In the are of the same sex marriage issue.
The issue before the Supreme Court is whether the California law Proposition 8 is legal. In that can the people of California, or any other state for that matter, change or make marriage laws. The other thing the court is going to hear is whether or not the Defense of Marriage Act is legal or not.
Personally, I don't think anybody, individual or governmental, has the right to tell anybody they cannot get married. It should be a union between people. Please note that we are all people. We are made of the same stuff. We bleed red when we're cut regardless of our skin color, religious beliefs, gender or anything else. I've said it before, the government should have not say in marriage. If 2 men or 2 women want to get married, why not? I know some of you are going to say, "God forbids homosexuality", I think the wording bans sodomy. I think the Old Testament bans men lying with men and women with women. Though Jesus said "I did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it" Meaning He came to be the ultimate sacrifice for all sinners. Many preachers tell us that we don't live under the dispensation of the law, but the dispensation of grace. Jesus was tolerant. Did He stone the prostitute? Did He shun the lepers? Did He hate the tax collectors? No, the only time Jesus, pardon the wording, but I think it fits well enough, threw a fit was when the money changers were in the temple grounds selling sacrificial animals and, probably, gouging those who needed them.
I said all that basically to say, it's none of my business if gays and lesbians want to get married. If the government has to be involved, then let the States figure it out. By the way, recent polls that have come out say that more than 50% of the people polled are okay with gay marriage. I know, I know that doesn't make it right. But tell me how would gay marriage destroy or harm society?
I think the Supreme Court should rule that a state should have the right to determine who gets married and the Federal Government should keep their nose out of it, thereby ruling that proposition 8 is okay, but the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional.
Live long and prosper y'all (A Vulcan from the southern part of the planet Vulcan)
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
Spring is here
Well, spring is here. It got here quietly here in Arizona. It was heralded with warm weather (mid to upper 80s) and clear skies (skys?).
Spring is a time of renewal and hope. It's when the plants wake up from their winter nap and blossom and bud and shoot pollen into the air so we can all partake of their fragrances (and sneeze our heads off and spend hundreds of dollars on allergy medicine). Around here it's time for the rattlesnakes and spiders and scorpions to wake up and stretch their legs (well except for the snakes, they don't have legs, but then you knew that didn't you). We live in a well populated part of the city so the scorpions and rattlesnakes I don't worry about. We have lizards in the back yard and they take care of other little critters (insects and such). It's also a time when the weather gets "nice". Around here that means it's a week or 2 of 80s then straight up to 90s and doesn't stop until it's over 110 during the summer.
Most importantly, even more so than the plants and animals and the weather is the baseball season. That's right baseball. By the way congratulations to the Dominican Republic for winning the World Baseball Classic. They went undefeated if I heard correctly. Baseball. I don't care what anybody says, it's America's pasttime. It's a time when all the teams are even and everybody from the Yankees and Giants down to the D'backs and Astros have hopes and their sites set on winning the World Series. On April 1st all the teams will have the same chance to win. The fans all believe their team WILL win. Baseball season is a time when we can partially divert our attention from the bad news that's going on and check the box scores to see how our team did. Why else was it important for baseball to go on during World War II? The events of 911 did not stop the season, but merely delayed things for a week or so. Why? Because we need the distraction. We need the time to take our brains out and just watch men try to hit a little ball that's thrown upwards to over 100 mph and try to hit it with a stick. We revel in it. We cheer each win and feel down with each loss.
I like spring. It's the best time for the weather and it's the best time for baseball. I hope each and every one of you have a team you can root for and spend at least a few minutes every day for the next 6 months away from the cares of the world and enjoy a good game.
Spring is a time of renewal and hope. It's when the plants wake up from their winter nap and blossom and bud and shoot pollen into the air so we can all partake of their fragrances (and sneeze our heads off and spend hundreds of dollars on allergy medicine). Around here it's time for the rattlesnakes and spiders and scorpions to wake up and stretch their legs (well except for the snakes, they don't have legs, but then you knew that didn't you). We live in a well populated part of the city so the scorpions and rattlesnakes I don't worry about. We have lizards in the back yard and they take care of other little critters (insects and such). It's also a time when the weather gets "nice". Around here that means it's a week or 2 of 80s then straight up to 90s and doesn't stop until it's over 110 during the summer.
Most importantly, even more so than the plants and animals and the weather is the baseball season. That's right baseball. By the way congratulations to the Dominican Republic for winning the World Baseball Classic. They went undefeated if I heard correctly. Baseball. I don't care what anybody says, it's America's pasttime. It's a time when all the teams are even and everybody from the Yankees and Giants down to the D'backs and Astros have hopes and their sites set on winning the World Series. On April 1st all the teams will have the same chance to win. The fans all believe their team WILL win. Baseball season is a time when we can partially divert our attention from the bad news that's going on and check the box scores to see how our team did. Why else was it important for baseball to go on during World War II? The events of 911 did not stop the season, but merely delayed things for a week or so. Why? Because we need the distraction. We need the time to take our brains out and just watch men try to hit a little ball that's thrown upwards to over 100 mph and try to hit it with a stick. We revel in it. We cheer each win and feel down with each loss.
I like spring. It's the best time for the weather and it's the best time for baseball. I hope each and every one of you have a team you can root for and spend at least a few minutes every day for the next 6 months away from the cares of the world and enjoy a good game.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Asking and believing
How many of you who have children have had your children ask you over and over and over and over for the same thing? Does that get as irritating to you as it does to me?
The Secret mentions 3 steps to receiving what you ask.
1. ASK - but ask once. If you ask more than once, you're not believing that you'll receive it. Think about that for a moment. If you truly believe that what you ask for is on its way to you, then you don't need to ask again. If you ask your mom or dad for something and they say that you can have it tomorrow, do you continue asking? No, you know you're going to get it tomorrow so you don't ask, but you look forward to getting what you asked for.
2. BELIEVE that you are receiving it. Using the example in the previous step, when your parents say okay that you can have it tomorrow, you believe them because they said so and when tomorrow gets here, they give you what you asked for. You can look at it in the sense that you're getting it, so it's yours now, you just don't have it in your hands.
3. RECEIVE what you asked for. The thing you asked for is yours at that moment. It may not be manifested in your hot little hands at that precise moment, but it's yours at that moment. And be thankful for receiving it. Be grateful. When your parents gave you something you asked for, you were grateful (I hope you were, you should have been anyway) and you thanked them, sometimes you thanked them over and over. The same applies here. Give thanks for receiving what you asked for.
I want you all to understand that I believe in God and that HE sent His Son to die for my sins. I believe God is our Heavenly Father. When I give thanks I give thanks to God for I believe He gave me all that I have and all that I will have. The Secret talks about the Universe in that respect, I think of God. There are a couple verses that need to be mentioned here. Matthew 21:22 Jesus said "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." Also Mark 11:24, "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." And Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."
We cannot get anything without asking for it, we must believe that we are receiving it and we must receive it.
The Secret mentions 3 steps to receiving what you ask.
1. ASK - but ask once. If you ask more than once, you're not believing that you'll receive it. Think about that for a moment. If you truly believe that what you ask for is on its way to you, then you don't need to ask again. If you ask your mom or dad for something and they say that you can have it tomorrow, do you continue asking? No, you know you're going to get it tomorrow so you don't ask, but you look forward to getting what you asked for.
2. BELIEVE that you are receiving it. Using the example in the previous step, when your parents say okay that you can have it tomorrow, you believe them because they said so and when tomorrow gets here, they give you what you asked for. You can look at it in the sense that you're getting it, so it's yours now, you just don't have it in your hands.
3. RECEIVE what you asked for. The thing you asked for is yours at that moment. It may not be manifested in your hot little hands at that precise moment, but it's yours at that moment. And be thankful for receiving it. Be grateful. When your parents gave you something you asked for, you were grateful (I hope you were, you should have been anyway) and you thanked them, sometimes you thanked them over and over. The same applies here. Give thanks for receiving what you asked for.
I want you all to understand that I believe in God and that HE sent His Son to die for my sins. I believe God is our Heavenly Father. When I give thanks I give thanks to God for I believe He gave me all that I have and all that I will have. The Secret talks about the Universe in that respect, I think of God. There are a couple verses that need to be mentioned here. Matthew 21:22 Jesus said "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." Also Mark 11:24, "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." And Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."
We cannot get anything without asking for it, we must believe that we are receiving it and we must receive it.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Good and bad feelings
Something I find interesting.
Your feelings are either good or bad. Good feelings come from thinking good things, bad ones come from thinking bad things.
The Secret deals with making sure you think good things as much as you can. Good thoughts put out a frequency that attracts good things. Bad thoughts put out a frequency that attracts bad things. You cannot monitor your thinking all the time. We have thousands of thoughts every day. One way to monitor your thoughts are your feelings. If you pause for a moment and consider how you're feeling. Are you feeling good or bad? If you're feeling good, then you are thinking good thoughts and are on the proper frequency to attract good things. Conversly if you're feeling bad, then you are thinking bad things and are on the frequency that attracts bad things. The obvious goal is to think good thoughts all the time. An exercise that seems good is to close your eyes, thereby shutting out your visual stimuli and just smile for one minute. You cannot have bad thoughts and feel good and you cannot have good thoughts and feel bad. I have found that one bad thought at the beginning of a day can set the mood for the whole day. Begin your day with good thoughts. If you had a bad dream and the feeling hangs on, try shifting your thinking to something good and start your day that way and your whole day will be better.
So if you find yourself feeling bad, change your thinking to something good. You are then changing your frequency to a good one. I look at it as positive thinking.
I'm not sure I explained that well, but I hope you get the idea.
Your feelings are either good or bad. Good feelings come from thinking good things, bad ones come from thinking bad things.
The Secret deals with making sure you think good things as much as you can. Good thoughts put out a frequency that attracts good things. Bad thoughts put out a frequency that attracts bad things. You cannot monitor your thinking all the time. We have thousands of thoughts every day. One way to monitor your thoughts are your feelings. If you pause for a moment and consider how you're feeling. Are you feeling good or bad? If you're feeling good, then you are thinking good thoughts and are on the proper frequency to attract good things. Conversly if you're feeling bad, then you are thinking bad things and are on the frequency that attracts bad things. The obvious goal is to think good thoughts all the time. An exercise that seems good is to close your eyes, thereby shutting out your visual stimuli and just smile for one minute. You cannot have bad thoughts and feel good and you cannot have good thoughts and feel bad. I have found that one bad thought at the beginning of a day can set the mood for the whole day. Begin your day with good thoughts. If you had a bad dream and the feeling hangs on, try shifting your thinking to something good and start your day that way and your whole day will be better.
So if you find yourself feeling bad, change your thinking to something good. You are then changing your frequency to a good one. I look at it as positive thinking.
I'm not sure I explained that well, but I hope you get the idea.
Thursday, March 07, 2013
How about this?
This is something that came to mind a few nights ago. An idea for a story. This story would follow 3 couples in their quest for love with somebody who is forbidden. Each couple follows a different path.
They met in secret. They had to. Not only was their relationship taboo, but it was also illegal. It wasn't age, it wasn't gender, it wasn't race, it was class. He of the patterned class and she of the lighted class. Their only insignia of their class was the clothes they wore. Simple, but it made each class easily discernable to the casual person. It had to be. It's illegal to fraternize between the classes. The penalty for such a relationship is imprisonment and, upon release, a RFID embedded in their body so if they ever got close together again an alarm would sound and they would be picked up and sent off to opposite sides of the planet. The third offense warrants the death penalty of one, to be executed by the other. So, they met in secret. Stealing their time alone. Spending that precious time talking, kissing and getting to know each other more, yet always scared they will be found out....
It's an idea that's just working itself out. Enjoy
They met in secret. They had to. Not only was their relationship taboo, but it was also illegal. It wasn't age, it wasn't gender, it wasn't race, it was class. He of the patterned class and she of the lighted class. Their only insignia of their class was the clothes they wore. Simple, but it made each class easily discernable to the casual person. It had to be. It's illegal to fraternize between the classes. The penalty for such a relationship is imprisonment and, upon release, a RFID embedded in their body so if they ever got close together again an alarm would sound and they would be picked up and sent off to opposite sides of the planet. The third offense warrants the death penalty of one, to be executed by the other. So, they met in secret. Stealing their time alone. Spending that precious time talking, kissing and getting to know each other more, yet always scared they will be found out....
It's an idea that's just working itself out. Enjoy
Tuesday, March 05, 2013
Right thinking, or maybe Left I never get that right...
The following are quotes from "The Secret". The numbers are mine, not the book's.
6. People think about what they don't want and attract more of the same
7. Thought = creation. If these thoughts are attached to powerful emotions (good or bad) that speeds the creation
8. You attract your dominant thoughts
9. Those who speak most of illness have illness, those who speak most of prosperity have it..etc..
Now I know that some of you are going to look at this and think "heresy" or "blasphemy". That's okay. Just do me a favor and think about it. You attract your dominant thoughts. What are your dominant thoughts? What do you think of the most? Do you think about "what am I going to do if I don't get paid" or "I've felt sick for the past week, and still feel sick" or maybe "I'm so tired" Do you feel those things? Do you feel the way you're thinking? Are you thinking negatively? I know for the past year or 2 I've felt like I've had bad years where things seemed to be going wrong all the time. I didn't think about the good things that were going on, I dwelt on the bad things. Did my thinking on those things perpetuate the bad things? If you look at the above quotes and believe them, then yes I did.
So, what harm is there in changing the way I think? Instead of thinking negative things, I need to think of positive things. Also, instead of thinking "I don't want to be sick" or "I don't want to be broke" I need to think "I want to be healthy" and "I want to have enough to cover everything and have a little left over for recreation". It's a subtle difference in thinking, but "don't" and "can't" are negative words (they contain the word "not").
I don't know how long it would take to see if it works, I just know it won't hurt to do it. If nothing else, I'll be a happier person.
6. People think about what they don't want and attract more of the same
7. Thought = creation. If these thoughts are attached to powerful emotions (good or bad) that speeds the creation
8. You attract your dominant thoughts
9. Those who speak most of illness have illness, those who speak most of prosperity have it..etc..
Now I know that some of you are going to look at this and think "heresy" or "blasphemy". That's okay. Just do me a favor and think about it. You attract your dominant thoughts. What are your dominant thoughts? What do you think of the most? Do you think about "what am I going to do if I don't get paid" or "I've felt sick for the past week, and still feel sick" or maybe "I'm so tired" Do you feel those things? Do you feel the way you're thinking? Are you thinking negatively? I know for the past year or 2 I've felt like I've had bad years where things seemed to be going wrong all the time. I didn't think about the good things that were going on, I dwelt on the bad things. Did my thinking on those things perpetuate the bad things? If you look at the above quotes and believe them, then yes I did.
So, what harm is there in changing the way I think? Instead of thinking negative things, I need to think of positive things. Also, instead of thinking "I don't want to be sick" or "I don't want to be broke" I need to think "I want to be healthy" and "I want to have enough to cover everything and have a little left over for recreation". It's a subtle difference in thinking, but "don't" and "can't" are negative words (they contain the word "not").
I don't know how long it would take to see if it works, I just know it won't hurt to do it. If nothing else, I'll be a happier person.
Monday, March 04, 2013
1.6 billion rounds and 2700 tanks
Yep, the Department of Homeland Security (hereafter referred to as DHS) has purchased 1.6billion rounds of ammunition (they say they got a deal on pricing) and 2700 tanks. There is supposedly a youtube video of one of the DHS officers giving a tour of one of the tanks. KFYI, local talk radio station, has the link posted on their website. The tracks of the tanks have been removed and replaced with bulletproof tires.
Is the DHS becoming a national police force? I always thought that a national police force would be illegal, but I wouldn't swear to that being true. Anybody know for sure and can point it out in the Constitution?
I guess I must be a little uninformed regarding what the DHS is for. I thought they were organized to protect the Homeland from enemies. Does the purchasing of 1.6 billion rounds of ammo and the acquisition of 2700 tanks indicate they expect an invasion from somewhere or are they getting ready to put down protests? Either one of those is enough to put a bit of a fright in me.
What's your thoughts?
Is the DHS becoming a national police force? I always thought that a national police force would be illegal, but I wouldn't swear to that being true. Anybody know for sure and can point it out in the Constitution?
I guess I must be a little uninformed regarding what the DHS is for. I thought they were organized to protect the Homeland from enemies. Does the purchasing of 1.6 billion rounds of ammo and the acquisition of 2700 tanks indicate they expect an invasion from somewhere or are they getting ready to put down protests? Either one of those is enough to put a bit of a fright in me.
What's your thoughts?
Friday, March 01, 2013
Previous post continued...
There was a movie put out in 2006 called "The Secret" and I think I'll see if I can find it and view it. I did find the e-book for my nook at http://bn.com.
Anyway, onward and forward...
"All that we are is a result of what we have thought" - Buddha
What can you do right now to turn your life around?? Gratitude
Gratitude will bring more into our lives immediately
What we think about and THANK about is what we bring about
What are the things you are grateful for?? Feel the gratitude..
focus on what you have right now that you are grateful for
These quotes come from the book "The Secret".
I included that quote from Buddha because it is an interesting thought. Imagine if we changed the way we thought and what we thought about when we were younger. If that quote is true, then I would be in a much different place. Meaning, materially I would be much better off. But it's NOT too late to change our thoughts and our lives.
How many of us give thanks on a routine basis? I know I don't. I am starting that train as of last night (2/28) and I already know that when I give thanks for the things I have and the things that I don't have, AND the things I will have, it changes my attitude about what's going on in my life. I feel happier and more peaceful about everything. By giving thanks, we begin to feel positive about things.
I am grateful for my family, for my house, for my pets, for my job, my cars, my bank accounts and the ability to help others when it's needed. It makes me happy to be thankful. I will continue to give thanks for all that I have and will have and I know I'll be happier and more at peace with my life rather than trying to swim upstream by just reacting to situations and bemoaning my life.
By the way, giving thanks is also a great way to shift your perspective on things, but then I mentioned that in a previous post.
Enjoy everybody and have a great day and don't forget to give thanks for that great day.
Anyway, onward and forward...
"All that we are is a result of what we have thought" - Buddha
What can you do right now to turn your life around?? Gratitude
Gratitude will bring more into our lives immediately
What we think about and THANK about is what we bring about
What are the things you are grateful for?? Feel the gratitude..
focus on what you have right now that you are grateful for
These quotes come from the book "The Secret".
I included that quote from Buddha because it is an interesting thought. Imagine if we changed the way we thought and what we thought about when we were younger. If that quote is true, then I would be in a much different place. Meaning, materially I would be much better off. But it's NOT too late to change our thoughts and our lives.
How many of us give thanks on a routine basis? I know I don't. I am starting that train as of last night (2/28) and I already know that when I give thanks for the things I have and the things that I don't have, AND the things I will have, it changes my attitude about what's going on in my life. I feel happier and more peaceful about everything. By giving thanks, we begin to feel positive about things.
I am grateful for my family, for my house, for my pets, for my job, my cars, my bank accounts and the ability to help others when it's needed. It makes me happy to be thankful. I will continue to give thanks for all that I have and will have and I know I'll be happier and more at peace with my life rather than trying to swim upstream by just reacting to situations and bemoaning my life.
By the way, giving thanks is also a great way to shift your perspective on things, but then I mentioned that in a previous post.
Enjoy everybody and have a great day and don't forget to give thanks for that great day.
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