First Do No Harm

The phrase ‘First Do No Harm’ has often been attributed to he Hippocratic Oath, an oath historically taken by physicians. It is one of the most widely known of ancient Greek medical texts. In its original form, it requires a new physician to swear, by several healing Gods, to uphold specific ethical standards.  Yet paradoxically, even as the modern oath's use has changed, its content has backed away from the classical oath's basic creeds.

According to a 1993 survey of 150 U.S. and Canadian medical schools, for example, only 14 percent of modern oaths prohibit euthanasia, 11 percent hold covenant with a deity, 8 percent reject abortion, and a mere 3 percent forbid sexual contact with patients—all original promises held sacred in the classical version.

The original calls for free tuition for medical students and for doctors never to "use the knife" (that is, conduct surgical procedures)—both obviously out of step with modern-day practice. Perhaps most telling, while the classical oath calls for "the opposite" of pleasure and fame for those who transgress the oath, fewer than half of oaths taken today insist the taker be held accountable for keeping the pledge.

Indeed, a growing number of physicians have come to feel that the Hippocratic Oath is not necessary in today’s society – and I believe this to be the truth, when I read the current news reports of the day.

Along with classical writings, is another, but more modern, professional writing by Henry Campbell Black (1860-1927) that defines in general terms, various legal terms.  Black’s Law Dictionary is an authority on legal definitions:

PREMEDITATED MURDER

the term that is used to describe a murder of a human being that was planned in advance and was carried out willfully.

Next, a more important than the foregoing, a writing from the authority of God, from Exodus 20:13 YOU SHALL NOT MURDER.

As you may know, the State of New York passed recent legislation that permits abortion up to and throughout the 9^th month of pregnancy, even if the mother has gone into labor.  In celebration of this legislation, various buildings and bridges in New York City, were bathed in pink lights on the evening that the Governor signed the Bill into law.  The most notable was the tall World Trade Center Building, as if to extend a giant middle finger to God and all that is decent.

As if not to be out done, the State of Virginia has a Bill before them that would allow a child that has been born, to be killed after delivery; and the Governor of the State of Virginia not only supports this Bill but has gone on record saying “for the physical, mental and emotional health of the mother, the newborn, would be made comfortable and given hydration, until the Doctor and the mother decide to make the decision whether to abort”.  Abort????  How does one abort a new born baby???  And, in my mind, to make matters worse – the Governor of the State of Virginia is a former Pediatric Neurologist!!!!   The Governor of New York is a practicing Roman Catholic, whose church is (other than some members) is opposed to not only abortion – but the intentional murder of any living person, as prescribed in the Bible!!!  EXODUS 20;13 YOU SHALL NOT MURDER. 

Before you start judging the Catholic Church, this is not an uncommon position taken by many Christians and Jews throughout this Nation – Abortion is OK because this is not a person it’s just a fetus? 

Yes indeed, it is a fetus, with a heart that pumps blood, a brain that has electrical impulses, body parts such as little fingers and little toes.  This non-human is developing muscles, veins, bones, lungs, eyes and ears!  Not a person?  Several other states have pending legislation that will, if passed, allow some sort of intentional murder, up to and including the 9^th month and even final stages of pregnancy!

 What has gone wrong in this society?

The latest statistics from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), shows that in 2015 (they’re always a few years behind) there were 638,169 reported abortions in the United States, which equates to 11.8 murders of children per every 1,000 live births – and these statistics do not included States that did not report or illegal termination of lives!

Abortion Statistics for the top 5 States:

Florida – 72,203

New York – 63,646

Texas – 53,940

Illinois – 39,856

Pennsylvania – 31,818

The fewest abortions – South Dakota – 444.  I would have thought that Utah might have been the fewest, but they had 3,176

Washington State – 17,098

Let those numbers sink in for a moment!  This is not a political issue, nor is it a Democrat vs Republican issue.    In my opinion, this is a MORAL issue that is so great I see it as the spitting in the Face of Our God!  It is a clear choosing to not just ignore Scripture, the law of the land and the first charge of every medical practitioner,  but is an open declaration that “nobody has any business telling me what I can or can’t do”, which of course is a lie that many people tell themselves.

We have come to the point where much of the medical community in the United States has forsaken the basic tenet to First Do No Harm, along with several other noble and proud promises made by Doctors of the past.  We have come to the point in the Legal community where the strict definition of a law is not just ignored but is changed because it has become too difficult to enforce, so we now legalize the use of murder.

We have come to the point in our religious communities where the Word of God is just words, stories and examples, not truth or fact.  In so much of the Religious community – Christians and Jews, use the phrase “god will understand” or they teach such a watered down version of the Scripture that their once houses of worship have become entertainment centers, where what you believe is not as important as what you can do financially or physically for the church or synagogue.  It is no wonder people are giving up on religion.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have come too far.  We claim that God is long suffering but I’m here to tell you that God will not withhold His wrath and punishment forever.  This Nation will pay for this horrific transgression; I can’t believe that our God will let this continue much longer…and I don’t blame Him.  Where does it stop?  

In Washington State, in 2015, there were 17,098 reported abortions.  In 2015 the total population of Centralia, Washington (where I live) was 17,216.  So in 2015 nearly, the population of an entire small city was murdered by those ignoring their medical oath, the laws of the United States and the Commandments of God.  If that doesn’t bring some up-whelming emotions within you right now, trust me – it will eventually.

20/20

The indicator 20/20 is a measurement of visual acuity that indicates a person has normal vision.  2020 (without the slant bar) is a notation of the year of our next Presidential election.

Jay Inslee, the Governor of the State of Washington has launched a website and investigation into whether he should run for President of the United States in 2020.

It is interesting that in his surveys, over 50 percent of the people contacted say ‘no’, he should not run.  Why?  Mostly because it would take a long look into history to find a worse Governor for Washington State.  I’m certain there may have been one, but not to my 75-year-old recollection.

 

So, what will Mr. Inslee do for the Country if elected to the highest office in the land?  Will it be to improve police/public relations, reduce homelessness, improve foreign relations or make the delivery of healthcare more efficient?  No!  Inslee’s stated campaign platform it to address (not improve, eliminate or mitigate) global warming.

What are Inslee’s plans for the next year in Washington State?  Well, it seems that he has very few plans to even be in the State; his campaign desires are to take him out of the State for prolonged periods of time, and leave the Lt. Governor in charge (at a 70% increase in salary) while Governor Inslee draws full salary and benefits, including a security detail that will travel with him.

Folks, The State of Washington already has the highest gas tax in the Nation (thank you Governor), the highest business taxes and more being proposed (thank you Governor) and Mr. Inslee, among others, is proposing that we establish a capital gains tax on the sale of businesses and other investments, and an income tax on the rest of us. (thank you Mr. Governor).  By the way, Mr. Governor, did you know that an income tax or capital gains tax on the sale of businesses – goes against the Washington State Constitution?  I didn’t think so.

 Is it no wonder the Boeing Company moved their headquarters out of Washington State?  Many more businesses will soon follow, I’m sure.

Does Inslee have 20/20 for 2020?  The only thing he has any acute visibility of, is his self-sustaining and self-fueled ego, that clearly blocks any normal vision for the future, for the State or the Country.

If Inslee happens to be elected, we will have 20/20 as we look back on 2019, and clearly see the awful mistake that has been made.

Fraud or Incompetence?

When I read the media reports about the most recent election, and the seemingly difficult task that Election Supervisors are having counting the ballots, I must ask; is it Fraud or just Incompetence? 

Look!  The problem isn’t the Russians or any other outside influence.  The problem is the Supervisors and Party operatives who believe that the American Voter is incapable of understanding the issues or that the voting process is simple and has little latitude to become this controversial.

Problem: You have two candidates for an election.  There are X number of people voting.  Candidate #1 receives Y number of votes and Candidate #2 receives Z number of votes.   How do you determine the winner of the election? 

Answer:  Count the damn ballots!  The ballots will tell you which candidate to credit the number of votes.  If you can’t count, which seems to be the problem, stack the ballots in two piles.  Place each ballot in the appropriate pile – that means if the ballot is marked for candidate #1, put it in candidate #1’s pile.  If the ballot is marked for candidate #2, put it in candidate #2’s pile.  The one with the bigger pile wins!

There are no reasons to find boxes of ballots in the back of a returned rental car, or in a teacher’s classroom!  Do you honestly believe that the voters believe that either of these events are accidental?    

Here’s another suggestion:  In each election there are Election Supervisors (sometimes with different titles).  Before letting anyone oversee an election, give them a Civics and Math test, to be certain they understand the process and can count – at least to 100. (ballots can be stacked in multiples of 100…no wait - that’s too difficult, maybe make sure they can count to 10).

There is no reason that elections can’t be settled by a simple count of legitimate ballots…it’s not Rocket Science.

Fraud or incompetence? YES!

Forced Patriotism

Well today the President rescinded his invitation to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Super Bowl champs, to come to the White House – and the Champs said, “we didn’t want to come anyhow”. 

Frankly, I don’t care who goes or does not go to the White House!  Either action will not keep me awake tonight. 

However, I truly wonder if this ‘forced patriotism’ is really what we want?

You must stand and salute the flag; you must stand at attention for the National Anthem; you must march in a straight line; you must honor the leader; you must …well you get my point.  I see ‘forced patriotism in North Korea, Iran, China and the now defunct Soviet Union – and frankly when I see it, it creeps me out!

I personally, will always stand for the National Anthem with my hand over my heart or saluting if I’m covered.  I will always honor the flag, for what it stands for and I will always look for ways to make this Country better; but forcing patriotism and threatening those who don’t do what I do, is not my way and in fact is not the way of the United States Constitution.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. (first amendment of the US Constitution)

What does that say?  It says that that Congress is not allowed to establish a religion or to interfere with anyone’s ability to practice theirs.  It also says, that Congress can not interfere with our speech or our right to peaceably assemble and petition the Government for redress of grievances – which means our right to protest in any way we choose, as long as it is peaceful, and we don’t break any other laws or statutes, our protest is protected by law.

I hear so many people saying, “it they don’t honor the flag they should get out”!  But there is no mandate to honor flag, song or person, in the Constitution.  We are not, in the United States of America, put in prison, death or kicked out of the Country if we don’t honor flag, song or person.  To do that would be ‘forced patriotism’.  It may be the way of other countries, but it is not our way.

On the matter of football pre-game ceremonies, I’d rather not see the political protests as I just want to watch the game.  But if some of the players choose to take a knee during the National Anthem, I hope they are saying a prayer instead of just making a statement.

When I played football back in the ‘good old days’, we took a knee to listen to the coach – and we’d better keep our mouths shut and not try to make a statement.  Then we stood and faced the flag for the National Anthem.  Not because we were forced to, but because we wanted to.

No, I don't think we really want 'forced patriotism'.  So, let's embrace the Constitution as it is; and change it where it needs changing.  But let's stop calling each other names, even though it is permitted by the Constitution; Mom and God said it was wrong, so I believe it is wrong!  Who am I to argue with those two people?

I HATE YOU!

I hate you....well I hate you!  Why?  Because....you're different than I am.

I have remained pretty silent as I watch the eradication of a society, which once was proud of it's ability to compromise, problem solve, bind together against a common enemy and find a manageable coexistence.  But I'm afraid we are long past QRN (radiotelegraphy signal for point of no return).

I spent 8 years watching and listening to the hatred spewed against Mr. Obama, while he was President; with no recognizable change because of the hatred.  Then there was the hatred for Mrs. Clinton as she ran for the Presidency, and on the other side a hatred for Mr. Trump who was in the same race, and now as Mr. Trump serves as President.

I have to admit that none of the three aforementioned are in my top ten favorite people, but 'hate them'?  no, I don't hate them.  And furthermore, I have to ask; what has your hate done to improve one thing?  Well, I'll answer that for you - nothing has improved because of your hatred for these or any other person.

What your hatred has done, is to divide this Country into shattered pieces, some of which may never be rejoined.  What a great opportunity for another government to take over!

Never before in our history have we fallen so far.  Never before in our history have we been so fractured that no real strong defense against evil can be mustered.  Never before in history has this Nation been so vulnerable to destruction.  and it's all because of hatred!

I am not strong enough or loud enough to change what I see is a 'flat spin' to utter dissolving of a Nation that I love and cherish.  But I, for one, refuse to hate!  I may not like your politics or those of the ones who govern us, but I refuse to hate you or them.  You may shout me down, but I still will not hate you. 

In this Nation, we are allowed to speak our mind.  We can be patriotic or we can not be patriotic, that is a right given to us by our Constitution.  We can be religious or we can not be religious; another right given to us. 

Hating me because I don't agree with you is wrong.  Hating me because I don't worship the way you do is wrong.  Hating me because I don't look like you or live like you is also wrong. 

Forced patriotism can be seen in other countries around the world, where lines and lines of soldiers and lines and lines of little children are forced to parade on special days; march or be punished! Other countries have forced religion.  Convert or die! And finally, other countries will put you to death for opposing leadership - you don't even have to express hatred!  Is this what you really want?

Well, that's it.  Hatred has become the 'way of the day'.  I don't like it and don't intend to be part of it, even if I'm a minority of one. 

Who’s Next?

Well, the Presidential election is over, most of the dust has settled and the Country is still quite divided.  But, regardless of which candidate won, and regardless of how upset/happy you are….and regardless of the fact that we’ve done this 44 times before; the die has been cast and there is a President in office.

Impeach him!  Declare him incompetent! Sign a petition to get rid of him!  Those are some of the mild protests against Mr. Trump.  There are many more that are not printable but we’ll leave them for now.

But what will happen if Mr. Trump is impeached, declared incompetent or 60 million people sign a petition to “throw the bum out”, to use a baseball phrase. 

Frankly I think too many of the folks who did not support Mr. Trump believe that if he is removed from office, Mrs. Clinton would take his place.

No, I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s not how it works.  If Mr. Trump is removed from office, or quits as some believe he will (he’s never quit anything in his past), Mr. Pence, the current Vice President, would become President, and a new Vice President would be chosen by then President Pence, and confirmed by the Senate.  Who would Mr. Pence pick?  I doubt it would be a liberal thinking person….in fact it would probably be someone of like mind and character with him.

Who would then President Pence pick to serve on the Supreme Court to fill the obvious positions that will certainly become vacant soon?  Not more liberal judges that’s for sure!  The Court will take on a conservative bent, for years to come!

Think about it; Mr. Trump is not a solid conservative, as he sees things through a different political looking glass than many conservatives.  He might even have some liberal tendencies.  Mr. Pence certainly does not!

To those who are trying to bring down President Trump, I give you two pieces of advise:  1) Take a Civics Class, so you know how the system works; 2) Be careful when wishing, you may get what you wish for.

What’s the Point of Clandestineness?

What is the point?  We, as a country, spend millions of dollars each year on the FBI, CIA, NSA and every other configuration of 3 letter agencies, to operate and protect the military, national defense, congressional activates and even the original formula for Coke and the Colonel’s chicken, yet the other agency BMFM (Big Mouth for Money), also known as the ‘media’, reveals the secrets, almost before the ink is dry on the original report.

Guglielmo Marconi said; “The coming of the wireless era will make war impossible, because it will make war ridiculous”.  Maybe he was right!  If the ‘leaks for money’ mob, on one side, continue to leak secrets to the other side, why would we need to fight…. or more to the point – how could we fight and expect a successful conclusion to any battle. 

Recently the results of a very high level security briefing for the POTUS and POTUS elect, was leaked to the media, two hours – TWO HOURS – after the top-secret briefing! (yelling intended).  The Spook Agencies might as well have held a press conference!

Enough is enough; we have two choices.  Lower the ‘cone of silence’ (not everyone knows what that is) or open it totally up so that we and our potential enemies know what we know.  How could it mess us up any more than it is now?

Open it up so we know exactly which government officials are having affairs with which interns…. who is bribing who, what weapons do we have and what do they have, why did we fake the moon landing and why are their alien scientists working in Area 51?

Didn’t we learn from the toy company Mattel that military secrets went away a long time ago? 

Pogo was correct: “we have met the enemy and he is us”.

OK, I Get It!

OK, I get it!  Those of you who voted for Mrs. Clinton are upset, so you think the only way to express your disappointment is to protest, destroy property, extend the middle finger to buildings with the Trump name on them and call all Trump supporters racists, homophones, xenophobes and every filthy name you can find.

OK, I get it!  Those of you who voted for Mr. Trump are upset at those on the other side, so you think the only way to express your feelings is to act arrogant, look down your noses at liberals, produce memes and writings that are designed (but don't) to initiate humor, use filthy language to describe people of different persuasions and forward stories on Facebook, that have ‘shocking headlines’ that have absolutely nothing to do with the article which they are attached or out-and-out lies!

Oh, I agree you both have a first amendment right to say or write anything you choose, and I support that right; but do you think you are doing anything positive?  “oh yes, we are bringing attention to the problem” is the common response – which is nothing more than a mantra that says ‘if they don’t agree with me they’re wrong’, at which point you both begin calling the other side names.

Prior to the election, the Conservative side complained about the Electoral College, and ‘how fixed’ it was, and the Liberal side it was fine with it, because Mr. Trump might get the ‘popular’ vote but Mrs. Clinton would receive most the Electoral vote. (because that’s what the news media said)

Wait a minute!  So soon we forget?

In all honesty, I don’t know if the Electoral College is the correct way to choose a President.  It is, however, what has been in place for a very long time; and I can’t remember any riots in the past, when the popular vote result was different than the Electoral vote result.  I don’t have any suggestion for a replacement – but it isn’t the popular vote! (it seems odd to call it a popular vote, when those who voted were split by a small percentage and only a little over 57 percent of eligible voters voted).

   Frankly, I find those statistics shameful!  There are Countries who would give their lives to get a chance to vote; and those that have, see a much larger turnout – even when their lives are threatened.

Let’s change it!  OK, let’s change the way we choose a President: The United States Electoral College is established by Article Two of the United States Constitution to select the President of the United States and Vice President.

So, it’s in our Constitution; the only way to change it is via an Amendment.

The Constitution provides that an amendment may be proposed either by the Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures.

It seems to me that the current election cycle has shifted power in the Congress in such a way that getting 2/3 majority to begin the change, probably isn’t practical.

 

How about a Constitutional Convention?  Well we have 50 States, which means at least 34 States must call for the Convention.  But that’s not all!  Should the Convention decide to propose an Amendment, ¾ of the States (38) are needed to approve the proposed Amendment and make it law.

You tell me; is it quicker to protest, burn, call names and hate each other until the law is changed, or to look across the divide and realize that there may be a majority (if you combine forces) to at least begin dialogue on the matter.

Webster says a bigot is: a person who strongly and unfairly dislikes other people, ideas, etc.

Kind of puts a different slant on things, doesn’t it?

WAKE UP FOLKS!  YOU AREN’T HELPING A THING, YOU’RE JUST CAUSING MORE PROBLEMS.

To Vote or Not To Vote - That is The Question (Sorry Mr. Shakespeare)

To be truthful, I don’t know who to vote for in the upcoming election!  Actually the truth of the matter is - it is doubtful that I will vote for any of the 4 people trying to achieve the office of President of the United States.  I believe so strongly in the precious right, and privilege of the vote, which we are given by our Constitution, and am feeling quite guilty that I might waste the privilege by not exercising it.

I listen to the rhetoric back and forth – not just from the candidates, but from all the Facebook and other social ‘would be and fractional media’ posts, the misrepresentations and lies of the ‘talk show gurus’ and the very bad reporting of the so called ‘professional newscasters’ and I think “who in the world would want to be President?  Certainly no sane person!

President Harry Truman was a foul mouthed son-of-a-gun.  He had no concerns about his swearing and rough talk; but then he had a short lived presidency which had major impacts on the future of the world.  What was his strength?  Well it might be summed up in the following quote:

“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” ― Harry Truman

Mr. Truman was concerned for the country and the lives of the people who called themselves Americans. (by the way, they were people of all backgrounds and all racial colors and were fighting in a very widespread war) But what is Mr. Truman most noted for?  The atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  Why?  Because that’s what the news media wanted you to know about!

What was Mr. Eisenhower known for?  Playing golf for 8 years; Mr. Nixon?  Leaving the Office of the Presidency in shame; Mr. Kennedy?  His assassination.  Mr. Ford?  Stumbling and falling down; Mr. Carter?  Iran hostages.  And so it goes, on and on to the current President Mr. Obama.  (let’s not forget that Mr. Bush the second, who caused New York City to be attacked by terrorists and caused Hurricane Katrina)

Has no President done any good in America?  If they had, I can’t imagine it ever being reported in a good light.

What about our current candidates:  Mrs. Clinton seems to be known for her emails, Bengasi and the lack of trustworthiness.  Mr. Trump for his blurting out of senseless verbal lines of attack and now his treatment of women in the past. (don’t forget his taxes)  Mr. Johnson, well that’s easy, his smoking pot.  Ms. Stein, well, I’m not sure what she is known for but it can’t be anything good.

So there you have it.  According to one-side-or-another of the media, nobody has done anything good!

I can’t believe that either of the two major candidates are truly all bad.  I can’t believe that they have never done anything good in their lives.  But if we take our information from the media at large (that includes Facebook and other unfettered social media), we will never know the complete and true makeup of the candidates.

One other group of folks I’d like to chastise; the Moderators for the debates!  Are you kidding me?  Do you really think I believe that you are a moderator?

 (Moderator…. Mod-er-a-tor:  an arbitrator or mediator.  2. One who moderates) Wait a minute!  (Moderate…. Mod-er-ate: one who holds moderate views, especially in politics).  To use a political expression – BS.  (Truman would not have abbreviated) 

Attention Moderators and Candidates!  We are not interested in your personal views on each other and we are not interested in how much dirt you dredge up on each other.  What we are interested in is your plans to put this Country (The United States of America, not your personal lives, in case you were not listening) back on a path to peace and prosperity.  If you can’t give us what we want, the GET THE HELL OUT OF THE RACE, so we can find someone that will work on our behalf.

So You Think You Know How to Kill Someone?

 Guns, guns, guns…. just about every day in the news, someone has been shot by another person who thinks they know how to kill someone.  What we see, other than huge mass shootings with semi-automatic weapons such as San Bernardino and now Orlando, is that more people are wounded than are killed.  According to the Brady Project statistics, every day, 297 people in America are shot in murders, assaults, suicides & suicide attempts, unintentional shootings, and police intervention.  Of the 297 (again according to the Brady report) 89 of those people die – which means that a bit ove er 70% survive.

My theory is that of all the people carrying guns, including those of you who like to hide your gun in a concealed holster, most of you don’t know how to use your firearm properly!  If you did, the ‘kill rate’ would be much higher than 30%.  Oh, by the way, don’t tell me some of these folks were trying to wound rather than kill; this isn’t some B rated black and white cowboy show, it’s real life with real people who bleed and die.

Possessing a firearm of any sort is serious business.  It’s not macho, it doesn’t give you any special license to kill – like James Bond – and it doesn’t make you a member of a militia, military force, police department or special deputized vigilante group.  You are, unless a sworn officer of the law or an actual member of the Armed Forces, just a person with a gun! 

Then there is the matter of who should have a firearm in their possession (notice I said possession not control, because I don’t believe most of you are in control of your weapon); certainly one side says ‘nobody’ and another side says ‘everybody’; both of which, in my opinion, are wrong. The answer is somewhere in the middle of this argument and allows for protection of family, hunting for sport and other firearm safe sports.

Now another crazy person has while in possession of a firearm, destroyed the lives of, thus far, 50 innocent people.  And some other crazy people are trying to justify the act by saying “well maybe it is a judgment from God”, because Pulse was a Gay club.  What arrogance that causes these people to identify God’s judgement on anyone or group.  Obviously, the ‘self-appointed prophets’ haven’t read their own Holy Writings; if they did, they would find that God is the ultimate Judge and doesn’t need their help.  Oh yes, and there are those calling for ‘open season’ on all Muslims, even if they are citizens of the United States, because some identifying as Muslims have done some horrid things. 

I recently read some statistics that said over 3 million Muslims live in the United States; please tell me how many of them actually killed other citizens of the United States; another report shows over 80 million Christians in the United States.  Of the Christians, how many have fire bombed clinics and shot doctors who perform abortions.  The point here is not political; but do we judge all people of one religion because of what a few nut cases do?

So what’s my point?  Well I have a few:

1.    There are radicals in every religion, that doesn’t mean you have to be one.

2.    Nobody has the right to murder innocent people, regardless if they live or act different than you approve.

3.    If you don’t know how to use a gun, don’t buy one!  Guns are not designed to scare, wound or control someone else’s life … they are designed to kill, and they do kill, and when they kill, those people don’t regain their lives the next day – regardless of your experience in some video game.

I am not against firearms, but I do know that our Country is totally out of control with their use and we need to do something about it!  Calling each other names, politicizing the horrid acts of crazy people and condemning a race or religion of people, has not stopped the violence.  SO WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING IT?

“Distracted from distraction by distraction” ― T.S. Eliot

We, the residents of the United States, have entered a period in our life that will baffle the historians of the future.  Like lambs being led to slaughter, we have been led into a mêlée where the citizenry cannot win.  And leading the way, that we blindly travel, is not a charismatic leader, not the leadership of the Democrats or the Republicans and not the current candidates running for President; our ‘bell cow’ is the ‘media’.

We are experiencing the most pungent use of ‘yellow journalism’ than ever before in our history.  The honorable charge of a Journalist is to provide the general public with accurate and helpful information.  While I believe that there must have been some Journalists in our past who upheld this honorable position of trust, I am convinced that today most Journalists have lost their way…..and yet we follow them, regardless of the destination; and it matters not which brand of media you prefer, as they all – the Networks, Newspapers and Online presentations, are creating a product of dangerous and false information.

Why is the foregoing happening?  Because it has become more important to Journalism to produce ratings and advertisers, than the truth.  To do that, sensationalism must be embraced rather than objective journalism; and that seems to be what the public wants to hear and see – because that’s all we see and hear.  How strong of an example is this week’s worldwide coverage of a man sitting in a tree, in downtown Seattle!  There was no reason that the world needed to see such coverage, yet all of the Networks covered it and the Public, like sheep, were glued to their Televisions and Radios, asking “why is he up there”? 

The greatest contributor to the lack of objective journalism has to be the age of technology, where anyone – including me – can be a Journalist; or are we really Journalists if all we are doing is spouting our opinions?  Walter Cronkite said “Objective journalism and an opinion column are about as similar as the Bible and Playboy magazine”! 

I admit, I am a blogger, not a Journalist.  My writings are developed, usually after I have become so disgusted with what I see on the internet and the national media.  I don’t use the backdrop of a crashed airplane, starving children or burning buildings, to get your attention.  I think; and I try to get you to think, even if in the end you don’t agree with me. 

I don’t care about ratings and I don’t sell advertising!  My copy is not embellished by pretty colored pictures, depicting the ‘good guys’ and black and white pictures depicting the ‘bad guys’, and I don’t use misleading headlines.

Recently on Facebook, there was a political cartoon showing a crowd of people pulling down the statue of the Thinker, a bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin.  The irony was not wasted on me.  My opinion is that the crowd, in the cartoon, did not represent the general public, the ordinary citizen or our children.  The crowd represented the current state of the News Media!  Society is looking on, while the inspiration to think, is being pulled down before our very eyes by those who are supposed to provide us information that causes us to think. 

Because of our refusal to think for ourselves and allow the media to tell us what is or is not right, another quote begins to ring loud and long:  We are not educated well enough to perform the necessary act of intelligently selecting our leaders….. Walter Cronkite.

Get a Grip Folks!

Have you ever considered how truly far into the abyss we have fallen? The lack of education has to be the reason. I learned about Christmas around the world and other winter events in school. Apparently I’m part of a lost educated generation.

Christmas has been with us since the Catholic Church established it in the 4th century. The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in about 336 AD, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman Emperor). A few years later, Pope Julius I officially declared that the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on the 25th December.

So Christmas began as a Catholic tradition and eventually adopted by other Christian denominations. So What? Does it really matter who started the tradition? Heck, Judaism started Thanksgiving, with the various harvest festivals, but we all adopted the event and eventually gave it a specific day!

DON’T TAKE THE CHRIST OUT OF CHRISTMAS BY WRITING XMAS!!!!! Oh my!. Xmas is not a secular way of writing Christmas – it comes from the Greek expression where X (the Greek letter chi) refers to Christ.

DON’T SAY MERRY CHRISTMAS! Merry means happy or joyous; why on earth would you not wish someone a happy and joyous day, whatever the day is? Like it or not, December 25 is the assigned day for Christmas. Like it or not, EVERYONE will, unless they die beforehand, find themselves experiencing December 25; this includes, Christians, Jews, Muslims and in fact ALL people. What is wrong with wishing them a happy or joyous day?

ONLY GREET WITH HAPPY HOLIDAY! Why get upset about this greeting. After all, HOLIDAY is a shortened iteration of HOLY DAY!!!!

And then there was the ridiculous uproar about Starbucks© and their coffee cups that were anti-Christian because they removed the ‘Christmas symbols’ from the cups. First of all, they weren’t Christmas symbols. Snowflakes, trees and gingerbread men, are winter symbols, not exclusively Christmas symbols. By the way, did you notice that Starbucks© cups are red and green? Those are traditional CHRISTMAS COLORS!

A few hours more than ten days to go before XMAS. Get a grip folks! If you celebrate Christmas have a happy holy day! If you don’t celebrate Christmas, have a merry day that others call Christmas.

Just remember, if you continue to argue about the day and what to say when greeting one another, Santa Claus, Pere Noel, Papai Noel, Viejo Pascuero, Dun Che Lao Ren, Kerstman, Joulupukki, Weihnachtsmann, Kanakaloka, Hoteiosho – will not come to your house, or if he/she does, you will get a stocking full of coal.

Oh my! I think I started a new controversy. 

This Is NOT a Second Amendment Issue!

The tragedy in San Bernardino is beyond comprehension!  Unfortunately, it is just one more massacre in a series of masseurs in the United States of America, this year.  The Washington Post reports on December 2: The San Bernardino shooting is the second mass shooting today and the 355th this year.  (A mass shooting is defined by the FBI as a shooting event that has 4 or more casualties).  In the early morning hours of December 2, one person was killed and three were injured in an incident in Savannah, Georgia.

Two things I know:

1)    This is not a Second Amendment issue, because nobody is suggesting legislation to take away guns, from law abiding people – despite what is written, quoted and shared on Facebook.

2)    The amped up rhetoric, hyperbole, hate speech and postings on the internet, have done absolutely no good to resolve anything and have only divided us further.   

What I don’t know is how to stop this insane execution of citizens in our Country where we have always prided ourselves in our tolerance and freedom – which is supposed to be ‘for everyone’ not just those who agree with your point of view – and I don’t think you do either.

Neither side of this argument (Left or Right, Liberal or Conservative, Christian or Secular) has a clue as to how to stop the loss of life by gunfire.  Calling the President or another Social and Religious group horrid and filthy names, has not accomplished a thing other than possibly making you look like a fool.

What to do?  First admit that you don’t have the solution either!  Start reasonable discussions that are free of incitement, and are truly are looking for a solution. 

Benjamin Watson, in his book ‘Under Our Skin, uses the phrase “this is not a skin issue, it is a sin issue”.  Although Mr. Watson was talking about another subject, I will say that the death by gunfire issue, ‘is not a gun issue, it is a heart issue’!

If you really want to stop the insanity, use your efforts to find a real solution.  If we took all of the energy that is used to attack, from one side or the other, and channeled it into a common effort, I am convinced that Americans (not so called hyphened Americans) could find the answer.

As a friend of mine would say “put on your big boy/girl pants and get to work.

I’m War Weary

I was born in 1943, at Schilling Army Air Corps Base, during a war.  I don’t remember much about that war; my Aunt talked about it and at one time she talked about the Germans and Russians having a big battle.  

My Dad was in the Army and played in the Army band.  I have a picture of me standing beside the ‘Freedom Train’ in Seattle, when I was about 4 years old.  So my first environment was a war environment.

My next recollection of war was when General Eisenhower promised if he was elected President, he would bring the ‘boys home from Korea’.  I later learned the depth, insanity and cruelty of the Korean War from history books and of course M.A.S.H.

After Korea (which actually was called a Police Action) there were several other interventions by the United States Armed Forces and of course there was the  ‘Cold War’ which frightened me as I grew up under the threat of the Atomic Bomb, then the Hydrogen Bomb and who knows what other horrible weapons that threatened to destroy the world, using something called ‘Mutually Assured Destruction’ (MAD), which guaranteed that if Russia attacked the U.S. we would return fire and assure that neither would survive.  Growing up under that threat, defined by the following, was very frightening, even if we didn't understand the total impact that such an action would have:

Mutually assured destruction, or mutual assured destruction (MAD), is a doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full-scale use of high-yield weapons of mass destruction by two or more opposing sides would cause the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender. It is based on the theory of deterrence where the threat of using strong weapons against the enemy prevents the enemy's use of those same weapons. The strategy is a form of Nash equilibrium in which neither side, once armed, has any incentive to initiate a conflict or to disarm.

I was in High School when I realized that all the air raid drills of elementary school, where we were sent to ‘air raid ditches’, were nothing more than training us, in case of attack, to “go calmly to the prepared mass graves”.  Talk about a precursor for P.T.S.D.!!!

Next came the Cuban Missile Crisis and of course the undeclared war known as Viet Nam.  Since then, there has been Bosnia, Kuwait, twice in Iraq, Afghanistan, and small attacks and deployments throughout the Middle East and Africa; all because the United States wants to preserve the rights of the oppressed……which is a good thing but ‘too much is too much’!  The time has come for us (the United States) to stop being the lead Policeman for the world.  Cooperative ventures with other Nations are a good thing, but let someone else take the lead, and let’s use the bulk of our Armed Forces to protect our boarders in the same manner that other Countries do.

The issue of declaring war against terrorism is certainly in our best interest but we do not need to be the only, the largest or the primary defender.  Frankly, when I watch the barbaric actions of ISIS or ISIL, I am angered; when I hear supposedly well educated people claim “well the Christians were just as bad” ( as if to dismiss or ignore such acts) I am saddened by their stupidity.  Indeed, the Crusades were awful, and the barbaric actions of Christians and later the Nazis are not to be excused; nor are any violent actions against any religious group or race of people, in the name of another group race or religion, acceptable to me.

Step up, other nations! Arab States….. take note of what Jordan has done!  They are willing to hit hard but can’t do it alone.  ISIS or ISIL is not acting according to what they claim as Muslim beliefs and practices.  They are acting as barbarians and are, attempting to force ‘their brand’ of life on not just non-Muslims, but on other Muslims as well.  I would hope that mankind would have matured, since the Crusades – but maybe not.

Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Iraq and other Muslim States; can’t you see that the world is turning against all of you because of what ISIS or ISIL is doing?  Show the rest of the world that you oppose such acts too!  Step up, take the lead and wipe this ‘cancer’ out!  If you do, I and many others in America would support you in many ways.  But again, frankly some of us are ‘war weary’ and are not willing to take the lead any longer.

Many detractors will say that our involvement around the world is a Democrat issue and others will say a Republican issue.  The truth of the matter is that the issue is not patrician.  The issue is arrogance and economic; traits possessed by Democrats and Republicans ….. and those who won’t take sides.

“That’s the way we’ve always done it” is the battle cry of the insane, not a responsible leadership of a free Country,

Polarization in the Season of Peace

Here we go again!  As if we didn't have enough controversy in this Country already, now we have the annual gripe festival called “I’m Better Than You”.

·      IN THIS CORNER ARE THE YOU ARE ALL WRONG BECAUSE JESUS WASN’T BORN ON DECEMBER 25^TH CROWD, WEARING A SMUG LOOK ON THEIR FACE AND THEIR NOSE POINTING UP IN THE AIR!

·      IN THE OTHER CORNER ARE THE HOW DARE YOU NOT SAY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME YOU HEATHEN CROWD, WEARING A TILTED HALO AND EYES POINTING IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION TO LOOK UPON THOSE WHO ARE DEEMED TO BE DISCIPLES OF THE UNFAITHFUL AND  INFERIOR  IN ALL WAYS!

I’D ASK YOU TO SHAKE HANDS AND COME OUT FIGHTING, BUT IT’S NOT LIKELY THAT YOU WILL EVEN BE IN THE SAME ROOM TOGETHER AND YOU START FIGHTING LONG BEFORE THE EVENT!

DING! ROUND 2014

For crying out loud!  What is wrong with you people?  Of course Jesus wasn't born on December 25^th, but so what?  All the Presidents of the United States were not born on the 3^rd Monday in February, but we observe that day to have large sales on cars, trucks, mattresses and other things – oh, and to remember the births of the Presidents.

Christmas was originally a pagan holiday?  No, but there were pagan celebrations around that time a long time ago!!  By the way, the celebration of birthdays was originally a pagan observance!  Another BTW: Christmas wasn't celebrated by the original Christians, although they did celebrate Resurrection Sunday, which some continue to call Easter (a pagan word).

For those of you who despise Catholics……who do you think assigned Christmas as a church observance?  Hmm.

One final rant: Christians believe in what is commonly called the ‘Golden Rule’, which says treat others in a manner that you would like to be treated.  Jewish adherents believe in the concept of avoiding Lashon Hora (the evil tongue), yet every year, I hear and read both groups violating their own tenants.  Oy vay! (what's wrong with you nut cases)?

And so they don’t feel like they've been left out: to the atheists, secularists and agnostics – why to you get so angry about the celebrations that you don’t believe in?  If you don’t believe it, what in the name of nothing or maybe something are you afraid of?

Grow up….all of you!  Put your big boy/girl or unisex pants on and take some responsibility for supporting this season that among other themes is the concept of ‘peace’. 

This may come as a surprise to some of you, but your beliefs do not make you better than anyone or any other group of people with different beliefs.  And in the United States, we are allowed to have different beliefs, regardless of what our leaders seem to be saying these days.

Now that I have ticked off a large majority of readers (if they have read this far) let me wish all of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Season’s Greetings and more important I wish  that all of your ridiculous arguments and detestation you have caused within your work place, schools, families and friends, dissolve leaving nothing but Peace, Tolerance and Acceptance of others.

Christian Nation?

I know I didn't pay as much attention in history class as I should have, especially because in my older years I have become fascinated with history.  The story of mankind and his progress or regress over the centuries is quite a read.  Winston Churchill is quoted as saying “history is written by the victor”.  A true statement of sort but in recent times I see that some folks are trying to set the record straight, as they should.  I would like to do the same.

As a student of Constitutional Law, and for a couple of years as a college instructor of the same, I have read and re-read the Constitution and many of the founding documents and have never found a proclamation of any sort, that the United States of America was established as a Christian Nation.  Certainly the Founders of this Country were not only keen but insistent on establishing laws that are definitely rooted in the Holy Scriptures of Judaism and Christianity, but at no time did they officially, intentionally or accidentally claim that the United States was a Christian Nation.

 

The U.S. Constitution is a wholly secular document. It contains no mention of Christianity or Jesus Christ. In fact, it uses religious terms only twice; in the First Amendment, which bars laws "respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," and in Article VI, which prohibits "religious tests" for public office. Both of these provisions are evidence that the Country was not founded as officially Christian or any other religion.

For years now, I see postings on the internet and hear talks on radio and TV, claiming that the United States of America was and is a Christian Nation; usually, these writers/orators pick some obscure letter or an out of context phrase, to offer as evidence for their position.  One of the greatest ‘rights’ we have in the United States is the Freedom of Speech and/or Expression, so they are free to forward their position without fear of speaking/writing against the law, even if they are incorrect.

 

Yes, the Declaration of Independence does refer to the ‘Creator’ and ‘Supreme Judge of the World’, but never Jesus or Christianity – yet many claim that it without a doubt established the United States as Christian Nation. that holds as much water as the lady who insisted to me that the Bible was written by Christian men not Jewish men.

Come now folks, I too was taught that the Crusades were a good Christian event and that Christopher Columbus was a great ambassador to the New World.  Well, we know that many things have been done in the name of Jesus that were not good things and that many explorers were pretty bad dudes.  Not all that we are told is true!

 

So let’s set the record straight; The United States of America was not established as a Christian Nation…..if it was, Article VI of the Constitution would not exist and every person running for office would need to prove their belief in Jesus before they could be elected.

  

So what were the Founding Father’s beliefs?  Some only believed in God; some believed in Jesus and still others believed in no supreme being or established religion.  What they did agree on was that they and anyone who inhabited this Country later, had the right to believe, worship and adhere to any religion they chose without fear of reprisal from government or its citizens.  They also believed that nobody was required to believe if they chose to have no preference or belief.

 

Indeed, even with all of the problems this Country has today and all the bickering and political name calling, The United States of America is the best Nation in the world.  It is the freedom to believe what we want that makes it so.  Even the ‘tin foil hat brigade’ can believe that their minds are being taken over by aliens. Who are we to say different? (can you say NSA)

If you are a Christian, may God Bless you…..but in America you do not have the right to insist that  someone else can’t express their religious beliefs or worship that may be different than yours.  Practice what Jesus taught you; Love one another.  He didn't teach destroy one another!

Remember, things are not always the way we want them to be.

Stop Trying to Outguess God!

For the last year there have been some writers/speakers who have been laying out a scenario of the “end times”, and in doing so have been given a modern day “Paul Revere” status.  The end times are coming…..the end times are coming!

I find it hard to believe that these Christian Leaders would make such statements, even though their Christian writings say that nobody knows when the end will come. 

I am fairly confident that apart from selling books, receiving speech honorariums and being quoted in the National News Media, the only prophecy that is being fulfilled by the astronomical phenomena known as the ‘Blood Moon’ is the one from the Christian Scriptures in 2 Timothy 4:3;

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,

Over the centuries many people have tried to interpret the pattern and movement of the sun, moon, stars and planets (including Pluto) as if there was a relationship to our personal lives, with mostly disappointing results except in rare instances when a roll of the dice would have given the same statistical results. 

·      Around 630 BCE, many Romans feared the destruction of Rome in its 120^th year, because of a myth that 12 eagles had revealed to Romulus a mystical number representing the lifetime of Rome, and some early Romans hypothesized that each eagle represented 10 years.

·      There were those who we certain that the revolt against Rome when the second Temple was eventually destroyed, was going to be the final great battle prophesied for the Jezerel Valley and on the order of some of the Sages, coins were minted proclaiming the ‘return of Zion’.

·      In 1033, some Christian leaders predicted that the world would end 1000 years after Jesus’ death.

·      In 1284 Pope Innocent III predicted that the world would end 666 years after the rise of Islam.

·      1524 Johaness Stoffler proclaimed a planetary alignment in Pisces was, in his opinion as an astrologer, a sign of the Millennium.  He revised his date as 1528, when his prediction didn’t come true. 

·      May 27, 1528, Hans Hut had predicted the world would end that day. (I’m glad it didn’t as I was born on May 27 a few years later; think of all those birthday gifts I would have missed out on).

·      In 1658 Columbus claimed that the world was created in 5343 BCE, and would last 7000 years. Assuming no year zero that means the end would come in 1658. (Old Chris got a couple of things wrong, didn’t he?)

·      The Catholic Apostolic Church (not the Roman Catholic Church) predicted that Jesus would return by the time the last of its 12 founding members died. The last member died in 1901.

·      Ronald Weinland, from the Church of God WCG, stated Jesus Christ would return and the world would end on May 27, 2012l (again with my birthday….knock it off already)

·      And finally the so-called Mayan apocalypse at the end of the 13th b'ak'tun. The Earth would be destroyed by anasteroid, Nibiru, or some other interplanetary object; an alien invasion; or a supernova.

OK, you probably get my drift by now; predictions of the end are as common as government officials who lie.  Now for the current prediction:  

Well first of all, the scriptures quoted to validate the prediction are:

Acts 2:20 - ‘The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come.  Joel 2:31 - “The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.  Revelation 6:12 -  I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood

The two physical problems we have here are 1) all the Scriptures say the ‘sun’ will go black/dark – because there is no ‘solar eclipse’ with the ‘blood moon’ (which is actually a lunar eclipse) this is not a valid prediction, if there is such a thing. 2) Both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures dealing with end times were written originally by Jewish Sages, to Jewish people in a Jewish time and land.  Therefore, it makes sense that the Scriptural prophecy should be revealed by astronomical phenomena that could be seen in Israel.

 Now I realize that NASA is a government agency and who trusts the government anyhow, but they have a prediction too; the eclipse will be seen not in Israel but a long ways away in a country that isn’t even mentioned in Scripture – The United States of America…..and other places around the Pacific Rim.

Yes I did a little research and yes I’m blowing my own horn!  But I’m not selling books or making speeches about any object in the sky.  I’m saying, if you believe in the Hebrew and/or Christian Scriptures, then obey them…..don’t try to supplant them with your own ideas. 

My studies have taught me, for years, that if you are a Jew or a Christian, you should follow God’s teachings that you find in your books.  I don’t see anywhere that gives anyone permission or license to edit, do away with or pick and choose the rules of life that God has given.  Try as you may, but you won’t outguess God so stop trying to shake people up with your ‘end times’ predictions, and read what is written in the Scriptures: End times will come, but you don’t have a clue when that will be.

Stop trying to scare people into believing, and watch for the moon on the 8^th of October and enjoy a wonderful lesson in physics and astronomy. 

Don’t worry; God will let you all know when the end of the world is to be……you won’t be able to miss it!

Look Before You Leap

As I look back on my years growing up in a very rural community, I remember the faithful admonition of my mother “Look Before You Leap”.  Every time my brothers or I were about to engage in a controversial conversation or activity, we were told “look before you leap”!  Certainly at 13 years old I had no real concept of what that meant, and what the heck did mom really know anyhow; but now, looking back and applying some of the life experiences that at times were thrust upon me rather than a casual brush with a simple education, I have a much clearer and somewhat colorful picture of her warning and my lack of obtaining the correct information.

Most recently I have, in puzzlement, watched as usually good people, become violators of one of the basic rules of the Judeo-Christian mindset; you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (Exodus 20:16 NASB); just because they ‘read it on the internet’, so it must be true.

More specifically, the recent attack on the Roman Catholic Church and the claims of how horrible their doctrine is has caught my eye.  While I will admit I do not agree with some of Catholic doctrine, I am hard pressed to point a finger and claim that Evangelical Christianity or Orthodox Judaism – or any other group are better and have no faults.

In Judaism, we are warned against lashon hora (the evil tongue) and are taught not to be part of spreading rumors, even if the subject matter is true.  Christianity teaches a similar lesson in the Gospel teachings of Jesus: Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?(Matthew 7:3 NASB).  If I can be so bold as to paraphrase ‘who do you think you are?  You’re not so perfect yourself’!  If you personally don’t know the facts, stop pretending you do!

Did you know that some Evangelical Churches and Organizations (from where the complaints and indictments are coming from) approve of same sex marriage?  Did you know that some Evangelical Churches and Organizations allow women to teach, preach and pastor?  Did you know that some Evangelical Churches and Organizations will not teach against …..well many things Catholics are put down for, are taking place in the Evangelical Churches and Organizations.  If you honestly believe that Catholic Priests are the only clergy that have committed sexual acts against children, you haven’t been paying attention in the Christian Youth Groups.

Before you decide to pass along what someone has posted on the internet, check it out.  Before you decide to take a stand against the Catholic Church or any other religious organization, find out what they really believe, not what you think they believe or what someone has told you.  And finally, if you really want to take a stand against Catholic practices and traditions (you have the right to do that), stop doing them in your life!

• ·      Eating fish on Fridays began as a Catholic tradition – and most restaurants that you eat at (and order clam chowder on Friday) follow that tradition.
• ·      Christmas and Easter, were started by the Catholic Church
• ·      Communion, as we know it today, was started by the Catholic Church – even if other churches have changed some of the words and manner of distribution.  (no, Jesus didn’t start communion, he was celebrating the Passover Seder)
• ·      The Catholic Church gave us Liturgy which in modern churches is called ‘order of worship’ (which is really a Jewish term, but that’s a subject for a future writing)
• ·      The calendar we use today was introduced by Pope Gregory VIII, of the Catholic Church

At this point I can hear the cries of anguish from those who truly believe that they would never participate in a Catholic practice or tradition!  Oh really?

·      looking guy or website, is not true.  If you want to know about Catholic Doctrine and traditions, go to the Catholic Catechism, not an Evangelical writer who is trying to sell books.

Look Before You Leap – if you don’t, you might find yourself being embarrassed by facts rather than speculations.

Don’t Wait!

Robin Williams died yesterday; all of the news programs, the newspapers, blogs, tweets and many Facebook ‘statuses’ are relating the tragic end of a comedic genius.  And the question is asked over and over “why didn’t someone see what was happening and stop it”?

Well the truth of the matter is that if a person truly wants to live or die, they will find a way to make that happen.  Mr. Williams found a way to die.

"You matter because you are you, and you matter to the end of your life.— Dame Cicely Saunders

It appears that Mr. Williams didn't feel that he mattered any longer…..oh how wrong he was!  He leaves behind a wife, children, friends, coworkers and some clergy who knew him well….or at least they thought so.  Could this tragedy have been stopped if one of those people stepped in and acted?  Possibly… but only if Mr. Williams wanted to live with and through the personal torments that the media is now reporting.

What to do then, when a friend, a coworker or a family member seems to be in the depths of depression?  Is it inevitable that they will end their life at their own hand; or can we intervene and get them the help that they need? 

Unfortunately, we humans have developed that “I don’t want to interfere” attitude, which actually is an “I don’t care enough” attitude.  If we cared enough, we wouldn't worry about making a scene or looking foolish or being accused of not minding our own business.  We would “get involved” and “get them some help”

Depression is a real thing!  I've experienced it and you've experienced it.  It comes upon us for many reasons. Sometimes it drives a person to consider ‘ending it all’, but generally we live on and often help is obtained and once again we discover, to quote Bishop Sheen, “life is worth living”.  And sometimes it only takes a friend, someone that will just listen, someone who truly cares and does not judge, but remembers “there but for the grace of God, go I”

I visited a friend today.  I should have visited sooner and more often, but I let the events of my life take priority over his failing health.  I even feel guilty calling myself his friend, as a true friend would not have let it go this far.  A true friend would have made the time.  My friend will not end his life at his own hand, but he does need a better friend in me.

It was sad to see my friend in the state that he was….losing his eyesight and speech, not able to move about freely.  I found myself hanging on his every difficultly pronounced word; not out of duty, but because I truly wanted to hear my friend and his thoughts.  You see, he is a genius too.  An engineer who was an expert in his field; a family man with a dedicated wife and daughter and many friends.  One thing he said today that has struck me tonight: “I wouldn't wish this disease on my worst enemy”.  He also told me how his wife was such a blessing from Heaven.  In his suffering he found time to put things in perspective.

 

Why these two men in my story?  Because Mr. Williams and my friend both needed truly dedicated friends.  Their families needed help from outside the family.  A kind word, a phone call, a warm hand or a smile will go a long way for someone who is suffering, regardless if it’s from mental or physical impairment.

   

Who do you know that is suffering from some difficulty?  Are you willing to pick up the phone and call them?  Are you willing to make sure they understand you are there for them?  Will you give them a kind word of encouragement, a warm hand, a listening ear?  Will you be a real friend before it is too late?