and your members of Congress and express your disappointment about the Obama budget cut deception.

White House Switchboard: 202-456-1414

Talking Points:

#1--President Obama's announced budget cuts are nothing more than a political deception.

#2--Obama's budget is actually LARGER than the budget resolution just passed by Congress.

#3--The budget cuts are nothing new. In fact, this is the same bloated budget Obama proposed earlier in the year.

#4--Oppose the Obama budget that will nearly double our national debt and impose a massive Carbon Tax and a socialized health care program.

P.S. Again, even most Republican leaders are missing the real story here -- and the liberal media are pushing Obama's propaganda of "budget cuts."

Obama's proposal is by far the largest and most debt-ridden budget ever proposed.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Walk By Faith

2009-01-29T13:50:00.000-08:00

There is a song entitled Walk By Faith by Jeremy Camp which I believe was written after a very tragic personal loss. The lines that stand out to me are:

I will walk by faith

Even when I cannot see

I think of the Old Testament prophet Daniel who was taken captive into exile as a teenager. As a member of the evil and wicked Nebuchadnezzar's court, Daniel was likely "shifted into neutral" to live out the remainder of his life as a eunuch. When he was older, he was tossed into a den of starving lions.

None of this happened because of bad behavior or lack of faith on the part of Daniel. In fact, it was quite the contrary. But he never cried out, "Why is this happening to me? What have I done to deserve this?" Instead he prayed daily, facing Jerusalem, and trusted God.

When the 70 year exile was up and his people allowed to return home, Daniel was likely too old to make the journey; he would have been in his mid-80's and it's a r-e-a-l-l-y long walk from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Throughout his life, Daniel walked by faith, even though he had no way of seeing the extent to which he was being used by God.

We need to walk by faith also, even though we too cannot see what God is up to.

You asked for it - you got it

2009-01-23T15:26:00.000-08:00

What he said

A Lost Teachable Moment

2008-12-20T15:12:00.000-08:00

Recently a teacher took a lot of flak for the way in which students were taught about slavery. It seems the teacher chose two students, tied their arms and legs and had them spend a few minutes under a desk as a way to demonstrate how slaves were brought from Africa to the new world.

It seems the students didn't like being bound and tied.

Ya think?

Unfortunately, as I said, the teacher took a lot of flak.

IMHO, everybody (except maybe the teacher) missed the mark on just what a teachable moment this was. Somebody should have quietly told those kids and the rest of the class that the slaves didn't like it, either. And there weren't just a couple of slaves in the hold of the ship - there were hundreds. And the air was bad. The trip lasted a whole lot longer than a few minutes, and there were no potty breaks - use your imagination.

Furthermore the slaves had no mommy to complain to about the wrongs being done to them.

Let that sink into the kids' heads for awhile. Maybe they would develop a deeper and more meaningful understanding of what the slaves went through and how degradingly awful it must have been for them.

Yup - somebody missed the mark on this one, but it was NOT the teacher.

Change

2008-08-10T16:27:00.000-07:00

Back in March I posted that a friend of my daughter's had squandered two college scholarships and was now neither going to school nor walking with the Lord.

All of that is still really sad, but I guess that she just disliked school so much that it just wasn't worth it to her to go to school in order to continue the activity for which she received the scholarships.

She may live to regret the decision - I don't know.

Pray for her and her family.

TV Commercial Review - Baskin Robbins

2008-07-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

Apparently I am a minority of one, but I just have to speak out against the latest rash of Baskin-Robbins commercials. So far there are three - all of them seeming to say that there is no level of unacceptable behavior that can't be overlooked for an ice cream cone.

1) Mom comes to pick the kids up at Grandma's and announces that if Grandma says they have been good they can all go for BR ice cream. They have obviously not been good. Guilt is all over their faces and Grandma's house has been trashed. But Grandma says, "These little angels? I'll get my coat."

Proverbs 6:16 There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: 17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, 19 A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.

I guess Grandma missed that part, and BR has no problems teaching kids that lying is an OK way to get what you want.

2) A kid is outside playing in the dirt in the front yard when his mom comes out and says that as soon as he gets cleaned up they can all go for BR ice cream. Unbelievably enough, the dad turns the hose on him child abuse style. Not fun run through the sprinkler style, but think surveillance video from the Florida car wash where the mom turned the car wash hose on her kid and was arrested for doing it. If her attorney sees that commercial, she will walk away scott free. But apparently child abuse is OK if that's what it takes to get some BR ice cream.

3) A soccer coach hollers to his team that if they win everybody goes to BR for ice cream after the game. A pink business-suited soccer mom on the sidelines makes a professional quality kick, screams "SCORE" and then bends over and nose to nose with an eight year old (more or less) from what must be the opposing team screams "IN YOUR FACE!"

All of this disgusting and despicable behavior for ice cream?

I suppose they are trying to say that people will go to great lengths for BR ice cream. What they have really said is unjustifiably bad behavior can be overlooked if it gets you what you want.

Talk about an ugly and tasteless message.

Open Challenge To The Homosexual Community

2008-07-18T18:19:00.000-07:00

It is extremely doubtful that any of you will wander by this blog, but just in case, let me toss out a challenge.

You are no doubt aware of all the Biblical verses that specifically and explicitly define your sexual conduct as an abomination before the Lord. You are aware of these verses because well-meaning but misguided folks have rubbed your noses in them in a less than loving way.

So I'm not gonna do that. All I ask is that you find an equal number of verses that just as specifically and explicitly justify said behavior on your part.

Psalm 12:8

2008-07-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

Homosexuals will gather near where I live this weekend and march down the street with pride, flaunting their chosen sin in the face of God. In years past, unspeakable and unprintable behaviors and utterances have been common.
Appallingly, people will actually take their kids to watch.

The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.

Ps 12:8 NIV

The Long Primary Season

2008-07-01T19:06:00.000-07:00

I have always hated politics. Even though politics controls everything, I find it mean spirited and boring. Therefore, the less news coverage it gets, the better. And the shorter the campaigns the better.

HOWEVER, I am beginning to see an advantage to long campaigns and long primary seasons, just as there is an advantage to a long courtship. The longer they go on, the more you find out. Good, bad, and ugly, the more you find out.

That was certainly true of the democratic primary race. I'm sure John McCain just sat back watching Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama slug it out.

He needed to do no campaigning whatsoever while they dragged each other through the mud and the muck.

Barack Obama - The Anti-Christ?

2008-07-01T18:56:00.000-07:00

I have seen comments around the internet that insist Barack Obama is a Muslim in sheep's clothing. Only the Lord knows Mr. Obama's heart for certain, but the commentators seem to think that once a Muslim, always a Muslim.

In that case, why are there missionaries to Muslim peoples?

I don't know how "Muslim" Mr. Obama's upbringing was, and I don't know how genuine his "Christianity" is, although I kind of can guess from his stance on many volatile social issues, but those who denounce every news story with a parrot-like "But he's a Muslim" only make themselves look foolish.

Not The Kind Of Change Our Nation Needs

2008-06-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to Barak Obama's Father's Day Speech.

Some of what he said was OK. Some of it was scary.

These are quotes. QUOTES.

"We should reward fathers who pay that child support with job training and job opportunities and a larger Earned Income Tax Credit that can help them pay the bills."
"We should expand programs where registered nurses visit expectant and new mothers and help them learn how to care for themselves before the baby is born and what to do after."
"We should help these new families care for their children by expanding maternity and paternity leave, and we should guarantee every worker more paid sick leave so they can stay home to take care of their child without losing their income."

These are all out of the same paragraph, near the end of the speech. So what's wrong with these statements? Who the heck is this "we" he starts out with. Even though he doesn't identify who "we" might be, I strongly suspect "we" is you and me, the sorry sucker U.S. tax payer.

So fathers who stay at home with the mother of their children and raise them as a family unit get a tax deduction but fathers who move out, father from a distance, but pay child support would get a tax credit. In case you didn't realize it, a tax credit is a whole lot more valuable than a tax deduction. Somehow I don't see that as encouraging responsible fatherhood.
Excuse me, but that is why God provided mothers. That is NOT the government's job. The mothers and aunts and grandmothers of these new mothers are supposed to have already taught the new mom, and should continue to do so. Do you really want the government telling you how to raise your child?
While every parent would like time off to bond with the new family member, somebody has to pick up the tab. These new parents are going to need the income to keep coming in and it has to come from somewhere. Employers are not going to want to pay for it. Small mom and pop businesses can't pay for it. So that leaves you and me, the sorry sucker U.S. tax payer to pay for it.

You think you pay too much in taxes now? If you vote this change into office, you ain't seen nuthin' yet when it comes to new taxes.

This Is Not The Kind Of Change Our Nation Needs.

A Better Way To Reduce The Cost Of Education

2008-05-24T16:28:00.000-07:00

In California, public school teachers, administrators, and staff are being laid off in droves. Programs are being cut and class size will increase. This is all being done in the name of a budget crunch.

I have a better idea. Lets keep the teachers but only have them teach students who are in this state (country) legally. If we were not spending so much money educating people who are not even supposed to be here, and are breaking the law every day that they are here, perhaps there would be enough money to educate those who were born here and those who came here the right way - legally.

Send the others back where they came from.

Global Warming on Jupiter?

2008-05-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

According to the information under this photo of the planet Jupiter's red spots, Jupiter is under-going a bit of global warming of its own near its equator.

I wonder who Al Gore is going to blame *that* on!

We Get It

2008-05-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

It's about time the Christian Community took a stand on this issue. Watch the YouTube Video here.

I never thought I would see the day . .

2008-05-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

. . that I would stick up for Hillary Clinton, but here it is and here I am.

She recently was defending her decision to stick it out to the end with her campaign in spite of the mass exodus of her supporters and the news media to Barack Obama. She mentioned that taking the Democratic nomination process into June was not without precedent, and she mentioned two such cases.

The most recent was her own husband Bill.

The earlier one was Bobby Kennedy. She referenced his assassination. Which was in June. While he was campaigning for the nomination.

Apparently referencing a historical fact is taboo when it comes to the Kennedys. She has been literally shredded for bringing the subject up.

While I disagree with Hillary Clinton on almost everything I have to take her side here. I don't see that she did anything wrong.

Incredibly Selfishly Sad

2008-05-11T16:54:00.000-07:00

Deborah Jeane Palfrey, dubbed "The D.C.Madam" recently committed suicide rather than go to prison. She hung herself in a shed near her mother's home, and her body was found by her mother. CNN played the 911 tape, airing for all the world to hear the anguish in the mother's voice at the horror she saw.

I realize that people who commit suicide are suffering their own mental and emotional hell, but it is the ultimate act of cold-hearted, unfeeling selfishness to force someone who loves you so much to find you like that.

Supposedly she left behind notes of apology to her mother and her sister.

Like that would make it OK?