Contrary to Popular Belief

And a hardy good morning to each and every two of you. Wanted to put down a thought or two on a specific political topic this morning. I'm struck with how often the conservative category of thought, and it is a category, not a rigidly defined doctrine, is presented as being "against" so very much but ambiguous about what it is "for". I'm guessing most reading this will shake their heads in agreement.The media are quick to define us as being "against" so many things and we are perceived as being "for" very little. While some of this affect is exacerbated by the conservative movements shortcomings in the presentation of it's position, it is also largely a function of the media's desired perception of conservatives. If we begin listing all the things that liberals are against the list becomes rather lengthy in a relatively short amount of time. They are certainly well ensconced, (I know how very unprofessional this is but I spelled ensconced correctly without the use of the spell checker), in a contrary position to our 2nd amendment rights. It would seem they are against an unborn child's pathway to citizenship as well and how about the general public's freedom to eat what it wants and use the type of light bulbs it wants and use the type of flush toilets it wants and to drive the type of cars it wants etc. etc. etc. Additionally, they are against our right to see whatever evidence they have justifying their insistence of us using the afore mentioned items.  How about the lefts obsessing on getting the societal sugar daddy's to let go of even more of their money while letting the country go off the fiscal cliff. The small amount of money being talked about in the higher taxes debate is nothing in the big picture. The only real effect these tax hikes would have is to further the misconception that the left is "for" the little guy while extending our financial woes out another several years by ignoring the real problems of a government that is spending to much. Let's fix our economy first then attack the successful when it won't hurt so many of us to do so. Certainly both parties are "for" and "against" a lot of different things but to characterize one party as being against so much and for so little doesn't even make sense. How can you take a contrary position on something that only has one side? You can't. If the media wanted to they could put the "against" label on our liberal friends but then they would have one less straw hammer to beat conservatives over the head with. If liberals decided stop signs should be considered suggestions then the media would say conservatives are "against" the proposed changes in sign interpretation. Those darn conservatives are at it again, just being against stuff and all, can you believe it?  Just for the record let me list a few things this conservative is "for". I am for the freedom of speech; separation of and balance of powers provided by the constitution; federalism; gun ownership (exclusive of the second amendment); the citizen's right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Each of these things I am for can be expressed by saying I am against any number of contrary positions to these positively stated items. Please be sure that I am for preserving what's left of our language and would stand beside anyone who will help in this preservation effort.

Can We Talk?

Just sitting here at 3:45 am wondering when we will, as a nation, be able to have a meaningful discussion about abortion. (by the way, my wife is away for a few days so this entry will have more grammatical and spelling issues than usual) I know it's anecdotal but my efforts to have a meaningful discussion on the issue usually ends up focusing on something other than the actual issue of abortion. A recent effort landed us at the predictable "if you're against abortion but aren't a foster parent then you are a hypocrite". This is a comment given during a dialogue supposedly about abortion. While it's way off the subject lets waste a little more time and follow the logic for just a moment. If in order to be legitimately against something you must be personally involved in an effort to repair the damage then it would appear that we live in a society that is OK with child abuse. If you're against child abuse but aren't volunteering  40 hours a week, which is actually less time than a foster parent gives, at a children's home then you're a hypocrite. If you "say" you think it's wrong that Priest's have molested young boys but haven't offered to man phone's at a hot-line for young people abused by Priest's then you're a hypocrite. If you are against animal cruelty but haven't had an endless string of abused pets in your home then you are obviously a hypocrite. For cryin' out loud, all you have to do to show how much you care about wiping out breast cancer is to wear something pink. All you have to do about young boys being molested by adults is to gossip about it at work. But abortion, well, if you're not a foster parent then you obviously don't give a rip about unborn children. Gossiping and wearing ugly clothes will land you precisely in the center of the "I care" target on virtually any issue except abortion. But to answer one idiotic position is to ask for an endless string of them. Once you start down that road there's no end in sight. If you are going to offer a meaningful opinion on abortion then there is a never ending list of prerequisites that must be met. If, however, you are going to move a whole nation down the bloodiest path it has ever embarked on, all  you need is a black robe. Oh, and an apparent indifference to our constitution. Gee, I think it would be easier to be a supreme court justice than to hold a meaningful conversation on the street about abortion. Maybe I should look into that as a good retirement activity.

Dishonesty

As you might have guessed, this particular entry is about our government's inclination toward being less than honest with us. So let's just jump right into it. I was in the parking lot of a convenience store here in Wichita, USA when I was approached by a young black lady requesting some help, in the form of cash, so as to provide for some gas and a meal for her and her daughter. While I did inquire as to where she lived I did not ask a lot of questions before handing her 12 bucks. She walked back to the old van she had pointed to when I asked about her vehicle and got in. I pulled over to another part of the parking lot but did not leave. She did not put any gas in the van and the driver, whom I assume was her daughter, looked like an old white man. (I suppose she had a nasty disease of some kind). I followed the van which took a route that would be a very inefficient way of getting to where she said she lived and pulled into another convenience store parking lot. I did not confront them but left quietly having been proven the fool once again. As I drove home it hit me how very similar this experience was to our journey as a nation down the Social Security highway. The money you put in will be put aside and used to help you as you enter old age. No really. So here we are with Social Security going bankrupt. How could that happen if the money was set aside as they said? Welcome to the legal scam known as Social Security. The only difference between my experience tonight and the Social Security scheme is that Social Security is being carried out by an armed perpetrator. We are forced to participate in this scam with no pretense of choice. It seems choice is a popular topic for discussion in matters other than taxes. Funny thing that.

Greed is not class specific

 Pictures are from Thomas Sowell's collection. (I don't think he'd mind)

Of course with all the economic unrest in our nation today there is a good measure of frustration and anger finding articulation from many in our society. My observations would suggest that the most commonly held opinion that finds expression is that of the rich not paying their "fair share". We have compiled quite a list of half-truths and incomplete stories that have brought us to this conclusion. As far as I can see the media and a plethora of politicians are happy to leave some important information out of discussions on this matter. Fairness is a tricky thing to define and is a dangerous end for a whole society to pursue. In the end there are thousands of differing ideas on just what is actually fair and to what extent society is obligated to promote whatever definition of fairness that seems fair to it. It may seem unfair for someone to have something someone else doesn't have but as we fill in the details of how this "something" was acquired we may actually conclude that it would be unfair to give this something to he who has it not. This isn't the path I intended for this blog so let me shift gears a bit here. As we look at our culture and our country in terms of the wealth that is generated by its economic system and the results of such wealth over several generations, we would do well to be careful about pointing fingers and concluding too easily that the unequal distribution of wealth is due to rich people's greed. Greed may play a part and is certainly at play in some wealthy people's lives but I would like to suggest we need only look in the mirror to see greed. Why can only the super-rich, (whatever that means), be greedy? Let me suggest that hourly paid workers whose demands first push a company to an un-competitive market position, then to bankruptcy should be included in our definition. You can point to overpaid CEO's all day long but if they drew no salaries at all it would have little effect on the overall economic health of the company. You have auto workers making twice as much money and receiving much better benefits than the vast majority of the people who are buying their cars. Is that fair? Then instead of the natural ebb and flow of free markets correcting this unfairness the government steps in and takes even more money out of our pockets to supplement the money we've already given them. Fair? I paid substantially more for the last set of tires I put on my vehicle due to a tariff the government placed on imported tires. The result of this is more of my hard-earned money going to people who make more money than I do and who have better benefits. Again, I'm wondering if this fits your definition of fairness. If this is all a little hard to follow let me try to tie things together for you. Instead of beating up on the top one or two percent of wage earners who already pay 50% of all income taxes, let's look for ways for our government to spend less money so we can all keep a bit more of what we make. And instead of looking for ways to interpret fairness to mean I'm entitled to someone else's money let's take a look in the mirror and see if we can make a fair effort to provide for ourselves. When that happens it opens up some wonderful opportunities for new-found joy in helping out others with what you have earned. 

God Found Me!

    OK then, let us see if we, (I), can get a reasonable facsimile of the walk I just finished and the accompanying thoughts that seem to flow like a stream once they get started. First of all, in case I haven't already mentioned it, I love Dollar Tree. It must be my favorite place to shop. So I went for a walk to get a bite to eat with the turn-around point being Braum's. Since I was there anyway I bought a double dip hot fudge sundae to enjoy. This is the second time Braum's has offered a near miss for me. As I bowed my head to thank God for cows, and milk, and chocolate, and farmers and freon etc. etc. It began to soak deep within me. Again I was left amazed at God's work in creation including man's ability to manipulate and massage what God made into such wonderful-tasting treats.  Sounds a bit silly I know, but if you sit and think about all the steps, the processes, the people between me and the part of God's creation that makes that sundae possible it is truly amazing. My taste buds fully appreciated all those steps and the job which offers me the resources to buy it. On the way home I was accompanied by what looked to be a full moon. It was shining bright and giving great depth to the clouds that were gliding in front of it. I stopped a couple of times just to stare at it for a while. The noisy traffic was sent away for a time as I considered the wonder of the night sky. As I continued my walk I was reminded of a thought that had visited me many years ago of how the full moon looks a bit like a flash light. I would think of myself as a cold and lost child huddled in the woods hoping to be found. As I stopped again to gaze at the beauty that was the sky I noticed that a clear spot was approaching the moon so I waited for a few minutes for it to make its pass. As the cloud gave way to the full, glorious, unobstructed moon I heard God say, Bert! I found you! I found you! My heart was overcome with that same old joy that is ever new as I became profoundly thankful, once again, that God has found me.

Save the children

Well, it appears there were enough signatures gathered recently to put a fluoridation vote on the next ballot here in good ol' Anytown USA. As usual, instead of having a substantive discussion about the matter we are left with a plethora of statistics and the age-old encyclopedia salesman ploy of leaving the only possible explanation for rejecting the idea as disdain for our children. The statistics are there to allow a vague semblance of thoughtfulness but the real "gotcha" is the exploitation of our children. If we spent as much time actually loving our children as we do using them to justify our political wants our country would not be falling into moral depravity as it is. As far as fluoridation goes it looks like another chance for the ruling class to force its poor ignorant citizens to do something they aren't smart enough to do for themselves. Compact fluorescent light bulbs anyone? Or maybe toilets that use so little water they can't even do their jobs? Or how about shower heads that require extended time in the shower to get yourself clean. The electric car is quite the success story too. And don't forget all that "clean" solar and wind power whose companies bankruptcies are sweeping the nation after spending billions of taxpayer dollars.

    If you're into statistics lets figure out how many people have died in car wrecks because the car they were driving was too small and light to protect them. Or how many people in third world countries have died from malaria due to banning DDT. War is not the only way to kill people. Political correctness has had a certain deadly effect on our world in a lot of ways. The bottom line is that we can't be trusted to "love" our children so the government must do it for us. So now, to circumvent our disdain for our children we have an organization collecting signatures to force yet another government entry into our already government-controlled lives. So we are on the verge of fluoridating our water supply so that the 1/10th of 1 percent of the water that actually comes into contact with our teeth might do a little good. Good that any citizen can achieve for himself by using fluoridated toothpaste or mouth wash. Seems like a waste of money to me. Fluoridate the water that commercial entities use, (100's of thousands of gallons I suppose),and the water we dump on our lawns and in our bath tubs, and the water that goes into our dishwashers and on our dirty cars, just so that minute bit that comes in contact with our teeth might do some good. I have a better idea, lets assume people are resourceful enough to take care of their teeth and the teeth of their children without the government taking another bite out of our precious freedom pie. But then that might set a dangerous precedent threatening their hopes of making politics a career rather than an opportunity to serve.

If It Looks Like A Duck

Let's go back in time a bit, if you have a bit of time.1973, the year I graduated from high school. There was some good pop music being written and some not-so-good music too. I had worked in a grocery store for a year or two and had waited patiently for my freedom. At least it seemed like freedom to me. I do remember getting those "growing pains" though. As it became clear that my freedom would require some assumption of responsibility the reality of those responsibilities became a burden. Still, there was a definite element of freedom and my buddy and I took off for some backpacking in Colorado. A great couple of weeks climbing Mt. Elbert and then kicking back in the Maroon Bells area for a few days. And we took my friend's dog with us too. His name was Bear and he provided some interesting situations for us. That fall, 3 other guys and I rented a house in a small town where we attended a Jr. College. The rent was fifty bucks a month so we each had to come up with 12.50 when the rent was due. We owned a cutting edge culinary preparation device called a Hot Dogger. It had two metal bars fastened to a plastic base. The metal bars were approximately 5 inches apart or so and each bar had 3 or 4 spikes protruding up from them. Each bar was connected to one side of the A/C so that when a hot dog was placed across the spikes and the unit was turned on, A/C current would flow through the hot dog which would eventually "cook" the dog. A sophisticated device indeed but the results were somewhat disappointing. Though with enough ketchup the dogs were consumable.
    So it was in 1973. I was so focused on my world that I barely noticed the history changing event that has produced more suffering and hardship than any other self-directed event in our nation's history. The United States Supreme Court took the Constitution, twisted it into a pretzel, held it up to the light and said, "See, there it is, the right to privacy". If it looks like a baby, sounds like a baby, and kicks like a baby, it must be an unviable tissue mass. And all the intellectuals stood up after the Supreme Court decision and said, "Amen", "so be it". What we cannot push through by legitimate democratic process we will force on society by defrauding our system of government and enacting what we know to be best for everybody. 40 million babies and untold, largely ignored, emotional damage is the current toll. As far as I'm concerned the up-tick in this tragedy is more disconcerting than watching the national debt clock shoot higher by the second. Come on folks let's return to some sense of common sense. Even many Atheists and Agnostics are curious about this issue. At some point before the baby is born doesn't it become human? If not at conception then certainly in the last trimester.
    And now on a lighter note I just realized my pants are unzipped. Jeepers Wally!

    And now back to the heavier note. Can we at least agree that when an abortion attempt is unsuccessful and a living, breathing baby is the result, that we don't just throw that life in a trash can. Let's assume this is evolution's way of giving us a strong person who will help the human species survive. Maybe if we tie it into evolution the Supreme Court will condescend and let these little ones live, in-spite of the appearance of them standing in defiance of the courts' ultimate authority.

Healthcare News Flash

News Flash! Are you sitting down? A startling bit of information just came to my attention that may change the whole discussion of health-care in this country. As it turns out, more people are dying every day who have health insurance than those who are dying who do not.
 In fact, statistics are beginning to point to the possibility that even rich people with health insurance are dying on a daily basis. Only time, and a continued study of this emerging trend will bear out if it's true or not, but I think, if it is, it may change the on-going debate in this country. May I suggest, in addition to these revealing statistics, that if people without health insurance would practice good eating habits and otherwise attempt to maintain a healthy lifestyle, that they would live longer than someone with health insurance that does not take care of themselves. It is a proven fact that lifestyle is more of a factor in a person's health than whether they have health insurance or not. I am among those who could live without health insurance. Since my employer requires I accept health insurance offered only on their terms, (that is to say they do not offer any options for those wishing to receive even just a portion of the cost associated with their health insurance in the form of increased compensation),I do have health insurance. And, as long as I am able to afford it, I believe it's a good investment. I just wish I could buy my health insurance myself. In fact, I wish we were all in charge of our own health insurance. Why? Hello "free market". As with anything the government gets involved in our current insurance climate is really mucked up. (did I spell that right?) If I could buy just the insurance I wanted and could "shop" around for doctors and services I believe the costs would come down dramatically. Certainly on a case by case basis the costs would come down. I don't need maternity coverage. Nor do I want chiropractic coverage. I could have purchased a high deductible policy when I was young and put money into a Health Savings Account which could well have grown to a sufficient amount that I could be considered self insured except for those extended hospital stays which my inexpensive, high deductible policy would cover. Instead, I'm trapped in a system that will not allow me to take responsibility for, or, control of, my own health-care. A system that will not allow society to bring the most powerful and effective cost controls known to man to bear on our health-care system. A system whose most distinctive characteristic is to empower the ruling elite which is more and more in the position of giving us our opinion when they want it. In case that last line looks a little funny just think back to a scene from the Godfather.
Your homework for this week is to look into Health Savings Accounts and to start now to plan your escape from our perilous health-care system. If you are too old to pursue this worthy endeavor I am indeed sorry. God help us all.

It's Hard To Be Eeyore

They say it's hard to be humble, but I never really had any trouble with that. In fact I'm quite good at it. But maintaining a consistently gloomy disposition really is hard. There is quite a lot of rather disappointing news coming at us from all sides these days. News that is often presented in a more negative way than would be supported by the actual facts. After all, they need to sell newspapers and radio and tv ads. So the truly disappointing and tragic events are mixed in with the media's default position of taking the most negative tack on every story until it's too late to redeem it to its more factual state. How often are we left basing an opinion of a situation on an intentionally incomplete set of facts because the media isn't as well-served with the truth as with the more extreme notions conjured up by editors whose strengths seem to lie in the art of deception? I would suggest if we could pull the curtain of selfish ambition away from the news media long enough to see the real world we would be pleasantly surprised at how far our society has come in its 236 years. Upon a solid foundation of a constitution that balances and limits the government's power, which helps insure the people's continued freedoms, our society has moved into and beyond many difficult and troubling issues. We are still somewhat free, and we are more tolerant and accepting than we've ever been and moving in the right direction all the time. Lest you feel obligated to offer a disparaging word about those nasty intolerant Christians please allow me to interject a quick word. I hang around a lot of these "Christian" types and if I may, they are much more tolerant and loving than most of the people who find it so easy to criticize them. Yes, the media are fond of finding someone who calls themselves a Christian but whose mouth seems to run in opposition to that claim. Or they will edit responses from respected Christian leaders in such a way as to see that no one's prejudice is negatively impacted. Jeepers Wally, where have all the good reporters gone? The news is what it is, but they seem to want to make it what it isn't. Alas, I digress. Negativity, often within my own life, seems to abound and find a quick friend within the human spirit. There is something that wants to move me in negative directions and pull me out of earshot of the love of God. This morning, with a near full moon in the West and soon rising sun in the East, we sang songs and read scripture about the most blessed event this earth has ever encountered. It distracted me long enough to catch a refreshing, positive, uplifting song from Calvary's tree. A profoundly blessed moment that is there for the taking each and every day. May we all look more intentionally for God's love in every day.

So heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss
(David Crower Band from the song How He Loves)

May God surprise you with a kiss this day.

EVOLUTION

EVOLUTION

Evolution of thought; evolution of a design; evolution of laws; evolution of a culture; evolution of a company; and yes, evolution in the animal kingdom. I would suggest that evolution is as common as breathing. The slow process of change or discovery is the engine of evolution. It would seem the only thing that has not evolved over time would be the Theory of Evolution as presented by Darwin yea those many years ago. Even religious understanding that seeks truth has evolved. Things that once seemed supernatural are now understood as operating within the laws of physics, leaving us with the perception that the body of supernatural events has diminished over time. So why the stiff-necked support of a theory whose author was so forthcoming with his own skepticism? Why has all the spit and polish been applied to this theory by lawyers, the media and even the scientific community? Why are thoughtful, intelligent people who see "holes" or "problems" with Darwin's theory ostracized and ridiculed? And why does it seem the media has corralled the discussion to the arena of public debate where the dissenters are, by definition, excluded from the more informed community of scientists? If you form your opinion based on the media treatment of evolution you would conclude that Darwinian evolution is all but settled fact. Kind of like a great sports figure just waiting for his induction into the Hall of Fame. And the challengers to this theory are always pulled from the "uninformed", or less informed, masses, (or as Mr. Boortz refers to them, dumb masses), who are ridiculed and demeaned to try and discourage such challenges. Granted, if I were put in front of a camera to support my view on almost anything, with my comments left to the scrutiny of an endless line of "experts" interviewed by an agenda driven news media it would be a simple task to make me look even stupider than I am. But a thoughtful interview with a scientist who sees problems with Darwin's theory, often simply confirming Darwin's own concerns about his theory, seems to be out of the question. Where are these curious sorts of reporters who ostensibly have devoted their lives to getting to the truth? Wouldn't they be anxious to validate Darwinian evolution? Are they too busy preparing the world for its imminent destruction due to people like me not recycling every bit of cardboard that comes into their lives, to bother with such trivial matters? Or have they, and the public at large, been scared into submission by the threat of personal destruction to anyone who dares challenge this "sacred cow" of alleged science. This is my contention. A little like the media-impaired discussion on man-made global warming which is far from settled fact.

"Why?"

I learned in philosophy class 35 years ago that this is an important word. One which needs to be applied to even our most prized personal convictions. Otherwise we run the risk of living our lives based on well- protected misinformation rather than truth. And we all know who the "Father of Misinformation" is. So, if I may, I would like for us as a diverse and curious people, to take another look, not just at the theory of Darwinian evolution, but at the societal dysfunction that has exacerbated this ACLU empowered theory.

Thank you and have a nice day. Oh, and go help someone who needs a little help or encouragement today.

Faith

OK, so here we go. Headed toward a goal with no clear path to get there. I had an idea this morning as I lay awake in a half conscious state. I hope I can bring some sort of cognitive resolution to this picture of faith that stumbled across my neural-pathways. While not constantly thinking of death, I have always been somewhat pragmatic and, if I may, observant, as to the inevitability of death. It is not at all uncommon for one's physical life to eventually come to an end. So common is this that one is compelled to consider it unavoidable. Which, oddly enough, causes some people to try to avoid considering it.
Look with me, if you will, at an illustration which will offer, hopefully, a picture of one aspect of my understanding of life, and faith. An electrician friend has constructed a simple circuit to demonstrate how electricity can be used to produce light using an incandescent light bulb. You have no real knowledge of electron theory. How electrons flow across a conductor to equal out an imbalance of electrical potential. You have no idea what a coulomb is nor do you know the basic formula for figuring out how to make the light bulb come on. How the switch is wired. None of that. You are totally in the dark, (no pun intended), with the exception of your relationship with your friend and your trust in his knowledge on the subject. Well, your friend is sick the day of the big demonstration where your friend's work is to be revealed to many important people. He has asked you to go in his stead and, at the appropriate time, just flip the switch. A simple task to which you agree. As the moment approaches your anxiety level begins to rise. You sit through all the opening remarks sensing the quick elevation of anticipation as these leaders are considering, if this is all true, how this discovery will change life for them and their countrymen. An introduction of your friend follows with an added apology for his absence in light of his current sickness. Now a brief introduction of you as you are asked to please demonstrate this most wondrous of discoveries. Your heart is racing as your ignorance of how this all works is now occupying your whole being. You are only to flip the switch, that's it, but your lack of knowledge of how it works is now fostering doubt and concern. Your thoughts fall back to your friend, who you trust absolutely, and his expertise, which is unquestionable. So you walk up to the switch and flip it up. The light bulb comes on accompanied by a sudden, collective gasp from the observers. It worked! The light came on demonstrating your friends discovery.
We have precious little knowledge of heaven. None, actually, outside of what Jesus has offered us. But He is indeed a trustworthy source, and our relationship with Him should reassure us as we consider our physical mortality.

Romans 8: 38,39
Paul writes:"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Do you know Christ well enough to join Paul in this statement?

Paradigm

Where's God? It was kinda fun looking at those very busy pictures with images hidden within them. Maybe several bits of the drawing made up of twenty separate items that if viewed from the right perspective would render one larger item. Or someone holding a mature 40 foot tree in their hands which upon a closer evaluation would be revealed as a trick using perspective to fool the observer. Or those pictures that would be an eagle or a flag of the United States depending on which part of the picture you focused on first. Well, over the last few years, it seems I have become more and more aware of God's presence in each day. Not an awareness of His becoming more a part of each day, but aware of something that has always been true. A perspective that allows me to see the world as being a creation, (which it is), and to see each day as a chance to experience a unique expression of that creation. Some day I'm going to write a song about an incredible event that is hidden within this great canvas we call our world. An event that is often hidden from our eyes because of the business of our lives. An event that only comes into focus when our paradigm is informed by the creator. An event that would be considered miraculous if it weren't so common. An event that we explain as a normal part of the natural world but whose origin is unknown. An event that gives us life. And the beautiful part of all this is that it is free. It wasn't developed by a pharmaceutical company who has the rights to be the exclusive provider for several years and charge a lot of money until it goes generic. No, this life-giving substance just falls out of the sky with the same alacrity as God's love and mercy falls around us.
Can you see it now?