What's the REAL solution?

Just a disclaimer at the beginning here before I get into it.
 
If this were a court, all the evidence I present here would be considered hearsay and therefore could not be used in a court of law.  I don't profess to have a solution.  I don't even profess to have all the facts.  What I bring out are the things I've heard either on the news or on the internet (which it must be true if it's on the internet doesn't it?)

In the wake of the shooting at Newtown, CT the debate on gun control has opened again.  There are good arguments on both sides of that coin, but the problem is even if you were to outlaw the ownership of firearms, there are going to be people who still get them illegally.  Face it there are people with guns now who got them illegally and that won't change if you ban gun ownership to the law abiding citizenry of the country.  The gunman who killed 9 in Tucson, AZ a couple years ago is/was mentally unbalanced and it had not gone unnoticed but nothing was done.  The shooter in Newtown was also unbalanced mentally.  If I remember the reports, the shooter in Aurora and the Columbine shooters were all unbalanced as well.  Yet these guys got hold of guns.  Now I know, from the reports, that the shooter in Newtown probably got his guns from his mother's stash.  It had also been reported that even though she was aware that her son had mental problems, she used going to the shooting range with him as a time of bonding.

So, what's the real solution?

It's been said, if we can put armed guards at our banks, where our money is, which is more important our money or our children?  Interesting argument there for putting armed guards at the schools.  I'm not a teacher, though I do know a couple people who are (Dee and Jennifer) so I can't speak for them but it seems to me that it might be a good idea to put armed guards on a school campus.  What do you all think of that idea?

The State Attorney General of the state of Arizona suggests training one person on the safe use of a gun in marksmanship and WHEN to use it in a school.  I personally don't know how well that would work.  I suppose it could save some lives, but what happens if bad luck the person who's trained is the first casualty?

What about allowing the teachers and/or administration to carry concealed (after appropriate training)?

I don't know about other states, but in Arizona it's illegal to have a firearm within 1000 feet of a school zone.  And it's posted all over the place "This is a tobacco free zone" and "This is a gun free zone".  That just makes the schools to be easy prey.

I think the ultimate solution is to make sure that nobody who is mentally unbalanced or whatever other disqualifying thingy (sometimes words escape me regardless of how big my trap is).  We obviously cannot destroy all the guns in the world.  Besides even if we could, what about the other things that would then be used to kill people, like bows and arrows, crossbows, bats, clubs, hammers, screwdrivers, knives and I could go on and on.  It's not the guns that's the problem, it's the ability to keep them out of the hands of those who are most likely to use them to kill innocents.  Those people, not the law abiding citizens, should be kept from getting guns.

I don't know.  Does that make sense?  Does it stimulate your mind?

My End of the World Schedule

So, the end of the world is tomorrow (December 21 is tomorrow, today being the 20th).  If you're reading this and it's already the 22nd then I would have to assume the world didn't end on the 21st and the Mayans would be called dirty stinking liars.  Okay maybe not the Mayans, but certainly the ones who translated the Mayan hieroglyphics didn't understand correctly.

Regardless, here's my schedule for the end of the world

5:15 am hit the snooze button on my alarm
5:20 am realize I hit the snooze button and that means the world hadn't ended yet.
5:30 am get up and brush my teeth and whatever else I need to do while my wife is taking her bath
5:45 am realize the world didn't end while I was brushing my teeth mutter under my breath
5:47 am make coffee
5:50 am look outside to see if the rogue planet is going to hit us, see nothing but stars.
5:55 am wash my wife's travel cup so she can drink and drive (she drinks COFFEE with cream and splenda)
6:15 am realize the world has not ended yet and mutter at the dog
6:20 am kiss my wife good bye before she drives off to work possibly for the last time (make it a good kiss)
6:22 am look up to see if the rogue planet had shown up yet, see something, nope just a bird.
6:30 am take my shower
6:40 am realize the world didn't end mutter at the cats
7:30 am drive to work - mutter at the other drivers
7:45 am stop at the store and buy sun screen (spf 1000 should be sufficient)
8:00 am to 12:30 (noon 30) work and realize the world didn't end (mutter at my computers)
12:30 to 1:30 pm eat lunch
1:30 pm realize the world had not ended and figure it's not going to happen.
1:30 pm - 5:00 pm work work work work work
5:01 pm world ends

It would just figure that the world would hold together until you're finished at work.

Conspiracy or something more nefarious?

There are a few people out there who do not believe everything the government says.  Wait a minute.  I mean there are a few people out there who believe the government is up to no good.  These folks believe that the government is hiding what it knows about UFOs and extraterrestrials (I did spell that right woo HOO) and the moon landing and the Kennedy assassination and the real reason the American League adopted the Designated Hitter Rule (it was really a clerical error).

Any way, the Mayan Calendar (you knew I was going to bring that up so close to the 21st didn't you, ends on December 21, 2012.  On this day, the Earth and our solar system will be passing through the Galactic Equator.  This happens every 26,000 years or so, if I remember correctly.  And there have been hints and speculation about what's going to happen.  Never mind that Nostradamus (sp?) supposedly says something about 2012 (does he really, I never could understand what he wrote) and the Hopi believe the that something is going to happen and the web bot indicates that something is going to happen.  Have you ever considered asking the government what's going to happen?  If you're one of the few I mentioned above (and even if you're not and you just want to see what the government says), here's the link to the official USA web page and the government's official word on the end of the world.

http://blog.usa.gov/post/37121041300/scary-rumors-about-the-world-ending-in-2012-are-just

 

If you believe the government is hiding something, here's something NASA released last week regarding it.

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=156889371

 

I'm not saying anything except the video should (in my opinion) been released on December 22, not before the 17th.  Kind of makes you think huh.

 

Could one of the catastrophes that supposed to happen on the 21st involve Guam?  Here's a video with that concern voiced by an esteemed representative from Georgia.  About half way through he expresses his concerns about Guam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1WSs9B4H5s

 

These links either confirm that nothing is going to happen and we have some challenged people in congress or the US government is hiding something and we have some challenged people in congress. 

 

You decide.

 

 

My Christmas Wish List

Here it is!  I know you've been anxiously awaiting it's arrival, so it's finally here!!

q       Gold – due to the current condition of the United States economy, owning gold is something everybody should do to protect their assets

q       Guns – okay one gun or 2 at the most (Cathy has to be able to defend herself too).  Not a BB gun or an airsoft gun, but a firearm with some stopping power.  .9mm or .45 or .38 would be good. Does not need a large capacity magazine.

q       Wallet with places for pictures of my grandkids.  I’m sure they still make them.

q       Wood carving tools.  My mother-in-law has some large pieces of a tree of hers that she had cut down.  Some of those are big enough to do some cool stuff to (well cool to me, y’all may think it’s lame).

q       Toe socks.  I have toe shoes and 3 pair of toe socks.  I could always use more pairs of the toe socks.  Holly (my daughter for those of you who don’t know) got me a nice pair of toe socks from Amazon.com

q       Whirled Peas otherwise translated as World Peace (though the peas add a nice green touch to this list).

Well that’s it for now.  I reserve the right to expand or contract this list at my own discretion

"In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  And God said 'Let there be light' and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good and He seperated the light from the darkness and He called the light day and the darkness He called night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."  Genesis 1:1-5

I find it interesting that the scientists of today are showing that the universe was created in an instant.  The Bible has stated that for thousands of years.  The Bible shows that God was there at the beginning and though my mind cannot fathom the fact of God existing before anything else existed, I take it in faith that it's true.  After all there is NO evidence to the contrary.

Another interesting thing was that God said "Let there be light" and there was light.  God spoke and the universe listened AND responded.  What does that mean?  To me that means that the Words of God are powerful words.  So powerful that even the universe and the laws of physics obey.  Now you can look at it this way as well, we are concieved and we are without form and void and darkness is upon us (in the womb) and the spirit of God moves across us and provides us with our spirit.  And the light that God speaks into existence is the spark of life our soul. 

The light is also the light of the world which is Jesus.  Whereas we lived our lives in darkness, God gave us the Light of salvation.  So as we wander this world

"And the evening and the morning were the first day" Genesis 1:5  I find that interesting too.  It states that the day starts in the evening and continues to the morning.  That explains to me why the Jews celebrate the Sabbath as starting at dusk on what we call Friday.  It also shows that at the end of the darkness there is light.  Our lives start out in darkness, in sin, and moves into the light as we give our lives to Jesus and God.

"In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth" Genesis 1:1
God was there at the beginning.  He created all things and has been here since before the beginning.  God has no beginning and no ending.  He's eternal.  In creating the heaven and the earth, there is nothing that can be seen that has not been created by him.  Boy does that sound a bit confusing huh.  In a roundabout way, I'm saying that everything you see was created by God.  I'm not talking about buildings and cars and such, though those were made by man, the elements used to make them was created by God.  By the way, just so we're clear on this, "created" means, in the sense of God creating, means made from nothing.  God spoke into existence the universe.  There was nothing before that.  No elements, no structure, nothing.  God spoke it into existence.  In this sense, man cannot create anything, he can only take what God has already created and make something out of it.  Not only did He create the universe, but He wrote the laws of physics that all things must obey.  Though, I wouldn't mind being able to violate the law of gravity once in a while.

"And the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Genesis 1:2
This is the beginning of Earth and really our solar system.  According to science, when the solar system started, there was not star, there was just dust, and the dust coalesced (sp?) into an accretion disk with a ball of hot gas forming in the middle and around it the dust and particles started forming into rocks and planets.  It was during this time that the Earth was without form and void, and before the sun formed and started burning its hydrogen fuel source, it was dark.  The Bible does not go into details about how the Earth was formed, just that God made it.  Something to think about with this verse is that maybe it's also descriptive of us before we're conceived.  We "exist" in the form of an egg and a sperm and when the sperm fertilizes the egg, we begin to get our form.  We exist in the eyes of God yet we are without form until the egg is fertilized.  And the spirit of God moves upon us in the womb and our spirit enters our body.  Just a thought.

"And God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light" Genesis 1:3
When God spoke, the sun burst forth into light and heat.  Starting the burning of the fuel source God provided for it.  The light could also mean the light of salvation.  God knows what's going to happen
"And God saw that the light was good and He seperated the light from the darkness" Genesis 1:4
"And he called the light day and the darkness he called night and the evening and the morning were the first day" Genesis 1:5

I have a number of friends who believe that the world is only a few thousand years old despite the fossil evidence and the ability of scientists to date things using Carbon 14 (an element made by God, by the way).  They base it on the scripture reference that says "to God a thousand years is as a day and a day as a thousand years."  I forget where that is, I think it's in 1 Peter or 2 Peter, though I'm not sure.  Anyway so when it's said in Genesis that God created the world in 6 days, that's 6,000 years.  I believe the interpretation of the 1000 years = 1 day and 1 day = 1000 years is a reference that states that God is not limited by time.  He is the creator of all things, including entropy.  So sure 1 day could be 1000 years or a 10,000 or 100,000 or 1,000,000 or 100,000,000,000 years.  Who's to say?  God knows and He gave us marvelous intelligence to use the tools and laws that He set up to figure things out.

I hope this has been. at the very least. entertaining.

Rich or poor or just making it?

There are a lot of preachers on television and radio who preach that God wants you to be rich.  If that's so, why are there poor christians?  Why are there christians who are just barely making it yet they have the faith to believe that God is taking care of them. 

I believe that some christians can't handle wealth and God knows it (of course).  That they would not give the glory to God but would take the glory unto themselves.  It's entirely possible that the lack of extra money is a thorn in their flesh, much like what Paul mentioned about the thorn in his flesh that, even though he prayed that it be removed, God left it.  (2nd Corinthians 12:5-11 or so).

What I'm saying here is that God wants you rich in the spirit.  Overflowing with the wealth of His spirit.  That leads to the real riches of life eternal with God in Heaven. 

So, just because you don't have an excess of money and you don't have everything you WANT, keep in mind that you have everything you need.  Sounds like a Rolling Stones song huh.  What we need to do and what is always preached, or should be taught more often, accept your situation.  Pray that the situation ease, but live for God in the life you have.  Be a witness for Him and even though you hear preachers telling you God wants you rich, keep in mind that God wants you to be spiritually wealthy not necessarily physically wealthy.

On the other hand, God does not necessarily want you poor either.  Sometimes our lot in life is a life of austerity.  One where we have just the bare essentials, and nothing more.  Some people take the vow of poverty and glorify God in their lack of material things.  But it's not for everybody and God knows that.

I suppose it sounds like I'm saying "be content in your life and don't try to change it".  That's not what I mean.  What I am saying is that just because God doesn't give you the wealth that some preachers promise you that you deserve, and maybe you do, God knows our hearts.  He knows how we would handle wealth and that if we aren't wealthy, so what.  Glorify Him in your life and give no thought about obtaining wealth or poverty.  He will take care of you.  If He decides that you would be affected in a positive way by achieving wealth, then perhaps He will allow you to accomplish that.  In the mean time, don't stress about it.  Pray, live for Him and be a witness to others. 

God loves you and He loves me.  Love Him back.

Do you know what the parties are trying to do?

There has been mentioned that the Republicans are in a war against women.  Now seriously, do you think that's true?  Do you honestly believe that the Republican party would be against everything related to women?  Do you honestly think they want to take away all your rights and make you second class citizens?  Where would the votes for them coming from?  Surely not the women who would be voting themselves into second class citizenry again.  I personally think it's stupid to believe ANY political party would be shooting themselves in the foot like that.  Women are an important demographic for BOTH parties and NEITHER party would alienate such a huge voting bloc. 

The same thing goes for "war against the races" or "class warfare".  COME ON PEOPLE!  Use your head, don't take everything the media says and believe it or heck don't even take half of what they say to be true.  INVESTIGATE AND REASON THINGS OUT!

Crimenetly One party or the other is spreading lies about the other.  It's OUR jobs as voters to use our heads not our hearts on these things.  I don't believe anything the press puts out.  It's going to be biased to one party or the other.  THERE ARE 2 SIDES TO EVERY COIN.  The truth lies somewhere in the middle.

I just get tired of reading posts (not original posts, but shared links from one group or another) regarding all this, pardon the word, crap.  Take everything with a grain of salt and reason things out.  Use logic, take the next step and think about what would either party gain by causing strife between itself and a large bloc of American citizens.

Is this how you see it?

My impression on the recent Supreme Court decision (regarding healthcare) is that if the federal government enacted a law that stated "you must purchase an electric or hybrid car. If you do not, then a tax will be levied in the amount equal to the purchase price of a Chevrolet Volt and that is the car you will get." And there is nothing we can do about it.

Because the Supreme Court "interpreted" the "fine" for not purchasing health insurance as a "tax" even though the bill did not call it a tax, what is to keep congress from passing any other law requiring the purchase of anything as the government sees fit?

Regardless of whether or not you like the Affordable Healthcare Act, is that how you see it?
 
In an unrelated thing, if you know a person who would like to come to the U.S. but can't get a visa or enter any legal way, all they have to do is come across the border somewhere in AZ and even if they get caught, as long as they've not been convicted of a felony, they won't get deported.  Heck, I'm not even sure ICE will accept any phone calls from any authorities (ie police, sheriff's offices etc).  So AZ has open borders now especially since the current administration has chosen not to enforce the immigration laws of the U.S. and the Supreme Court has said that the states cannot enforce any immigration laws.
 
What a week we're having!

An ESP thing that puzzles me....

Something I wonder about, and this is mainly directed to those who believe ESP and such are gifts.  Why do you feel it would be wrong to use your gift to help yourself when you are in need?  I'm not talking about winning lottery numbers, but you can pass those on to me if you like.  I'm talking more along the lines of you need temporary help because of situations beyond your control has caused a slight reversal of fortunes as it were.  Yet you can't or won't help yourself.  I don't understand that.  Some one please explain it to me.

I know there are those who may read this that will say ESP and such is from Satan, but there are others who believe those are gifts from God.  It's to those people to whom this is directed.

Will it matter...

Many years ago, well I guess it's been about 40 years ago, I was attending high school at Yellville-Summit High School.  Posted on the wall of the lobby near the drinking fountain was a poster that posed the question "Will it matter that I was?"  What I remember, whether accurately or not it's how I remember it, is one of my teachers, Mr. Calvin Cotton, posed that question to us in class.  He asked us to answer the question and a brief reason why.   I had answered that, no, it will not matter that I was.  I felt at the time that I had not been an influence, good or bad, on anybody or anything, had not accomplished anything worthwhile and I wasn't sure I ever would.  I believe Mr. Cotton's response was that in essence I was wrong.

I look back and I answer that question over and over thinking that while I have not accomplished anything of worth for people or for the planet, that I have influenced a life or two.  My wife certainly feels that I influence her and I feel that we have influenced each other, thereby making a difference in both our lives.  My daughter Holly.  Well she's my daughter which implies that I fathered her which must mean that if I had no other influence in her life, I'm partially responsible for her being here.  She's a good girl, forgive me Holly for saying "good girl".  I think she's grown up to be responsible and she's certainly intelligent, I feel and hope that I helped her become who she is.

I have other friends that for good or bad I've touched their lives and they have touched mine.  I can't see how any of them has touched me in a bad way and I can only hope that I've touched them in a good way and not bad.  We all need encouragement, love, support and friendship and I hope I have been that way to them.

So, yes, it will matter that I was.  I may never cure cancer, or save the world, but in some small way, I have and will matter.

Don't you hate it when...

Don't you hate it when somebody says "I'm not one to complain..." then they start complaining and you know that they complain all the time.  Not one to complain HA.

Don't you hate it when somebody says "Now, don't take this the wrong way..." then they tell you how bad you are at something and has nothing good to say about it.  How are you supposed to take it?  "Don't take this the wrong way, but your bowling style is reminiscient of a fish flopping around on the ground."

Don't you hate it when somebody says "...and I mean it in the best way possible".  Like "you're uglier than a javelina's butt, but I mean that in the best way possible".  Best way possible huh, you mean I didn't mean it as an insult to you, but a compliment to the javelina.

Feel free to add more to this post.

On getting older and "wiser?"

You know, as you get older your priorities change.  When you're younger you tend to not think too much of the future.  Sure when you're a child you think about becoming a fireman, a nurse, astronaut, princess (you noticed I've mixed boys and girls there, I'm not implying that boys want to be princesses), cowboy or whatever.  Normally we don't turn out to be what we wanted to be as a child.  Oh there are occassions where the child who dreamt of becoming a fireman or policeman or astronaut, actually grew up to be just that.  It happens.  Those children seem to know at an early age what they are supposed to do when they get older.  I believe for the vast majority of us, our views and ideas change and so do our desires and what we feel we want to do with our lives.

I personally don't remember what I wanted to be when I grew up.  I'm pretty sure it wasn't to be a computer programmer or even anything to do with computers.  After all when I was a child, computers pretty much had to have a room all to themselves including its own cooling and power conditioner. 

A few years ago, if asked about what I'd do with a lot of money, I'd have said I would buy cars, houses and live in a place I want to live in, like Hawaii or something like that.  Now I think I'd pay off my bills first, anonymously give money to various charities, set up a trust fund for my grandkids, help my kids and buy cars and houses and live in a place I want to live in, like Hawaii or something like that.  Though truthfully the cars and houses and living in Hawaii are not as important as the other things.  Also I'm thinking I'd buy an island and be my own government, but then I'd wind up bribing myself and becoming a corrupt government official and have to impeach myself.  :-)  In case you wondered, that last part was a bit of a joke.  I would never EVER impeach myself and throw myself out of office.

As I said, as you get older, your priorities change.  Sometimes, even though your priorities have changed, you are in a situation where you can do nothing about it.  You have to stay as you are because there is no wiggle room to change.  Your heart may change, your ideals may change, but if you're in a situation where you're just boxed in and cannot move in the direction you wish to move in, then it's just tough to take.  Lots of people are in that situation.  Cannot make the changes they need to get out of the situation they're in.  They do what little they can and maybe, just maybe it will create enough wiggle room to bust out of their situation and blossom into the person they really are and wish to be.

Thanks for reading.

Maybe I can write Horriblescopes...

I'm practicing my horoscope writing.  See if these apply.

This is a different day for you and the word Jail comes up in conversation.  Maybe it's a good day to stay close to home.

Something you've been looking forward to is at the doorstep.  Today is a good day to check off items on your to do list.

You may feel like it's raining in your heart today, but the sunshine will be peeking through soon.  Keep your head up.

Do you feel like monkeys are flying out your a** and around the Eiffel Tower?  Be patient the thing you're searching for is near.  And don't forget to duck.

Well there's a few.  What do you think?  Could I write horoscopes for a living?

Enjoy the day.

That giant sucking sound...

That giant sucking sound is government sucking our liberties and freedoms away.

Vote this year.  Use your right to vote and let's change some of what government is doing.  If you're not registered, register now.

I think the United States Constitution is the best thing since sliced bread.  Too bad many of our representatives don't agree or agree in principle but not in practice.  Our rights are not given to us by our government buy by our Creator what ever our religious beliefs are.  We may give up our rights in order to be governed, but we should never EVER let the government take them away.  The Declaration of Independence states that "we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among those are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" 

I know we need government.  Without it there would be anarchy.  But the government should be of the people for the people and by the people.

One more thing.  A few weeks ago, President Obama came to Arizona and was met by Governor Brewer.  A now famous picture was published of her wagging her finger at the President.  She was rebuked by nearly everybody for doing it.  For not showing proper respect to the President.  Where was the rebuke when our Governor Napolitano refused to meet then President Bush on his visit here?  She said she was on vacation and didn't want to cut it short.  I think that showed just as much disrespect for the President as Governor Brewer did.  Hypocrisy in politics knows no bounds.  Or is it hypocrisy in the media knows no bounds? 

Thanks for taking the time to read this.  I had a big rant ready and typed out, but I erased it.  Maybe I'll publish it later after I've taken the time to organize it better.

The 10th Amendment

The 10th Amendment to the constitution states:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution,
nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to
the States respectively, or to the people.
 
I've always been one to say that the government of the United States should not do anything the Constitution does not give it authority to do.  As I read the 10th Amendment, that's what I see the writers of the Constitution had in mind.  On the other hand I can also see where the States could give certain powers to the centralized Government.  I wonder what powers the States have given the Federal Government.  There seems to be all sorts of things the government does that are not delegated to it by the constitution.  It must be those powers must have been given to it by the states.  Now the sticky question comes to mind, how do you take BACK those powers to decrease the size of the government?  I think it's extremely difficult to do if not impossible.  Like the saying about the camel and the tent.  Maybe that's not the right analogy.
 
What do you all think?

I wonder...

I watch a television show called "Last Man Standing", it's to Tim Allen in it and it's a funny show.  Tim's character runs the marketing department at a sportsman's store (well I guess he runs it for the entire company, not just one store).  Anyway, he has a video blog and I've thought, gee that might be an interesting way of doing blogs.  Then I think, with my huge number of regular viewers (2 maybe 3 counting me) I would lose viewers, heck I'd probably stop looking at my blog if I had to look at my face and hear nails on a blackboard.  Plus I have no idea where I would go to set it up and do it. 

So, among all you who are reading this, how many of you would even consider doing one yourself and would you frequent one where I do it (video blog).

Yeah it's a survey thing, kinda, a view without a comment is viewed as a view without a comment.