a celebration of truth, justice, freedom of speech, mom's apple pie, jesse winchester and the lifestyle of a free radical thinker. Don't tell your mother. (she knows)
What does being “sexy” have to do with running for the Presidency of the United States? Yuck.
Pelosi’s cause for illegals is for the Democratic vote and nothing more. Bill is right, take religion out or leave it in. You can’t have it both ways.
Barney Frank should be held accountable, but nobody talks about that except Bill O’Reilly
Whoppi has gas, she needs to blow it out her ass. You asked for an opinion, Bill is trying to explain why he thinks the chasm is growing between the President and the American people and you freak? Joy has no couth, walk off when your guest is trying to back up what he said after you want proof? Dumb ass.
Anyway, I say good for Bill O’Reilly. You have to admire him for continually coming back on the View. I will read his book.
With all due respect to my last post, you gotta LOVE this! A fan of the group Weezer is opening up a collection to bribe this band NOT to record anymore music? That is hysterical! This morning I saw this on MSN and had to - had to - HAD TO put it in a post. Some of the performers on this list … okay, ALL of the performers on this list should be bribed not to record anymore, but are there others? Let me know what you think…
Meanwhile… why should we limit ourselves to “musicians”? I’d love to get a collection together for Julia Roberts. Please! Julia! No more half-baked movies! Take the money! AARRRRGGhh! Or how about Jennifer Aniston? Please Jenn, make my day… no more movies! Hey! Why didn’t I think of this before? Lets take up a collection for ol’ what’s her name? You know, that Hilton dweeb? Who cares if you have ANY F’ing BFFs? Get off the air! Take the money! Wow! This is great!
Howard Stern, yuck! Your time has passed! Take the money and get your annoying self off the air! Rush Dumbell! Pa-leezze! Shut up! Here, take the money! Al Sharp-tongue! Stash the cash and shut up! Oh! I love this!
Simon says, Simon! Shut the hell up! Take the money and run! Oprah! OMG! Oprah? Helloooo peooople! Shut the hell up! You should be paying me! Ellen! Here, I’ll write you a check! Doctor Fill? I’m up to the brim! Shut the hell up!
It’s pretty darn bad when fans are willing to pay their “favorite” entertainers to STOP trying to entertain them, but maybe that is what we have come to.
How about we take up a collection for sports figures? Lebron! Stop! Or reality “stars”? Heidi! Enough! Even authors? Hell yes! Steven King, shut the hell up!
Better still, let’s make them pay us back!
The last couple seasons of Survivor sucked! You guys owe me big time! Dancing with the Stars? Dance around this! My time is too valuable!
Maybe… just maybe… people are going to demand more from the “artists” that entertain us. Maybe the void, this insatiable vacuum will finally be shut down and we’ll actually start getting people with talent instead of the star maker machinery behind the popular song.
I can say to my BB a dozen times, “I love you” but it seems to have more meaning to her when I write it down just once. Whether on a card, a note, or a letter, the sentiments I vocalize many times a day pale in significance to the scrawl of my hand. Those very words, I love you… etched in that moment of time are held like an official document or a piece of evidence that makes the hearing of it circumstantial but the tangible proof more credible somehow. The written word is more eloquent and she never tires of reading it.
Which brings me here, to the writings of my blog and the past four years of sporadic entry. Many things have changed since May 2006 and the whimsy that placed me at the keyboard in the first place. I re-married. I re-located. I re-considered my politics. Through all of those months and thousands of words stretched into 400 entries here at AMRFP, I learned something about myself. She reminds me of it every day…
But there is more to it than that. Do the entries I have posted stand the test of time? Did I think or say something here that proved false? Were my convictions misplaced? Are there inaccuracies here that have somehow misled?
and I still believe that original, first post of May 2006 and with each entry I tried to remain true to that theme of Advantages of Mutual Respect and Fair Play because I truly believe that is what the world needs and if you live it, it will come back to you.
and it is lovely to see you each and every time. Walk along with me to the next bend. But when and where does the next bend lay (or lie?) And what was AMRFP originally? A celebration of truth, justice, freedom of speech, mom’s apple pie, Jesse Winchester and the lifestyle of a free radical thinker (don’t tell your mother, she knows)
I guess I got a little cynical… is that a bad thing?
I remind myself of the Bible’s description of the betrayal of Jesus found in the book of John. You remember, how Jesus was left by his disciples and condemned by the religious leaders of the day? They were supposed to be on the watch for the Son of Man but gave in to their own interpretations of what he should be. And when Jesus clearly did not recognize the religious leader’s hierarchy, they gave him over to the authorities to be put to death as a fraud. While Pilate could find nothing wrong with the man, as a king Jesus was a threat to Caesar and Pilate had to act. He washed his hands of the matter and sent Jesus off to be impaled, placing a sign over his stake in Hebrew, Latin and Greek that read: Jesus the Nazarene – The King of the Jews. Of course, the priests and rabbis took immediate offense at this and declared, ” Do not write ‘the King of the Jews’ but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’ “ After which Pilate famously declared, “What I have written, I have written.” John 19:22
I have tried to stay neutral on some subjects, but it has been difficult. Sometimes you just gotta let it ride…
So, starting with post 401 and from this day forward I will try to remain true to what I originally set out to do with this blog. There have been many fringe benefits along the way. There have been some repercussions, too. I will make every effort to place as a priority mutual respect and fair play.
I guess most of us are so used to gimmicks or gags that seeing money offered for the taking becomes suspect. Kind of like the lottery. People become really interested when the jackpot hits 100 million dollars. As if 80 or 90 million is small change…
I guess it is no big news that the economy is in the crapper. Just look at me, home on a work day. Oh, it’s nobody’s fault, really. Sometimes things just work out that way when you work construction. You either have too much work or not enough. It’s hard having it come in just as you need it.
I’ve reached an age where I can just about picture myself retiring. Now that’s scary. Because when you think about it, no one is conscientiously going to grow old, are they? We all are going to go on and on until we reach middle age, somewhere way in the future. But grow old? Never!
So imagine my disheartenment when I read this on the Internet yesterday…
I know how to fix social security. It is very simple. End it. Baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 still get it. The rest forge ahead with a new program. It will be called Social Assurance. Families that take care of their own will benefit the greatest. They will see reduced taxes if not eliminated all together. Oh, there will be other means for the government to collect taxes, don’t worry about that. But these families will not pay taxes on their wages. Imagine that. Keeping Grandma might be a better financial arrangement than shipping her to an old folks home.
Medication and health care for those over 65? Free. F-R-E-E. How can we afford this? Simple. Health care will become non-profit. It seems a crime to me to make money on someone else’s illness. Doesn’t that seem to be a conflict of interest? If you make them well, they no longer need your services. So just keep them coming back, stretch it out. Suck them dry. Nope, not anymore.
In 2009 America’s #1 export was military equipment. Our #2 export was pharmaceuticals. If we don’t kill them we strive to make them well. Remove the profiteers from these two “commodities” and we might be able to do away with a lot of things.
Did you know that there are a record number of Americans living in poverty?
This is happening while we claim to have a better way for the world. Democracy. This despite a 12 trillion dollar annual Gross National Product. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_2008_US_GNP So how do we reverse the trend of more people living in poverty? Simple. Stop giving jobs away. We were at our greatest when we took care of ourselves first. The Bible says, “Remove the rafter from your own eye, then you can better see how to remove the splinter from your brothers eye.” Luke 6:42 If we don’t work, we don’t make money.
Did you know illegal substance abuse is higher now?
I guess it is because of the pressure of day-to-day living. People need to escape. Alcohol consumption is up, too. Here’s a thought. Decriminalize marijuana.
I’m not saying everyone should smoke a fatty. Everyone shouldn’t. I don’t. But you know, we spend billions on the war against drugs, why not divert our attention to national security instead? We have not gained anything in making pot illegal, except making our citizens criminals. More people die because of alcohol related abuse than any other single cause. Think about it. Crimes of violence. Automobile deaths. Health related deaths. Work related injuries and deaths. Throw tobacco in there and the cost is staggering. Nobody ever knocked over a convenience store because they were high on pot.
I say educate the public and let them decide. You can legally brew your own beer, why not grow your own pot? Curtail the selling of marijuana, yes. Sell it as you do tobacco and alcohol, yes. And of course, tax it. Limit it’s use as we already limit alcohol and tobacco. I don’t think we would become a nation of pot-heads. Millions have tried it and left it behind. Some have used it all their lives and functioned normally. We can’t predict how society will respond, so why are we trying to protect us from ourselves, especially when it is an unpopular and costly effort that has not garnished any positive gains? The definition of insanity? Trying the same solution to a problem and expecting different results. We need a broader mind, not a closed one.
It comes down to profit again. I don’t think the U.S. government should be in the insurance business. In fact, I don’t think anybody should. If it is broken, lets fix it. If you are sick, let’s make you better. If you have lost it, let’s replace it. It is that simple.
Our society should operate like a family. We take care of our own. There is no enrichment at another’s expense, there is no profiting off another’s calamity. The old ways are gone.
Okay. How are we going to PAY for all this progress? Simple.
Social Assurance means faith in ourselves. That we will be treated honestly and fairly. That we will be cared for and looked out after. This is a pact we make unto ourselves, this is a creed we will live by that as long as we are treated fairly, we will treat others the same way. There is no greed because of an un-certain future. There is no theft for lack of necessity. There is no animosity or suspicion of motive.
What do we all want? To live and let live. To go our way, to be clothed and fed and sheltered from the elements. To see our loved ones prosper, not just financially but morally, physically and spiritually.
Social Assurance means trust in each other.
Most dreams seem far-fetched… but the reality is, our set course is not our desired destination.
oh boy, I mean… Oh non-gender reference! Yet another attempt to take the masculine out of the scriptures. And, agree with it or not, you gotta wonder… why? Why this feeling that God should not be a male figure? And does that now include Jesus as not being God’s Son?
Rather than alienate us, doesn’t a father figure tend to draw us closer to the Almighty? This is a term that we as humans can relate to. A father guides and protects us. A father provides for his family. A father sets the example. God as a person means He has characteristics; feelings, ideas, morals, empathy, etc. Viewed as merely a Being it makes Him seem alien and distant. He becomes just a force, similar to electricity. If we are to have a relationship with someone, don’t we want to understand that person? and be confident that He understands us? For us to draw close to God would require us to have trust in Him, devotion to Him and faith in Him. We could only do this if God has a personality. Otherwise, it might be His power that holds us in awe (which it does) and makes us fear Him.
God doesn’t want us to fear Him in the sense that He might smite us. Rather, He wants us to love Him and trust Him like a child does his father, having a fear of dis-pleasing Him. You know and love your father, not because of his strength, but because of his approachability and understanding of your weakness. And that comes from having a grasp of him as a person, knowing how he will react to your affections, knowing he will return them in kind. He will not view them as petty.
This does not diminish the fact that He IS the Supreme Being, as we are all human beings, He is a spiritual one. By studying God’s word you learn who God is. Not just the nuts and bolts of His laws, but the love He has that tempers everything He does. You learn faith, not as blind obedience to a God that is distant and emotionally detached, but faith in the person you have built a relationship with. You develop a relationship that is as close as the thing most dear to your heart, knowing He is one that you can trust with your inner most thoughts, fears, hopes and dreams.
Imagine trying to love a father whom you have never met. He sired you and left you on your own to grow up. Could you love this man simply because he caused your birth? Wouldn’t he become this ”being”, this insemination machine who caused you to be born but didn’t take an interest in your development? In that sense he would lose his masculinity and become an object, much the way taking the masculine out of the Bible will do. But our Heavenly Father is not such a being. He is a provider, a wise leader with a caring and nuturing character. He communicates with us and informs us which is the best course for us as his children.
There are times when God says we must be like Him. Hating what is bad. Slow to anger. Being long-suffering and exercising self-control among other qualities. We would not view these as being unattainable for us. God wouldn’t put things before us and tell us to strive to reach these goals if they were not within our grasp, that would be cruel. We are created in God’s image and can display the qualities of God, and God has given us free will, the ability to choose our life’s course. All other creatures of earth have instinct, a programming of character. God allows us the choice to be who we are at our own reckoning.
The Bible mentions the nation of Israel as being God’s wife and He being her husband. What better way to show that God wants to be involved with the nurturing and development of His people? The Bible also talks about how God takes special consideration of the “fatherless boy”. If the masculine is taken away from the Bible, how would this passage be rendered as relevant and still convey God’s compassion?
It seems religion attempts to be all things to everyone no matter how their lifestyle contradicts the Bible. As we re-write history and God’s holy word, does it really make us better Christians? Or does it soothe our desire to direct ourselves first thus enabling us to provide token service to some emotionally detached, all powerful Being?
A creator that is so distant we regard Him as an afterthought?
The Bible says we are created in the image of God, male and female He made us. It is reasonable to conclude that God has the attributes of both genders in His personality.
But as the Father He planted the seed of creation. Try as we might, we cannot change that.
I wonder if nothing is sacred? But then again, I have a friend who is a collector and oddities are his specialty. Sometimes it’s not what you do, but what you doo doo.
I think that with John’s sense of humor and wit, this would have given him a reason to smile. After all, didn’t he perform with a toilet seat over his head? Another time he appeared in public with a sanitary napkin on it.
The new owner of this should put it next to Elvis’ throne.
“Nothing ever happens here!” Do you sometimes feel that way? Believe it or not, miracles do happen… they may take place in our own backyard. Take this story for example… (sent to me by an alert and faithful reader!)
Is it possible that we are all inter-connected by some massive divine spider web?
I’m not a real religious person, though I have had my moments, but could this discovery coincide with the Bible passage at Psalms 8:4?
When the Bible says God keeps us in mind, does it mean that we are literally in His mind? And if that is a possible reality, could God simply change His mind if what we are doing doesn’t suit Him?
We go along thinking that what we do doesn’t matter. People tell us that things just happen, there is no creative process in the design of the human race. But when we have an idea, isn’t that a creative spark? Couldn’t there be a supreme being whose creative thought patterns spawned life as we know it?
It has been overcast all morning long. I’ve been watching the neighbors across the street packing up to move. I feel badly because I have lived here a full year and I never got around to crossing the street to introduce myself. I tell myself that he could have very easily crossed over to have met me (and since he was here when I arrived that would have been the neighborly thing to do) but now it is just one of those things.
My neighbor across the street has a wife and children. As they load up their belongings I have seen what appears to be family and friends show up to help. Moving is such a hassle. And here it is just three weeks before school starts again. I wonder what his family was like. I’ve seen the kids out playing in the yard. Seen his wife come home with the groceries. I’ve even said “good morning” to him or “How’s it going?” as we each have left for our respective jobs, but I don’t even know his name.
It seems odd to me that they’d be moving in the middle of the month. It couldn’t be because the rent was past due because that usually qualifies as a “midnight move-out”, slipping away with a frantic blitz of activity to avoid being detected by the landlord. I know a lot about that. When I was a kid my step-father frequently drank up his paycheck to the point that there was no food in the house and we couldn’t pay the bills. I never knew from one day to the next whether we’d be at a certain local long enough to call a place ”home”. Nope. My neighbor’s move is being done in broad daylight.
Maybe he got a promotion and has decided he wants better digs. He could be one of those people who has won the lottery and is trying to remain low key until he relocates. Maybe his wife’s mother is sick and they decided to move closer in order to be there for her during her time of need. Perhaps the children have reached the age where each requires his own room and they just need a bigger place. It is sitting here fabricating these different scenarios that has put me in the doldrums.
Even my BB has felt this way as she confides in me. “I feel like going over and wishing them well, but I wasn’t sure how to go about doing it.” I agreed with her. “Yeah, it might come across like you’re glad to see them go.” “Yes,” she says, “so sad.” But now I reason within myself, why do we feel sad? Maybe this move is a good thing for them.
But in reality I think I know the reason and it pains me to have to admit it. Even with my lack of direct participation I have placed myself in line with the rest of the neighborhood’s residents. Because I have tried to be friendly towards those on the left and right of our rented house and been met with indifference. This is not a friendly neighborhood. Perhaps if I had crossed the street I could have made it seem a little more so, but I waited for someone else to approach me first. Those I have made the effort with have made it seem bothersome, like I had an ulterior motive. As if the next time I showed up I would ask them to borrow their lawnmower or a cup of sugar or something equally invasive and annoying. So I shrank back, too. I turned inward.
I’ll be sorry to see my neighbor leave. I imagine as I see their mini-van’s tailights disappear down the street and around the corner for the last time I will still ponder about where they’ll end up. I see this as a lost potential. Somehow deep inside I grieve a bit. I picture myself seeing them somewhere in the future, like at the supermarket or down at the park. Should I go up and introduce myself then? “Hi, I’m the guy who lived across the street from you before you moved. Sorry I didn’t catch your name before?” No. I wouldn’t do that. Maybe I’d just say “good morning” or “How’s it going?”
