Wednesday, June 24, 2009

What shall we choose to save?


These are strange times. Paradigms are being shifted at a pace beyond imagination. In the old days people worked feverishly to save the souls of sinners, but now we work up a sweat to save whales and baby seals. Meanwhile we discard pre-born baby humans like yesterday's paper.


Gone are the days of saving green stamps. Today we are recycling trash in order to save land fills. Meanwhile we discard everything electronic because it is cheaper to replace than to repair.


We no longer save pop bottles to return for deposit (except in a few states), but we do recycle glass bottles with no monetary return for our efforts. Meanwhile, certain company's will pay cash for used phones, but our drawers are running over with phone discards anyway.


These days, to save our planet, we are feeding cows special additives to cut down on flatulence and burps (I kid you not), and though we are still drinking carbonated beverages, we are now pumping carbon dioxide gas (our newest designated pollutant du jour) into sealed cavities under ground so that we can hope to attain agreed upon green house gas levels before a certain pre- determined date. Never mind that without carbon dioxide plants could not live and our planet would become completely dead in short order.


Currently, we are becoming increasingly known for what we choose to save and what we choose to discard. Personally, I think our modern day, politically correct, notions are so far off base as to be laughable. If it weren't for the feverish effort and energy we somberly expend on saving things (often the wrong things) we could sit back, take a second look, and have a good chuckle at the idiocy they will no doubt look back and see a hundred years from now, when looking at our current weird and wacky days. Meanwhile, to save our planet, I urge you to buy a family size bottle of Beano so you can prevent yourself from releasing gaseous pollutants into our air, and by the way, stop breathing as well; after all, that is carbon dioxide you are exhaling. Just a thought.

Friday, June 19, 2009

A lifetime of Pres. Obama?

Photo of Joint Session of U.S. Congress
I received an e-mail today about House Joint Resolution 5. I must admit I had heard nothing about it before today, and nothing has been on the news about it. As you can see below, this was introduced on January 6th, '09 by Rep.Jose Serrano D.N.Y. I wondered if this was a hoax so I looked it up on Snopes.com and there was nothing there about it one way or another. Am I the only one who thinks this is about as bizarre as it could get? I feel sorry for the folks in Iran who had their election stolen from them and have to endure another term from a despot like Ahmadinejad. Now it looks like we are setting things up in this country so that our current leader can become a leader for life!

I can't help but assume that shady dealings by groups like Acorn is what gave the Dems the extra 8 million votes they needed to put Obama into office. And now we can assume that a continuation of those shenanigans will keep him in office, and the repeal of the 22nd Amendment will keep him there indefinitely. Below, is the actual wording from http://www.govtrack.us/. Read it and groan with me.



Text of H. J. Res. 5: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second amendment limiting the number of terms the President of the United States can serve.
Introduced in House of Representatives on January 6th, 2009


This version: Introduced in House. This is the original text of the bill as it was written by its sponsor and submitted to the House for consideration. This is the latest version of the bill available on this website.

HJ 5 IH

111th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. J. RES. 5

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 6, 2009

Mr. SERRANO introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

JOINT RESOLUTION

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President.

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:

‘Article--

‘The twenty-second article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.’.



You can look this up on this site: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=hj111-5

Here is another site: http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/111_HJ_5.html

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Audio files available on 3 web sites

I was updating my written and audio sermon contributions to www.sermoncentral.com where my contributions are available under the contributor name K. Edward Skidmore. I had been uploading audio files to go with recent sermon text files, and I hit a button that said "free podcasts". Well, that took me to a site called sermon.net with the following link http://sermon.net/castlehillscc, and lo and behold, there were copies of my audio files. I didn't realize that uploading mp3 files to Sermon Central also uploaded them to the other site as well. This means that along with our own church web site www.castlehillschristianchurch.com where mp3 files are available of all recent sermons by all four ministers at CHCC, there are two other sites where my audio messages can also be found. You might want to see for yourself. Just a thought.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

A timely Obituary


The Death of Common Sense



Three yards of black fabric enshroud my computer terminal. I am mourning the passing of an old friend by the name of Common Sense.
His obituary reads as follows:
Common Sense, aka C.S., lived a long life, but died from heart failure at the brink of the millennium. No one really knows how old he was, his birth records were long ago entangled in miles and miles of bureaucratic red tape. Known affectionately to close friends as Horse Sense and Sound Thinking, he selflessly devoted himself to a life of service in homes, schools, hospitals and offices, helping folks get jobs done without a lot of fanfare, whooping and hollering. Rules and regulations and petty, frivolous lawsuits held no power over C.S.
A most reliable sage, he was credited with cultivating the ability to know when to come in out of the rain, the discovery that the early bird gets the worm and how to take the bitter with the sweet. C.S. also developed sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adult is in charge, not the kid) and prudent dietary plans (offset eggs and bacon with a little fiber and orange juice).
A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, the Technological Revolution and the Smoking Crusades, C.S. survived sundry cultural and educational trends including disco, the men's movement, body piercing, whole language and new math.
C.S.'s health began declining in the late 1960s when he became infected with the If-It-Feels-Good, Do-It virus. In the following decades his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of overbearing federal and state rules and regulations and an oppressive tax code. C.S. was sapped of strength and the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, criminals received better treatment than victims and judges stuck their noses in everything from Boy Scouts to professional baseball and golf. His deterioration accelerated as schools implemented zero-tolerance policies. Reports of 6-year-old boys charged with sexual harassment for kissing classmates, a teen suspended for taking a swig of Scope mouthwash after lunch, girls suspended for possessing Midol and an honor student expelled for having a table knife in her school lunch were more than his heart could endure.
As the end neared, doctors say C.S. drifted in and out of logic but was kept informed of developments regarding regulations on low-flow toilets and mandatory air bags. Finally, upon hearing about a government plan to ban inhalers from 14 million asthmatics due to a trace of a pollutant that may be harmful to the environment, C.S. breathed his last. Services will be at Whispering Pines Cemetery. C.S. was preceded in death by his wife, Discretion; one daughter, Responsibility; and one son, Reason. He is survived by two step-brothers, Half-Wit and Dim-Wit.
Memorial Contributions may be sent to the Institute for Rational Thought.
Farewell, Common Sense. May you rest in peace.


Note from Lori Borgman: This piece was first published March 15, 1998 in the Indianapolis Star. It has been "modified" and "edited" by others and circulated on the Internet, even sent to me several times. Imagine my surprise to see it attributed to some guy named Anonymous. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I take having my work circulated on the web as a compliment.


No timelier words could be written than the article above by Lori Borgman. Sadly, common sense has been laid in a mass grave along with logic, objective truth, unadulterated history, godliness, traditional faith, manners, politeness, respect, honesty, patriotism, and a host of other fine human qualities that give people the ability to live together harmoniously. Sadly, many these days don't have a clue as to what is missing or why it might matter. For my part, I mourn the loss and miss the people who were known for living according to these noble restraints. May they rest in peace. Just a thought. (Ed)

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Staying Connected....for Them

My adorable grandkids:

I'll be having a 59th birthday in August which would probably put me in the last third to last fourth of my lifespan depending on variables, some of which I have little or no control over. So far, my life has been something I can look back on with joy and thanksgiving. Some of that joy came from decisions I made and paths I chose to take. Much of it came from people I have met and other meaningful connections in my life. A good portion of it came from living in a country that allows freedoms unprecedented in the rest of the world's nations. I have been a citizen of a nation that has allowed freedom to chart my own course, to live where I wish, to travel without restrictions, to save and invest in what I choose, to think what ever may come to my mind, to speak my mind freely, to write without fear of reprisal, to learn what I want, to teach what I want, to believe what I want. So far, I have been allowed, by a largely hands-off government, to live in peace and make my own life.

It would be easy to shrug my shoulders at this point and assume that the ride is nearly over for me anyway so what does it matter what the future may hold? I can hunker down and just take passively what ever may come my way from this point on. But the problem is that I have children and grand children in my world now. Their ride is still in the early stages. They have a long way to go before things will be over for them. What ever this world throws at them will impact them for many years to come. For that very reason I cannot allow myself to develop complacency about the way things are trending. I want the same kind of nation I have enjoyed for nearly 60 years to be the same land of freedom and opportunity my kids and grand kids could enjoy. Therefore, I cannot just hold my tongue while this nation slides into the slough of socialism, government over-reaching, antipathy toward religion, onerous taxation, an avalanche of freedom-choking regulations, class and racial warfare, political correctness, environmental bullying and shaming, and the notion that a few elites know best what should be done for the rest of us unwashed.

Therefore, though it may pain me to stay connected to the daily "goings on" in my world; though politics these days seems to leave a bad taste in my mouth; though it would be more enjoyable to move to a small country home and tend to the needs of a few animals and ignore the world around me; I will stay plugged in... for them. I will speak up... for them. I will carry protest signs, go to "TEA parties", write blogs, send e-mails, vote, urge others to vote, cry, pray, sing, and do anything else my body can still do for the time I have left... for them!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

"Lubbock to Lincoln"

I told a friend about our trips to Lubbock and Lincoln, IL. for the birthings of our first two grand kids (Morgan and David) born only 9 days apart. When I mentioned that we drove from Lubbock to Lincoln, he said, "That sounds like a Country Western song." I took the hint and wrote a country-western song about driving from Lubbock to Lincoln. Here it is as a Youtube Video