Building a movement on victimhood

Did you ever wonder where and how we got the word, the made up word, "Hispanic?" Mexican Americans were just "white" in the census count "back in the day." They were proud to be "Americans," were working for assimilation. Same with Indian Americans like Nikki Haley and Bobby Jindal. In the government reports for socioeconomic issues, they were "white." But leftists needed voting blocks, so they modeled a movement based on the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s among American blacks. People with no cultural, social or demographic affinities were lumped together--Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Colombians, Hondurans--or Chinese, Cambodians, Pakistanis--and organizations like "La Raza" were created to convince them they were victims and underserved. And it worked. Today we call it identity politics. They are all called, People of Color (POC) even if one grandparent was German the other Korean, to convince them of their victimhood. I call it a crime.

"They had the law on their side: a federal district court ruled in In Re Ricardo Rodríguez (1896) that Mexican Americans were to be considered white for the purposes of citizenship concerns. And so as late as 1947, the judge in another federal case (Mendez v. Westminster) ruled that segregating Mexican-American students in remedial schools in Orange County was unconstitutional because it represented social disadvantage, not racial discrimination. At that time Mexican Americans were as white before the law as they were in their own estimation."

Mike Gonzalez. https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/the-invention-of-hispanics/?

Killing a child because the MOTHER is disabled

Is this coming to the United States pushed by pro-abortion Democrat politicians like Harris and Biden and Pelosi? They insist they are “progressive,” and in modern language, that means abortion on demand for any reason at any point in the pregnancy. If China and England can rule against the mother, then why not a progressive U.S.?

https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2019/06/murder-disguised-as-care

The author, Obianuju Ekeocha is founder and president of Culture of Life Africa and lives in the UK. Ethnically, she is Nigerian.  We’ve met her before—she achieved some name recognition when she called out Nancy Pelosi for cultural appropriation for wearing the Kente cloth stole to create a rather odd tribute to George Floyd. Here’s the scene: White powerhouse politicians pretending to be black knelt the length of time that presumably killed Floyd (the autopsy showed it was drugs). Odd beyond measure.  But on to the article . . . 

In this article she discusses the role of Justice Nathalie Lieven of the UK Court of Protection. She rules against the life of an unborn Nigerian Igbo child whose Catholic mother and grandmother do not wish to have her aborted.  It’s chilling how this woman has worked her entire career to take the lives of the unborn and to insert in law that parents do not have rights.

I followed up on this and found that a higher court ruled against this activist judge and for the mother and grandmother. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-uk-appeal-court-stops-forced-abortion-for-disabled-woman

Ironically, the Judge said she didn’t think the 22 year old mother understood what it meant to have a baby—that to her it was like a doll.  Well, then, what’s the excuse for the women and doctors/abortionists, college educated and financially stable who DO understand it is a viable baby at 22 weeks, and still choose an abortion?

A great week-end at Lakeside

A lovely concert in the park this afternoon at Lakeside. Bright sun, gorgeous lake views of Kelley's Island. A group from the other end of Lake Erie, Buffalo, NY, singing canal and folk songs. We've also spent the week-end with many friends, including 2 couples from our home church in Columbus, UALC, who have supported us through this difficult year. Judi and I enjoyed time on the hotel porch this morning. Yesterday we watched a wedding with Rob and Lynn on the hotel lawn--wedding vows in Lakeside are VERY public. 

 Photo from our neighborhood wine and chocolate gathering for our 60th on Friday evening in a neighbor's yard.

 

Critical theory and race

This is how Marxism's critical race theory works to dismantle the family with our tax dollars. I'm guessing this is part of the CARES Covid19 grant, although I haven't checked. Ohio State University got $300 million and requirements for its use is pretty loosey goosey.

"[The] next Lean In speaker on Monday, Sept. 28 from noon–1 p.m. Collins Airhihenbuwa, PhD, MPH, will explore how structural racism is at the core of health disparity and must be dismantled to achieve health equity and social justice. In this lecture, he will discuss ways in which critical race theory can be used to unpack structural racism for sustainable anti-racism actions needed to achieve health equity and social justice locally and globally."  Health Beat, Sept. 11, 2020

It is no paranoid, right wing conspiracy theory that academe is riddled with this. They do not hide it, and we pay for it, in more ways than we can imagine as young adults are infected with hate for the West and America and gather to burn down our central cities. Public health publications and conferences are smothered in this critical theory "research."

The speaker was born in Benin, Africa (formerly Dahomey, which was a center of the African slave trade before the European  colonial era--it was very lucrative) and lives in Georgia where he founded U-Rise. I checked the organization and it's all about 1619 and the pandemic of racism. The business address seems to be a condo or apartment. I suspect he's the one employee. It's that way with a lot of reeducation camp workshops that have been hired by universities, churches and corporations for at least 2 decades, maybe more.

Why OSU needs to outsource these workshops on racism, I have no idea. Not only are there bloated departments of diversity in every college, but the administration has its own Diversity and Inclusion department established 40 years ago.

September 11, 2001

Remembering that terrible day, September 11, 2001. I was sitting in my office upstairs, and Bob hollered up the stairs to turn on the TV. But for about 24 hours we were united in our fear, pain and patriotism. My siblings and I all called our father. Why I'm not sure. But it was just a comfort to hear his voice. Then the attacks on President Bush began from the media. Why did he not anticipate this; how could he not know; there were 100s of warnings, tips and false alarms; why did he stop and hesitate while reading to children, and on and on. Drip, drip, drip. The media were building doubt and distrust.

There was another similarity. It was a very small terrorist group that brought America to its knees. Same as today. But 19 years later, the group is internal. As you see the memorials for 9/11 (probably only on Fox) today, recall the "defund the police" chant from Leftist anarchists and Black Lives Matter. They do not honor our country, our culture, or our lives. No lives matter, especially not black, to Marxists and anarchists.

Many millennials do not remember this date. When I was young, we were reminded in school, literature and movies what December 7 was. Hollywood was in our corner (or pretended to be) then, and the evening news was 15 minutes--if we had TV (and my parents didn't). There was a small cadre of fellow travelers in every profession, every school and many corporations, but they were mostly ignored. They were patient, and we were weak, enjoying our freedoms and material goods.

September 11, 1960 and 2020

Today is our 60th wedding anniversary. We're having a much smaller celebration than we had in 2010 for our 50th--a few Lakeside friends and neighbors for wine and chocolate in our neighbor's yard which is big enough for outdoor social spacing and lawn chairs. I've purchased individually wrapped desserts in a variety of chocolate flavors--peppermint, raspberry, peanut butter, etc., and some soda for the kids. We hope the weather will hold--it's turned a little nippy here in Lakeside.

Last night Bob asked me what was our best year out of the 60, and I think it's not an actual calendar year, but 1967-1968. Definitely. As in 2019-2020, our lives changed dramatically. We moved from Champaign-Urbana, IL to Columbus, OH, to new career directions, an adorable, gorgeous baby girl to ease the pain of our losses, an exciting church with a ready made group of couples friends who welcomed us warmly, the purchase of our home of the next 34 years on Abington Rd., and all the wonderful things about a vibrant Columbus and scenic Ohio which continue to amaze us after all this time.

 

  

  

  

 

More reeducation camps available at Ohio State University.

The Medical College at OSU  "discovered" systemic racism after the George Floyd death in a Democrat, top to bottom run city-- Minneapolis. Since then the new regulations, programs and appointees to IED jobs at OSU have been a-poppin'. The federal government has pumped about $300 million into OSU in just 8 months, far exceeding the whole of 2019. (OSU Health Beat, Sept. 9) Supposedly the extra is to fight Covid19, but I suspect it will find its way into all manner of socioeconomic programs to fight disparities, racism, homophobia, etc.

"We’ve developed some educational opportunities, available in two tracks: 1) Anti-Racism and 2) Equity and Inclusion. The opportunities are offered to reflect our commitment to thwart racism and embrace the differences that make us excel. We encourage you to explore these resources, including the 21-Day Anti-Racism Challenge, the listing of educational opportunities and Conversations that Matter."

Here's a run down of some of the other offerings. It's a shame that special training in working with the deaf, disabilities, and victims of torture had such a poor turn out.

https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/-/media/files/wexnermedical/about-us/diversity/fy20-summary-report-of-training-completions2.pdf?

Why does the Left attack the U.S.?

Ninety-seven percent of the slaves sold by black African tribal leaders and Muslim slave traders to the Portuguese, Spanish and English slave traders went to South America and the Caribbean Islands. About 350,000 were sold in the English colonies and that was outlawed by the Constitution. But even before the Constitution, the Northwest Ordinance (ratified 1787) had already outlawed slavery, as had many states.

So why isn't the Left attacking Brazil or Colombia for what happened three centuries ago? 10,000 slaves arrived in Cartagena every month in the 17th century. After the 17th century the largest slave trade moved to Buenos Aires (Argentina). There are more slaves today in the "enlightened" 21st century than in the 17th and 18th centuries, and most of the slave trade comes from Africa without the assistance of western European counties.

Only the United States is a threat to Leftists, now controlling the Democrat party. So it must be attacked.

A Labor Day message from your pastor

“ This Summer of 2020 has been anything but carefree and relaxing. We have been dealing with Coronavirus all Summer and trying to avoid becoming ill. We have been living in fear, staying home, keeping our distance, isolating ourselves, wearing masks, avoiding crowds, sanitizing our hands, and trying to avoid touching anything. We have been missing ordinary human contact and the company of friends and neighbors. We missed going to our favorite vacation destinations, entertainment venues and other fun attractions. Our favorite parades and festivals and community events were cancelled. Instead of having fun and good times, we worried about contagious disease, about systemic racism, about economic hardship, about injustice and about tension, strife and violence in our cities. We worried about our jobs, our financial security and our families. I worry that the effect of all this prolonged fear and uncertainty is that many are feeling overwhelmed, despairing and hopeless.

Perhaps this Labor Day we should put this Summer behind us and set our hopes on better days to come. We can use this holiday as a time to make a break with negative thinking, to care for our own mental health, and to encourage and support one another. Prayer is a great antidote to anxiety and fear. Prayer lightens our burdens and eases our troubled minds. Prayer enables us to surrender to God, to trust in His care, and to grow in the virtue of Hope. Prayer makes things better. As this strange and distressing Summer comes to an end, I prescribe a generous dose of prayer. It is medicine for your soul and a pain reliever for your mind. And I promise you, you will feel better. “

Your pastor

The dumbest cancer movie ever

Last night I watched “Little Bit of Heaven” wondering the whole time why I was wasting my time, except it's the pandemic and I'm running out of old, stupid movies, and I like the actress, Kate Hudson, or the memory of her.  She made one really great movie, Almost Famous, and we can always hope. . . 

Our son, Phil, died at 51 in April of glioblastoma.  His first sign was a seizure in October. But one thing in the movie did ring true--her anger and hateful behavior toward her friends and parents as the hopelessness of the disease progressed. At 80 I moved in with Phil to take care of him, and eventually we moved him to our home. His friends (he was very popular and may have had more friends than Bob and I together) were wonderful to him and to us.  I'll never forget their kindness. Eventually, I'll forget his anger and maybe resurrect the good times--but then at 80, I'm forgetful anyway. 

Back to Hudson.  She has wasted her talent.  Also, I see it was a Weinstein movie. Enough said on the bizarre sex themes--from the condom pitch she, an ad executive, had to sell at a meeting, to the boy sex toy, to the little person (a male prostitute who calls himself “Little Bit of Heaven,” to her gastroenterologist who performed her colonoscopy with whom she has an affair.  And let’s not forget the black gay best friend and black female God she talks to--really so trite. Weinstein.

And the character’s name is Marley Corbett!

The native American and government services

"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him had better take a much closer look at the American Indian." ~ Henry Ford

That quote is really inaccurate, and I don’t know if Ford said it,  but it has the right conclusion.

First.  The native Americans did not “let” the government take care of them. They lost the war, their land and their right to govern themselves except in very local, tribal issues. Some weren’t even allowed to keep their language, culture or schools.

Second.  What replaced their former culture and rights, many of which didn’t benefit everyone in their groups, like women, slaves, minorities, etc.,  was substandard and below what other Americans would have accepted if they were free.

Third.  Many accept the substandard land, housing, healthcare and schools they have today just to be left alone and live their own lives, but also they have a power structure that suits primarily their own leaders even if others don’t benefit. In their own areas, called “reservations,” they have their own criminal justice system—laws, police, courts, jails--with the highest rate of violence against women, domestic abuse and children in need of government assistance. 

Fourth.  American Indians who leave the reservation (my deceased brother-in-law is my example) have everything any other American has—good jobs, health care, families, nice middle class lifestyle, pension, church—yet love to “go home” for family events and gossip and special commemorative holidays.

Fifth.  Those who accept what the government offers do have cradle to grave health care and are among the lowest in health care standards of any group in the nation. When statistics are compiled, those who left the reservation, or never lived there at all (like my brother in law’s daughter who is 50%) are not separated out in to a different class, so they probably actually improve the data results because they are healthier with fewer lifestyle problems like alcoholism, abuse, smoking, STDs, poverty, etc.

Sixth. The 800+ recognized tribes didn’t choose to be wards of the government, they lost the battles and the war.  So why are so many Americans willingly trading their freedoms for a promise of security and health that will never materialize? Why are they flocking to Biden/Harris who promise them more government, more taxes, more deaths for their unborn generations, more foreign wars, less local control and more separating them into little groups based on differences in color and sex to weaken their resistance? 

Got me.  I just ask the questions.  I don’t have the answers.

A child centric world

Between rain storms this morning I walked with a neighbor to the little grocery store in Lakeside (one of my favorite things about this small town). Ron was telling me about their plans to take in the grandchildren's activities in three different states this fall. I asked him if his grandparents (or even parents) ever attended his school activities or special events. (He's 10 years younger--Vietnam vet.) I couldn't remember my own grandparents--I had 6 since my great grandparents were also living in the same town--attending anything except my wedding. I think my mom may have attended a play I was in or a musical event/recital. He agreed. He didn't think his parents or grandparents made an effort to go to children's events. His dad was working, he said, and his mom had so many household duties, grandparents were elderly. "Well," he said, "we live in a child centric culture."

If you're 50-ish, you probably remember grandparents who attended every dance recital and soccer game. I knew the grandparents of many of my friends, and I don't think mine were an exception.

Photo of my great grandmother and her siblings, sometime in the 1950s based on the car tail light, seated on right. Sweetest, dearest woman I ever met with a dear Tennessee drawl.

How riots fit in with BLM sympathy and support

A police officer is 18 1/2 times more likely to be killed by a black male than an unarmed black male is to be killed by a police officer.” Heather MacDonald, via Larry Elder.

With the media's assistance, the black men who have been shot by police--those in the news in 2020--have all had criminal records, have been resisting arrest, and had very serious records, including rape with robbery (several charges by the same woman) in the case of Jacob Blake, Jr. of Kenosha. Not a peep from the MeToo crowd who usually would ruin a man’s career based on a smack on the rear because the founders of Black Lives Matter are radical feminists.

The 3 men who were attacking Kyle Rittenhouse during a "peaceful protest" and were shot by him, a 17 year old, also had criminal records including sexual offense against a child, strangulation and weapons charges. These were not 3 good guys just helping out the community. If Rittenhouse had been black, I doubt we would know his name, but 2 of the 3 would still be dead. Media would get nothing out of that story and it certainly wouldn't fit the BLM narrative.

Police nationwide have close to a million contacts a year with the public who might be misbehaving in some way, whether speeding, disorderly and drunk, domestic abuse, or theft. In 66 years of driving, I've been stopped 2 times for speeding (45 in 35 mph zone) and once for wrong way to get away from a traffic accident. I have been at fault each time and didn't assume it was something about my physical appearance that created the problem. I wasn't drunk or high and didn't have a record, I was just wrong. so I just paid my fine. In keeping us safe, there are some confrontations with police that go badly--but more with whites than blacks and whites are shot at a higher rate. When a white man with a criminal record is shot resisting arrest or trying to kill police, it does not cause riots and looting. It serves no cause to do so.

Why do the media promote black criminals as victims and heroes? Why does the left push this narrative of the innocent (usually a man) black oppressed by the evil "man." Because the public is gullible--and for 3 or 4 decades the schools, churches, and entertainment industry have been pushing the lie. They are believing what they've been taught.

https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2018/crime-in-the-u.s.-2018/tables/table-43 This is the latest full year report on crimes by race; obviously based on numbers, whites commit more crimes and have more encounters with police. Based on population percentage and rates, blacks more likely to be victims and assailants. The 2019 half year report showed violent crime was decreasing, as it was in 2018. Well, that record won't stand because certain groups don't want less crime, safer neighborhoods, lower unemployment and more opportunity for minorities.

My answer to Jane

I don’t know Jane, but she’s on my Facebook Friends list—I think through an artist group.  Jane responded to one of my posts,  Trump is "a threat to our democracy." I see or hear this claim a lot, the media make endless such comments, but with no explanation. So I asked her:

Did moving the embassy to the capital of Israel which other presidents promised threaten democracy?

Did making changes in the penal system threaten democracy?

Did securing funding for black colleges threaten democracy?

Did strengthening the military threaten democracy?

Did undoing the terrible climate change agreement that only U.S. was following threaten democracy?

Did renegotiating trade agreements with Mexico and Canada threaten democracy?

Did continuing with the wall at the border that both Bush and Obama also funded threaten democracy?

Did removing the threat of jail and fines from a forced health insurance plan threaten democracy?

Did pulling out of international abortion agreements threaten democracy?

Did walking to an historic church in DC when it was being attacked by rioters threaten democracy?

Did helping Israel and UAE sign an historic peace agreement in 2020 threaten democracy?

Did withdrawing our troops from a region sucking up blood and treasure of Americans for almost 2 decades threaten democracy?

Did calling out NATO members for never paying their share of the military protection threaten democracy?

Did cutting red tape and bureaucratic rules to allow the economy to recover from the slowest ever recession recovery threaten democracy?

Do tweets intended to irritate Democrats and their unthinking followers threaten democracy?

Did asking Congress to do its job in the DACA (illegal) situation threaten democracy?

Does saving the unborn child from a painful abortion threaten democracy?

Does being the most pro-life president ever threaten democracy?

Does believing blacks and other minorities have a right to build their own companies and to have an investment in economic freedoms like yours threaten democracy?

Did exposing the corruption and illegal spying behavior of the last administration threaten democracy?

Did withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal threaten democracy?

Did the wage growth of the bottom 10% of wage earners threaten democracy?

Did expanding his base of support among minorities, releasing them from 60 years of Democrat party ownership, threaten democracy?

Did confronting China about unfair to Americans trade agreements threaten democracy?

Did appointing 2 fine conservative judges to the Supreme Court so it can do its job instead of creating law threaten democracy?

Did making us an energy exporter instead of importer threaten democracy?

Did creating a 6th military branch (space) threaten democracy?

Does maintaining a breathtaking schedule to promote all things American for Americans threaten anyone other than Joe B. Hiden?

Know what your party stands for before you vote

From  Joan Shaw Turrentine

"Our current society is mostly emotion driven, but good decisions are based on reason, not emotion. Before Election Day, when deciding where you’d like to help pilot our national plane (You know, the one we’re all going to fly or die in together) use your God-given reasoning power. Know each party’s platform when deciding your vote.

•Where does the ticket stand on religious freedom?

•Where does the ticket stand on life for the unborn?

•Where does the ticket stand on helping our low income citizens find financial freedom?

•Where does it stand on your pension plan?

•Where does the ticket stand on freedom for the citizenry to determine their own prosperity?

•Where does the ticket stand on adherence to the Constitution - separation of powers, bill of rights, etc?

Read the platform.

Read their RECORD - especially on hot-button issues such as race, gender-equality, etc

Don’t be fooled by labels thrown about.

Picture our country as you’d like it to be ten years from now.

Our RIGHTS as American citizens depend on all of us exercising our corresponding DUTIES as American citizens."

More parents are choosing Home Schooling

Gaj Wilcox comments:  “The effect of the Wuhan virus crisis is obvious in the responses: Parents reported declining participation in every institutional school option, with the exception of “charter school.” Still, the decline of “public school” was the most notable, falling from 83 percent to 76 percent.

Given the fact that this poll measured families, not children, the percentage of home-schoolers among the overall student population could be even higher. Samantha Spitzer, a certified teacher and home-schooling parent, believes this to be the case. Spitzer has been hosting “how to home-school” workshops throughout her local region of West Virginia this August. She’s seen dozens of first-time home-schoolers showing up at each forum.

“I talked to someone at my county school board office,” Spitzer said. “She left on a Friday evening, Aug. 7, and by Monday morning she had 175 notices of intent to home-school on her desk — all from brand-new families.” Based on public school enrollment numbers, Spitzer estimates that in one local county, as many as one-fourth of K-12 children might be homeschooled this year."

https://thefederalist.com/2020/09/03/thanks-to-coronavirus-panic-1-in-10-american-families-is-now-home-schooling/?

Me: Not everyone can afford to homeschool or has the talent, so this means you'll need to engage with your children/grandchildren even more to block the false information about sex, our history, the government. It's in the air and water, so be vigilant. We’ve got “woke” corporations because of the kids who were brainwashed in college, which got the kids with no American History from the high schools.  I’ve been retired 20 years, and we were seeing the results then on the college campuses.

Lakeside Labor Day week-end

So much excitement in Lakeside today. Reminds me of a day in June when we watched our neighbor Tom install a window. But today, another neighbor was giving away some furniture--a very nice oak chest. So 3 ladies stopped to investigate, and left their car parked in the middle of the road and 3 other cars had to stop and wait. Right outside our house--we could see it all from our porch. Lakeside is really rocking.

This is Labor Day week-end and there will be a lot of people here for a final good-bye.  But many people are staying because there is more here than their primary home town.  Like traffic jams.

Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing

Twenty-five years ago, the United Nations held its Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China—China, of all places, where millions of women are aborted and brutally and coercively sterilized every year. The prepared documents had all those ugly anti-life words we've come to associate with the pro-life movement. On Sept 12, 1995, this letter from Mother Teresa was read to the participants and it had been translated into 6 languages. It was kept a secret until then. For obvious reasons. Even 25 years ago, abortion was very political and the left was winning even then.

Dear Friends,

I am praying for God’s blessing on all who are taking part in the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. I hope that this Conference will help everyone to know, love, and respect the special place of women in God’s plan so that they may fulfill this plan in their lives.

I do not understand why some people are saying that women and men are exactly the same, and are denying the beautiful differences between men and women. All God’s gifts are good, but they are not all the same. As I often say to people who tell me that they would like to serve the poor as I do, “What I can do, you cannot. What you can do, I cannot. But together we can do something beautiful for God.” It is just this way with the differences between women and men.

God has created each one of us, every human being, for greater things– to love and to be loved. But why did God make some of us men and others women? Because a woman’s love is one image of the love of God, and a man’s love is another image of God’s love. Both are created to love, but each in a different way. Woman and man complete each other, and together show forth God’s love more fully than either can do it alone.

That special power of loving that belongs to a woman is seen most clearly when she becomes a mother. Motherhood is the gift of God to women. How grateful we must be to God for this wonderful gift that brings such joy to the whole world, women and men alike!

Yet we can destroy this gift of motherhood, especially by the evil of abortion, but also be thinking that other things like jobs or positions are more important than loving, than giving oneself to others. No job, no plans, no possessions, no idea of “freedom” can take the place of love. So anything that destroys God’s gift of motherhood destroys His most precious gift to women– the ability to love as a woman.

God told us, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” So first I am to love myself rightly, and then to love my neighbor like that.

But how can I love myself unless I accept myself as God has made me? Those who deny the beautiful differences between men and women are not accepting themselves as God has made them, and so cannot love the neighbor. They will only bring division, unhappiness, and destruction of peace to the world. For example, as I have often said, abortion is the greatest destroyer of peace in the world today, and those who want to make women and men the same are all in favor of abortion.

Instead of death and sorrow, let us bring peace and joy to the world. To do this we must beg God for His gift of peace and learn to love and accept each other as brothers and sisters, children of God.

We know that the best place for children to learn how to love and to pray is in the family, by seeing the love and prayer of their mother and father. When families are broken or disunited, many children grow up not knowing how to love and pray. A country where many families have been destroyed like this will have many problems. I have often seen, especially in the rich countries, how children turn to drugs or other things to escape feeling unloved and rejected.

But when families are strong and united, children can see God’s special love in the love of their father and mother and can grow to make their country a loving and prayerful place. The child is God’s best gift to the family and needs both mother and father because each one shows God’s love in a special way. The family that prays together stays together, and if they stay together they will love one another as God has loved each one of them. And works of love are always works of peace.

So let us keep the joy of loving in our hearts and share this joy with all we meet. My prayer for all of the delegates, and for every woman whom the Beijing Conference is trying to help, is that each one may be humble and pure like Mary so as to live in love and peace with one another and make our families and our world something beautiful for God.

Let us pray.

All for the glory of God and good of souls. God bless you.

Mother Teresa, MC

https://spiritualdirection.com/2020/09/03/a-special-power-of-loving-mother-teresas-letter-on-women

Would you give up your pet?

I noticed this in a farm journal: "What is known is that ferrets, minks, domestic cats, and some dogs have become infected with COVID-19. But neither pets nor farm animals are thought to play significant roles in transmitting COVID-19. "

So if your governor asked you to give up your pet in order to be safe, would he have a fight on his hands? Biden wants a lockdown (to be safe) and Trump wants to open up (to be free), so which one would ask for your pet?

GK Chesterton, a hymn for these times

1 O God of earth and altar,
bow down and hear our cry,
our earthly rulers falter,
our people drift and die;
the walls of gold entomb us,
the swords of scorn divide,
take not thy thunder from us,
but take away our pride.

2 From all that terror teaches,
from lies of tongue and pen,
from all the easy speeches
that comfort cruel men,
from sale and profanation
of honour and the sword,
from sleep and from damnation,
deliver us, good Lord!

3 Tie in a living tether
the prince and priest and thrall,
bind all our lives together,
smite us and save us all;
in ire and exultation
aflame with faith, and free,
lift up a living nation,
a single sword to thee.

Source: Ancient and Modern: hymns and songs for refreshing worship #582  public domain

Today I came across this hymn by Gordon Keith Chesterton published in 1907, before he became a Catholic (although I don’t think that matters).  It certainly speaks to today’s atmosphere and dilemmas for Christians.“Our earthly rulers falter, our people drift and die.” Isn’t that the truth!  “Tie in a living tether the prince and priest and thrall.”  What a powerful phrase.  Thrall isn’t a word we use much in the 21st century, but it means one in bondage or servitude or who is oppressed.  And doesn’t gold entomb us—striving for material possessions consume us.  Every line speaks to our situation today. Deliver us from lies of tongue and pen, from all the easy speeches . . .

It is sung to various tunes—meter 7.6.7.6 D.  I tried several, and I do like something rousing with a little oomph to go with the strong words.  Lancashire is nice (Lead on O King eternal). In the Methodist 1964 hymnal it is King’s Lynn.

Joe Biden and the Blakes

Why did Joe Biden go to Wisconsin and meet with Jacob Blake, an anti-Semitic follower of Louis Farrakhan, a man consumed with hate for the Jews? A man who hates Jesus and all white people and announces it publicly. He knew ahead of time who and what he was. Blake Sr. is the father of Jacob Blake, Jr., shot by police resisting arrest, who had been charged with sexual assault and stealing money and car of the woman he assaulted. Democrats have elevated him to a saint. Why does Biden say in his campaign ads Blacks are afraid to leave their homes, when for 8 years he with Barack Obama was in charge? Shouldn’t he have protected them then?  Was it the low unemployment rate, funding for black colleges or the First Step act that frightened them? Why is Biden beholden to BLM?

St. Gregory the Great

It's a good thing St. Gregory the Great didn't have social media. When he lived in a monastic community he didn't have as much trouble monitoring his speech as he did in his pastoral role.

"I must frequently listen patiently to their aimless chatter. Because I am weak myself I am drawn gradually into idle talk and I find myself saying the kind of thing that I didn’t even care to listen to before. I enjoy lying back where I once was loath to stumble. Who am I — what kind of watchman am I? I do not stand on the pinnacle of achievement, I languish rather in the depths of my weakness."

Sally Sims Stokes 1950-2020

A colleague of mine from the 1980s died in August. We shared an office in the main library of Ohio State University.  https://rappfuneral.com/tribute/details/31255/Sally-Stokes/obituary.html

She was a lot of fun and had a fascinating career. Particularly in historic preservation which sent her in many directions doing  research.

Voter manipulation isn’t from Russia

Some people I know are still in the Russia, Russia, Russia delusion about 2016, however, Google can manipulate the election by influencing that precious "undecided" group. Watch this testimony. https://youtu.be/rNvgl38TLvI Epstein is not a Trump supporter. The Left went crazy when this report came out, and when Trump repeated it (not using the exact numbers--could be over 10 million) the very ones who claimed to revere science screamed themselves blue and grew donkey ears. No paper trail, nothing to check with this method, Epstein says.

Now he says “Just by fiddling with search suggestion, Google has the power to turn a 50-50 split among undecided voters into a 90-10 split with no one knowing that they have been manipulated,” he said.

https://www.westernjournal.com/expert-warns-google-shift-10-vote-away-trump-hand-2020-election-biden/

The Number One financial donor to Hillary Clinton in 2016 was the parent company of Google. And you're worried about Putin?

Covid19 and demons.

Every news website I pull up from Washington Post to Ohio State starts and ends with Covid19 stories. You don't have to read too many of these to see there are other motives than just getting control of a serious world-wide health problem. The desire to save lives may have been a motivation at the beginning when little was known about transmission or treatment, but now it's about power.

This reminds me of some Christians' obsession with demons. Jesus cast out demons, and the Bible has a lot to say about demonic forces. We should accord demonic forces some respect, but not honor. Some people have an unhealthy fear and panic about demonic forces. They have given the demons more power than they actually have. They've given up their free will and their freedom in Christ.

And so it is with Covid19; too many have designated Covid19 the ruler over our government and our churches and our lives. They are willing to give up all our blessings to appease the demons.

THE CARRINGTON EVENT WAS NOT UNIQUE

“It might be time to rewrite the history books. New research shows that the Carrington Event--a monster solar storm that hit Earth 161 years ago today--might not be as unique as previously thought. Historical documents from East Asia suggest that Carrington Events (plural) have happened many times before . . . and probably will again.”

Please, not in 2020.  We’ve had enough.

Western science taught that this September 1, 1859 event was unique. The storm rocked Earth's magnetic field, sparked auroras over Cuba, the Bahamas and Hawaii, set fire to telegraph stations, and wrote itself into history books as the Biggest. Solar. Storm. Ever.

Now with records from Japan, China , Korean and Russian archives, if this were to happen today, instead of destroying telegraph stations, it could blow out the internet and transcontinental communication. A modern-day Carrington Event could cause widespread power outages along with disruptions to navigation, air travel, banking, and all forms of digital communication.

https://spaceweather.com/ for Tuesday, September 1, 2020

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/08/carrington-event-warning/

If it happens again, we know it will be blamed on President Trump and global warming

Mystic, Connecticut

The problem with blogging and facebooking every day is that I forget what I wrote about and when.  I was sure I had put a photo of my "new" print on my blog, but I can't find it.  Oh well, I'll just post it again, and when I do find it, I'll delete one.  It's a print of a tug boat in Mystic, Connecticut.  The little Christmas wreath on the back of the boat makes is appropriate for the Christmas season.  Lolly Stoddard is described at an Amazon site:

Lolly Stoddard is a well know artist in the shoreline area of Connecticut, where she resides with her husband whom she has known since childhood. She taught school for five years before concluding her teaching career to be at home with her three children who are now grown. Her artist endeavors grew along with her children, and her memories of their creative imaginations have helped enliven her children's books. Her first book "Town Small" was published by Mystic Seaport in 2002 and is now in its second printing.

  

Mountain Ivy Blue Ridge dishes

I couldn't resist. The next time you come for dinner or dessert, we'll be eating on vintage (< 1947) Mountain Ivy Blue Ridge Southern Pottery hand painted dishes with underglaze, displaying leaves and purple and gray berries (looks blue to me, my primary kitchen color), all with candlewick edges . It has approximately 7 place settings, except cups and saucers are 8, and usually those are the missing pieces, and I never use them. Meat platter and oval vegetable bowl, sugar/creamer (also don't use these). Now I have some rearranging and packing up to do to move some things to Columbus. History of the company, Erwin, TN 1917-1957. http://www.blueridge-spi.com/pottery/rap1997/history.html

Controlling risk

I wear a mask when I go out, even for my morning walk at 6:30 or 7 a.m. And I'm not wearing it to protect you; it's to protect me. I'm over 80, I'm in good health (with assistance from Big Pharma), but one statistic I do believe in the ocean of misinformation about Covid19, is that the elderly are more vulnerable. The more health deficits they have like obesity, heart disease, lung congestion, smoking, alcoholism, etc. the greater the risk they'll die of Covid19 if they get it or get really sick.

When I walk in the morning, I may cross paths 4 or 5 other walkers or joggers, breathing hard. (At 80 I don't move that quickly.) I wear my mask because they don't. When I walk later in the day to attend a program in the park I may share the street with 6 teen-agers laughing and talking and doing normal kid stuff. I wear my mask because they don't. When I go in stores I meet strangers complying with the mask rules, but with their masks in odd positions--or under their noses, or lifting it to sip the ubiquitous coffee of can of pop. I wear my mask because they don't. I do eat in restaurants. I'm sharing space with people eating and talking and laughing--doing normal human activities. So I wear a mask, except when eating. In the days before the pandemic, I saw people wearing masks who were in chemo treatment or recovering from surgery but still in church or shopping. I wear a mask because I know they weren't trying to protect the public.

But loneliness and depression are also a risk--for anyone even without the pandemic. And I have good reasons for grief and isolation after the recent illness and death of our son. A few brave friends and family violated all the rules and took the risk to be with us, for which we'll forever be grateful, but it was nowhere near the support we would have had in another year from our church, our neighbors, our clubs, etc. So I'll wear the mask because I don't want to live in a prison. I don't want to live like I'm dead.

I'm still going to church (outside), I'm still shopping, I'm attending as many live programs as this odd summer at Lakeside has to offer (praise God for our wonderful staff), I'm still going to restaurants, I'm still inviting friends to our home and going to theirs, I'm still browsing the used books in the "Little Library" boxes all over Lakeside.

And masks keep the summer bugs out of my teeth.

Videos of Blake and Rittenhouse

Videos have now been released of 29 year old Jacob Blake (Kenosha riots) struggling with police and resisting arrest before he was shot, and 17 year old Kyle Rittenhouse being attacked by several in the Kenosha riots before he used his gun on his assailants. I doubt that it will make any difference because these riots are not about "systemic racism" or grievances about equity or health, or which lives matter more, or any of the other social safety net jargon or class war language popularized in the last 30 years by academics.

For BLM it's about the destruction of the United States--and that includes Joe Biden who has contributed so much to the system (like the 1994 crime bill)  they hate in the last 50 years. For the Marxist founders of BLM we don't deserve to exist and should be destroyed.

Believe them when they say they are Marxists

You may have heard a social justice sermon on Sunday, or at least a mention of walk outs by wealthy athletes and systemic racism. Be reminded that BLM is not about being black; or a pay gap, or lack of opportunity, or the population of prisons. It's a Marxist organization. Believe them when they say it. It's on their website.

The intention of these riots is not to help or even create change. The intention is the same as all Marxist-based organizations. To destroy everything because it doesn't deserve to exist. Your state or mine, Portland or Kenosha, shouldn't be a state according to BLM because it was stolen, not from the French or Spanish, but from some indigenous people (who stole it from others). It shouldn't be a state because the United States shouldn't exist and needs to be destroyed. So why, in BLM thinking, would you rebuild or protect something that shouldn't be there?

Don't try to understand BLM using YOUR values. Look at them with THEIR values. Believe them when they tell you who they are. They are more honest about their motives than our major parties are about theirs. Then it will make more sense.

Twitter’s on going war against our President

Twitter fact checked an excellent summary by a Twitter user MelQ of the latest CDC report on what percent of deaths attributed to Covid19 were only Covid without some other serious illness (about 6%).

Tantrums of outrage roared in from the anti-Trumpers, because the president retweeted it. Now it's been removed by Twitter. Of course, anything Trump says about the economy, about Covid, HCQ, about abortion, about foreign relations, etc. has to be fact checked and denied by Big Tech. I don't use Twitter, however, when I read some of the "corrections" I wonder if NYT, WaPo or LATimes could stay in business if every word of their writers were searched for bias and opinion by Big Tech. Forbes has published an extensive denial of the original tweet, but with about mostly anti-Trump opinion and word fill (paid by the word?) of the writer who identifies as a digital health expert and avocado eater. I was not impressed with his or Twitter's assessment, because I read the CDC article, too. I'm not providing a link to the Forbes article--you can find it--because my assessment of its poor quality and misleading information won't be passed along, instead only the article will be seen.

Go to the CDC and look for the 6% article, and draw your own conclusions. I don't think it's much different from what we knew in March, that those who were dying were the elderly with 2-3 other conditions like obesity, lung problems, heart conditions, etc. that weakened them and death was not due only to the Corona virus.

The real story, Mr. Avocado Eater/digital health expert, is how many people are looking for hope and a return to their normal lives before our 50 state governments put us on lockdown and destroyed the economy. Or maybe, you're looking for your 10 seconds of fame?

How will you be voting? Person or issues?

I'm a one issue voter. The person who wrote this has a broader view, and it's not written exactly as I would have--I'd certainly put the freedoms of the first amendment ahead of the second. But it's an excellent summary. No information on who wrote it--but it began appearing in August. My neighbor Arlene sent this.

"In just three months, it will be over. The U.S. presidential election, I mean. Not the end of the world, but maybe. But maybe the end of our nation, as we have known it. No, I will not be voting for Biden.... I am not voting for a man. I am not rallying for a personality. I am not pushing a person.

At this point, I am voting for one thing and one thing only. I am voting for the principles for which this country has stood since its founding. I am voting for Constitutional government. I am voting for a strong and viable military. I am voting for a vibrant economy. I am voting for the right to keep and bear arms. I am voting for the freedom to worship. I am voting for a national recognition of the founding of our nation on Biblical principles. I am voting for the ability for anyone to rise above their circumstances and become successful. I am voting for my children and grandchildren to be able to choose their own path in life, including how and where their children are educated. I am voting for our borders to be open to everyone who enters under our law and closed to everyone who would circumvent or ignore the law. I am voting for the Electoral College to remain in place, so that a few heavily populated liberal centers do not control the elections. I am voting for a Supreme Court that interprets the Constitution rather than rewrites it. I am voting to teach history, with all of it’s warts, not erase it or revise it. I am voting for the sanctity of life from conception to birth and after.

Now, there are some things I am voting against. I am voting against open borders. I am voting against a rampant welfare system that enslaves its recipients. I am voting against socialism, in all of its forms, including health care, redistribution, reparations, economics, governmental control, pedophilia, and criminal releases, etc. I would rather pay for prison reform then see the criminals released to repeatedly commit the same crimes!

So, although I don’t give blanket approval to everything our President has done or said in the past, I do support him as our president! I am not voting against Joe Biden, but I am voting against every thing that the party backing him and propping him up stands for. It is not the Democratic Party of the past. "

What is Black Lives Matter really about?

Why is it important to know BLM founders are radical, lesbian feminists who announce on their website they are trained Marxists? Marxism is founded on atheism, but the writings of Karl Marx are not unlike a holy book with a catechism. It looks chaotic, but there are rules and regulations, all antitheses of American values.

If you've been asking, "Don't they know they are hurting their own community," or "Don't they know they are strengthening Trump," or "Don't they know this is not the way to correct what is wrong in society," then you are asking the wrong questions. Particularly Christians, always looking for something logical and rational with a message--you should be saying, "What do they SAY they want?"

Easy answer. Violent radicals have been answering that for over 100 years--but too many suckers don't believe them.

EVERYTHING THAT EXISTS DESERVES TO PERISH.

Now does it make more sense? Not just . . . should perish, but DESERVES to perish. Not just bad things, but EVERYTHING. That's why they can move from smashing Confederate statues (cancel culture), to decapitating statues of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and burning churches (cancel all religions), to smash and grab booty from expensive retail stores and Mercedes car lots (cancel capitalism), to claiming your house, car and pension investments as their own (cancel personal property), to denigrating biological differences (cancel nuclear family).

They are not asking for change, or revolution, there is no plan except to destroy what's here now. The future vision and form of government will come later, and that will evolve as many of the people who are fellow travelers, standing silent waving their little posters will need to be imprisoned or put to death.

As you can see in the videos of Minneapolis and Portland, Black Lives Matter has already been taken over by white communists. The staying power and history of American Communists in all its versions (including those called socialist) is much longer and they've had their tentacles in every sector of our society and culture since the 1930s, especially in education and entertainment. But they've been welcome in the White House and in the largest corporations, in most main line churches, and in powerful unions.

It only takes a spark, to get a fire going.

Once to every man and nation

James Russell Lowell was a 19th century American poet, critic, essayist, editor, and diplomat, not a hymn writer, but I know this poem is found in Christian hymnals. I’m not sure of Church of the Brethren—that seems to be where I remember singing it.  The only hymnal I have at our summer cottage is the 1964 Methodist, and it’s on p. 242 set to music by Thomas J. Williams (tune Ebenezer).  The theme is “Courage in Conflict.”  There are other versions, some with more explicit Christian theology, so perhaps it was modified to be a hymn. 

This version contains eternal truths now under attack in our cities by Marxist/anarchist forces:  good and evil; cause and decision; bloom and blight, darkness and light. Choices to be made—truth, justice, faith, bravery, the threat of death, and over all, God is keeping watch.

Once to every man and nation
Comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of truth and falsehood,
For the good or evil side;
Some great cause, some great decision,
Offering each the bloom or blight,
And the choice goes by forever
'Twixt that darkness and that light.

Then to side with truth is noble,
When we share her wretched crust,
Ere her cause bring fame and profit,
And 'tis prosperous to be just;
Then it is the brave man chooses
While the coward stands aside,
Till the multitude make virtue
Of the faith they had denied.

Though the cause of evil prosper,
Yet the truth alone is strong;
Though her portion be the scaffold,
And upon the throne be wrong:
Yet that scaffold sways the future,
And, behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow,
Keeping watch above His own.

James Russell Lowell, Public Domain

Lakeside sadness

At Lakeside, although we only see our neighbors for about 10 weeks (if we're owners) we become close because walking together to church, or programs, watching sunsets and having neighborhood get togethers bring us together more frequently than neighbors at "home." We've had some sad times here on our block (7 homes). Jan's niece whom we remember as a visiting teen died at 43; John and Katie's daughter-in-law died at 49; our son died at 51; and last week Claude's wife died of Alzheimer's.

RNC and pro-life message

The four day RNC was not just the most pro-life political convention ever, it was the most pro-life EVENT ever on television. From the former Planned Parenthood staffer Abby Johnson, who became an advocate for life and now has a non-profit to save babies, to the former military surgeon who has saved lives of soldiers and refugees and became a nun, Sister Dierdre Byre, who now saves babies, to the Ohio mother, Terri Myers, who was advised to abort her child with Down Syndrome and is now an advocate for school choice, to the general tone and respect for women who refuse to back down on the values--it was breath taking, glorious, and unheard of.

I was very fond of President George Bush, and he was a "pro-life president," but sort of in the closet when it came to public events. He didn't appear at them. And pro-lifers themselves had been letting the Leftist culture dictate how and what they said--didn't want to ruffle too many feathers, or get too graphic.

President Donald Trump just charges ahead--wants to defund the biggest killer of black babies, appoints women openly pro-life, and allows the actual, grizzly and anatomically correct truth to be told at an event where half the country already hates and lies about him.

Shocking. The man is a modern version of an Old Testament prophet. No one wants to hear the truth, but he says it anyway.

And although it's scandalous and racist to say in today's hyperbolic, hysterical and turned upside down world, all lives matter to Donald Trump.

Library books and Covid

Browsing the new rules and guidelines for OSU Libraries for the autumn semester 2020 I see there’s not a lot of agreement on how long the virus lives on books.  The guidelines say a book will be quarantined for 5 days when returned to service.  I’ve checked various websites, and at least in the recent (yet ever changing) rules and research nothing is that draconian. It will push faculty and students even more to on-line use. I know when I was employed there (retired in 2000) the library was absolutely dependent on our student staff; I assume it is still that way and they will have the most face time with the public.  They will be handling the materials. If the lending partners throughout the state have the same quarantine, it will really back up interlibrary and intra-library loans. And no course reserves—those were heavily used in the veterinary library because so many did not own the books for their classes.

https://library.osu.edu/news/university-libraries-service-updates-for-autumn-semester (posted August 7)

“University Libraries is looking forward to providing the services our students, faculty and staff need to meet their education and research goals in a safe and healthy environment. To that end:

• masks are required in all University Libraries facilities.
• the book stacks will remain closed to the public. Materials must be requested through paging. Only University Libraries staff may remove books from shelves. Any books brought to the circulation desk by visitors will have to be quarantined and unavailable for up to five days.
• requests for materials will be made online at library.osu.edu and picked up at the circulation or information desk within the library.
• visitors are asked to maintain a safe physical distance of six feet apart. We have spaced out seating in our common areas and closed our group study rooms to help make this possible.
• eating and drinking are not permitted in the libraries.
• returned materials will be quarantined for five days and will remain on your account until quarantine is complete and they have been checked in.
• due to quarantine, OhioLINK and Interlibrary Loan requests will be delayed.
• physical course reserves will not be available.
• requests for new materials will take longer than normal to process.
• Thompson and 18^th Avenue Libraries will maintain normal hours, departmental libraries and special collection reading rooms will be operating on a modified schedule. Hours are subject to change. Please visit library.osu.edu for current information

This article from WebMD sounds more like the advice from 4-5 months ago when they were trying to sanitize cruise ships, however it’s update stamp is Aug. 21. https://www.webmd.com/lung/how-long-covid-19-lives-on-surfaces

Although I haven’t been in a library for 6 months, I’ve used the free little libraries around town liberally, and I’ve been in a book store and touched and opened the books. https://www.webmd.com/lung/how-long-covid-19-lives-on-surfaces (posted April 3)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/06/26/heres-how-long-coronavirus-can-live-surfaces-and-air/3256678001/

In all research, it’s what you do AFTER you hold or touch material others have been using that is critical.  Your HANDS and FACE.  Do not touch.  And since masks are so uncomfortable, that’s the hardest advice to follow.

Big Tech is still the winner in this pandemic.  There is no problem getting a new or used book through Amazon, and although the machines may be wrapping and handling, you still have to get the box open and dispose of the trash.

This article is not research, it’s anecdotal, but something to think about because we’ve become so dependent on how some large businesses are staying open when everything we need is closed. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-08-27/covid-pandemic-u-s-businesses-issue-gag-rules-to-stop-workers-from-talking (posted August 27)

The culture of Life--a useful source for life issues

https://cultureoflife.org/

The Culture of Life Foundation is a 501C3 research and educational institute that exists to engage and strengthen public reason, form the moral conscience, and reveal and present the truths about the human person at all stages of life and in all conditions. We believe that true freedom flourishes within a responsible and cohesive society that is respectful of the fundamental dignity of the human individual.

Hurricanes and politicking

Incredible state, local and federal cooperation have kept injuries and death to a minimum during the two storms, Marco and Laura, to hit Louisiana and Texas. There will still be flooding and tornadoes. I heard Biden on TV blaming Trump. For what, I'm not sure. The weather? Wonder if he'll give him credit for FEMA’s prompt readiness. I remember how the media tried to smear Bush for Katrina when it was the governor and mayor who failed the people? Food and ice were stopped at the state borders, by local regulations.

"FEMA, other federal agencies and the American Red Cross have also spent the last couple of months preparing to face additional challenges that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic presents. They have modified policies and planning and have taken actions to ensure the federal government can respond to any disaster during the continued COVID-19 response efforts. Actions such as safe distancing in shelters have been taken into consideration when preparing shelter locations. You can read more about how to prepare for disaster during COVID-19 by visiting the Ready.gov website.

Emergency declarations have also been approved for Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Puerto Rico. These declarations help FEMA to rapidly and efficiently respond when states and individuals need aid after a disaster. They authorize FEMA to provide assistance, including reimbursement for mass care, evacuation and shelter support.

Additionally, President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for California. The declaration includes grants to individuals and households, and emergency work in eight counties impacted by wildfires. All areas in the state are also eligible for assistance under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

To further make sure employees and disaster survivors stay safe from COVID-19, FEMA has added virtual options for meeting needs after disasters. These methods include virtual damage assessments and inspections for FEMA Individual Assistance and Public Assistance programs, as well as for National Flood Insurance Program claims." https://www.fema.gov/blog/fema-prepares-hurricane-laura-california-wildfires

https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-announces-fema-approval-for-federal-emergency-declaration-ahead-of-tropical-storm-laura-marco-landfall

Read the biased, slanted article from Politico side sniping President Trump for the weather and riots in Democrat controlled cities because they happen during RNC convention.  https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/27/hurricane-laura-rnc-trump-speech-402993

Naps

My afternoon naps are coming earlier and earlier.  About 11 a.m.  Of course, I get up early, but then I always have.  When my children would nap in afternoons, I always used that time to nap.  My mother was a napper.  She always said, "I'll just close my eyes for a few minutes." The day before my wedding I napped on the couch with my head in her lap.  She always had a book with her, and as her eyes would get heavy, the book slipped down. When I was about 16 I look a photo of her napping on our burgundy color couch on Hannah Avenue--plaid house dress, an apron, dark brown hair, hose, shoes with little heels. I'll have to look around for it.

The medical news for naps changes from time to time. Some research says an hour nap (my usual length) can help cognition. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/315097

Others say 20-30 minutes is best so you don't get groggy.  https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/napping

Mayo Clinic has some suggestions https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/napping/art-20048319

The lies continue

Democrat media complain that there was no mention of the virus during the RNC. Really? I heard it. In prayer. In stories of first responders. In testimonies of survivors. In news clips of Cuomo and Newsom praising the president for the quick aid he sent their states. Stories of amazing new treatments and advancing technology.

And the governors have sent the "crushing" economic woes, not the president. It was Democrats who fought the president on stopping international air traffic from China. It was Democrats who told tourists to come to their cities even as late as March. The false narratives they invent for any crisis, from children in cages, to what Trump said in Charlottesville, to how this virus spread, are unconscionable. They try to cover up their "defund the police" and "loot the cities" slogans with these whiny, petulant lies.

A tribute to women on Day 3

Day 3 of the RNC convention coincided with the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and women’s constitutional right to vote.  So there were many tributes.  Let me say, I’ve never been that impressed with how women have used that right.  Particularly women in Congress.  They’ve pushed for killing the unborn; many have eschewed marriage; some have denied the importance of fathers and have denigrated men, who they outlive and women enjoy better health outcomes; women in Congress have insisted on affirmative action, yet want outsized government protection using the federal government like a step-father for their children. But the planners of the RNC convention really did give me a more positive view.  With the national right to vote (women were already voting in local and state elections in 1920) some women used it as a psychological boost even if they misused (in my opinion) their powerful vote.

It’s always been my opinion that it was the 19th century when American women were in their glory fighting for the rights of others and themselves.  They moved a nation with the BIG THREE—may American women someday live up to the expectations of those brave, strong women.

• Temperance, the fight to live without the scourge of addiction to alcohol,
• Abolition, the fight to end slavery in the United State, and
• Suffrage, the fight for women to be able to vote in federal elections.

A hymn to our collective mothers—birth, foster, adoptive and mentors

Faith of our  mothers, living yet
in cradle song and bedtime prayer,
In nurs’ry love and fireside love,
Your presence still pervades the air:
Faith of our mothers, living faith,
We will be true to you till death.

Faith of our mothers, lavish faith,
The fount of childhood’s trust and grace,
O may your consecration prove
The wellspring of a nobler race:
Faith of our mothers, lavish faith,
We will be true to you till death.

(A. B. Patton, public domain)

What else should Trump have done?

We spent a lot of time the 3rd week in February in ICU with our son, and there were no Covid19 protections then and visitors wandered in and out with no problem. The only hint there was a problem was a sign in the waiting area that if one had traveled to China recently, to wear an (optional) mask. There were visitors in his room almost around the clock--none of us wore masks. Even for normal infections, it was terribly casual. This was 3 weeks after Trump announced closing travel to China. And now the Democrat Mafia want to make it about his leadership (constitutional authority he doesn't have). Any excuse to cover for their duplicity and bigotry.

The voter drive among medical professions

The Ohio State College of Medicine's Department of Family and Community Medicine and the medical center’s Anti-Racism Action Plan Policy and Advocacy Action Group are partnering with VoteHealth2020 for a workshop on raising voter awareness to increase participation in the election. This is naive and manipulative.

The Trump Administration has probably been the most proactive in assisting minorities, and has actually accomplished something in areas long neglected (but incessantly talked about) by other administrations in the areas of employment opportunity, prison reform, and education. Because Trump is an outsider to both parties, when the businessman accustomed to achieving looked around and said--"this hasn't been working for 50 years, let's do something, let's fast track something, let's get rid of the dead wood of socialist promises," he's been called a racist.

Will an event planned by an entity called an Anti-Racism Action Plan Policy and Advocacy Action Group even welcome Trump supporters? Will they want more Trump supporters to vote? Are there any conservatives or Republicans in this group, or is diversity just another word for skin color? I wanted to know.

So I looked up the VoteHealth2020 board composition, for ethnicity, education, experience in medicine, political sensitivities and how it could relate to the voting public. Based on the photos and surnames, and a brief bio of each one, I'd say 9 members of the team are Asian Indian, [the wealthiest and most educated minority group in the U.S]. The one black female was born in Ghana, one other female appears to be Japanese ancestry, and one white male might be of Spanish ethnicity. In popular jargon, these are POC, people of color, because they are certainly not African American or that jumble of nationalities we refer to as Hispanic. Only one person on the board has a little gray in his fashionable stubble.

The publicity/marketing for this group does point out that Americans have a lower voter turn out than Western Europe and that doctors have an even lower turn out than other privileged, wealthy Americans. Yet, they don't seem to know our American history--even that of the last 2 decades. Blacks had an incredible turnout for the 2008 and 2012 elections--higher than whites in 2008, and much higher in 2012. And almost double that of Asian Americans, the people organizing the "get out the vote" group.

The Pew Research Center found that the economy (84% of respondents), terrorism (80%) and foreign policy (75%) were the top three issues on voters’ minds in 2016. That's why Trump won. Now in 2020, because of Covid19, health care has moved up, especially for Democrats who also think Trump is an important issue, but in 2016, it didn't even make the list.

Will the medical profession vote for Biden and will it be more likely to convince minorities to change their life style to reduce the problems of smoking, alcohol/drug abuse, domestic abuse, sexual promiscuity and obesity? Just like other groups, life style changes will improve many health problems. If I would lose 30 pounds, I'm sure my exercise routine would benefit. How will the doctors' or patients' voting record change their health? It won't. But they might be able to keep Trump out of the White House and get more federal money for their profession.

It’s not about change, or even revolution

If you thought BLM and ANTIFA wanted change, you are wrong. They want chaos. And here's the proof. Their riots were preceded by unprecedented change, with record low unemployment, increased college enrollment and the highest opportunity ever for minorities. That had to be destroyed.

In 2018, the combined state and federal imprisonment rate (431 sentenced prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents) was the lowest since 1996.

The total imprisonment rate fell 15% from 2008 to 2018.

From 2008 to 2018, the imprisonment rate dropped 28% among black residents, 21% among Hispanic residents, and 13% among white residents.

In 2018, the imprisonment rate of black residents was the lowest since 1989.

https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p18.pdf

They are Marxists and crooks. If you believe them, you don't know history and you deserve a vacation in Venezuela and real estate in down town Portland.

The first night of RNC convention

The biggest threat to the moldy, dank and dark Democrat party platform and candidates last week is a bright light and fresh air. Watch the August 24 first night of hope, greatness and health. Our neighbor, an 88 year old widow, came across the street to watch, and we were enthralled with the pride and hope the speakers conveyed.

https://www.facebook.com/dralvedaking/videos/342998723741407/

Now its Climate Change, not a virus

So now Covid19 is about Climate Change, according to WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus And things will never go back to the way they were in 2019. No one benefits when more old people die of influenza or falls, but Covid19? Can make a lot of headway with that one.

No wonder no one complains when rioters don't wear masks. "This is where the the dot-connecting by the WHO, the United Nations, and other fanatical climate-crisis pushers comes into play. The solution to the “climate change crisis,” as they see it, can be summed up in two words: wealth redistribution. Even better in four words: massive worldwide wealth redistribution."

The more we're kept in fear and distrusting each other, the more control these power hungry people have.

https://www.redstate.com/mike_miller/2020/08/22/and-there-it-is-who-director-uses-covid-to-push-worldwide-climate-change-agenda/?

Joe Biden has saved many Black lives.

A total of 194 shooting incidents involving black victims occurred in New York City in June, a 177% increase from the 70 recorded in June 2019, according to the New York Police Department. The BLM movement and its liberal apologists in white suburbia are taking black lives, particularly young people, at an alarming rate. It sounds terrible, but the violence is still lower than in the early 1990s when the 1994 omnibus crime bill cracked down on violence, giving the states federal money for more police and equipment, and the streets of the major cities became safer by half. Violent crime rate was 757.7 per 100,000 in 1992, and 368.9 per 100,000 in 2018. That was an uptick from 361.6 in 2014.

Many people, both parties (and especially Harris and DeBlasio), have blamed Biden, who advocated for the crime bill. They don't give him credit for the thousands of black lives saved over a 30 year period, because the crime rate for blacks is about 6x higher than whites, therefore, the criminals incarcerated during those years, where not killing other black men. Also, the incarceration rate had been going up for many years before the crime bill. And "experts" (sort of like "scientists") don't agree on why the crime rate was halved. "Restorative justice" (i.e., ignore the crime based on race like the Parkland school shooting) people want to blame the law for high rates of black criminals in jail, but they don't want to credit it for saving black lives.

As Senate Judiciary chairman, Biden was a prime mover of the 1994 law, promising that "there will be fewer people murdered," and "fewer children will be turning to crime." (Politico) And he was. His efforts saved lives. But times have changed. His legacy must be denied to get him elected.

This is not to say that Joe Biden should be president for something that harmed/helped Blacks in 1994, only to say his party is a bunch of hypocrites who have so much hate for President Trump they will continue to lie, cheat and steal to get him out of office.

Why Kamala Harris?

The wealthiest ethnic groups of Americans are Asian, specifically, Indian Americans (household income $123,453). After that it's Taiwanese Americans (household income $102,328). Just for comparison, English and German American household income (my ethnicity who were here before the Revolution) is under $50,000. Even the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribal nation members have a household income higher than English and German Americans. But most whites (as Europeans are called) are not even close to Indian or Taiwanese. Indian Americans used to be grouped with "white" in these divisions until the government needed to slice and dice our ethnicities for political purposes. Whites took a "cut in pay" so to speak when the Indians were lumped with Asians.

So in a party obsessed with identity politics, why isn't Kamala Harris called an Indian American? Tamils, or Indians, the people of her mother, have a population of around 76 million and with a documented history stretching back over 2,000 years. They are one of the largest and oldest extant ethnolinguistic groups in the modern world according to Wikipedia (it's not always the best source, but it's the fastest).

Joe Biden has flip flopped on every race and sex issue in the last 40 years. He didn't need to choose Kamala Harris to satisfy Blacks--he's already announced that he owns them. He needed a "black" female to satisfy his white base, particularly women and the younger demographic. And it looks like a wealthy, privileged Indian American would have filled the bill, even if not very accurate for identity politicking. Democrats will just ignore that they have 2 of the most notorious law and order candidates (in their former lives) in recent history.

The Obama legacy

Larry Elder writes, and I agree, that in 2008, Barack Obama "got a higher % of the white vote than did Kerry in '04. Obama won with 52%, but by the time he entered office Obama's ratings stood at 67%. To show his gratitude, Obama spent his presidency and post presidency telling whites how racist they are.‬"

And his legacy of bigotry, racism, division and turmoil lives on in all the major Democrat run cities experiencing rioting, in academe, in churches, in "woke" corporations," in entertainment, and the Democrats in Congress today.

Reparations in the 21st century

How would reparations work?

First, it's imperative that it has to be about more than slavery, which is the mistake most white and black middle class Christians make when supporting that idea. If it were just slavery, that would leave out Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, Megan Markle, the adoptive children of movie stars and the millions like Ilhan Omar who have immigrated from Africa and the Caribbean in the past 3-4 decades. And I do mean millions. Only 350,000 blacks came during slavery days--you can see more need to be added to the roster of the downtrodden and abused.

Second, it will start with something recent that most people will remember. Maybe it will even be "affirmative action" since it failed to set things right and caused blacks undo hardship with debts they couldn't pay off. Maybe it will be "fair housing" initiatives since the concept caused so much "white flight" and pulled middle class blacks out of neighborhoods that needed them.

Third, it will include obviously bad and racist people, and we'll be asked to provide compensation for those hurt by those who consciously worked against blacks, like maybe a (Democrat) senator, former member of the KKK.

Fourth, it will include legal (at the time) business practices, either defined or redefined. Like red-lining of banks to stall mortgages. And if you've invested in that bank, or its parent company, or even if you use its savings and checking account services, you'll be part of the system, and therefore, guilty. You'll need to pay up.

Fifth, it will include local government services, like schools, parks, transportation. Did the schools in your community fail black children at higher rates than whites? Law suits coming right up. Maybe even the families of the board members and teachers will be held responsible. There goes that nice pension teachers get.

Sixth, it will include nutrition and health. We will be asked to overlook lifestyle causes of health problems, at least as far as reparations are concerned. If McDonald's is deemed to have too many stores in black neighborhoods (black because of redlining by banks) and black children have more obesity related health problems, then Mickey D will have to pay up, and if you've invested, sorry. That McDonald's has provided more top level management jobs for blacks since the early 1980s and been more environmentally responsible than most corporations will not balance the ledger.

And there will be more. There are currently national, state and local task forces for each of these. Keep your eyes and ears open. Non-profits are extremely lucrative for those at the top getting donations from foundations and gullible church mission boards. It's sort of a reparation payment all by itself.

The electoral college whine

Hillary Clinton opined again this past week at the vaudeville virtual convention that she won. She wasn't defeated in 2016, she was defeated in the Democrat primaries in 2008, by Barack Obama. She had more votes, in those days feminism won out over color, but Obama got the winner take all, electoral style system Democrats use in their primaries. After 8 years she was too old, too exhausted and too ill to pull it off. By the same token, Sanders won, but Joe Biden walked off with the prize. Bernie's no dummy, however, and has most of the power over the Biden message and campaign. You could call it the Harris-Sanders ticket.

Females that won’t reproduce

Does 2020 need any more disasters? Genetically engineered 750 million mosquitoes are about to be released in Florida in 2021. Females that can't reproduce. Hey, we're doing that with teen-agers and getting slammed by the LGBTQ agenda groups if we object. But that's another disaster for down the road.

I don't like mosquitoes, but after Science in the 19th century first developed DDT as the answer to control malaria, typhus, body lice, and bubonic plague and bringing malaria cases to almost zero, that same Science then declared it an evil for Mother Earth when a non-scientist, Rachel Carson, published a book. I'm a little nervous about what else Science has in store for us. I suspect no one really knows why God designed the mosquito, nor do they remember how we got so many rogue plants, animals and fish (hint: someone brought them here to benefit or control something else).

The Democrat Convention to elect Joe Biden

So what are we to make of the virtual vaudeville virtue signaling we witnessed this week called the Democrat Convention?

American flags, the Constitution, the Star Spangled banner, singing children, and a motherly chat from a former FLOTUS who not too long ago admitted she didn't like us much while her husband reminded us that we didn't build that (hint: slaves did according to BLM whom he won't condemn). That sweet cotton candy side show was to convince the moderates and independents that they really hadn't seen two months of rioting in Democrat plantation cities; they really hadn't witnessed their elected leaders voting to kill the oppressed and helpless babies not yet born.

The race to fantasy land started with a speech by their most prominent Socialist Bernie Sanders claiming that we are experiencing the most serious health crisis in 100 years, the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression, a climate disaster, and a weak, directionless leader at the helm. He then accused that weak leader of being an "authoritarian and a bigot," and that's code for Hitler in Dem-Speak. Well, which is it Bern? Is he a sniveling weakling getting sand kicked in his face or is he Hitler?

Do we have an "authoritarian" in the White House who demanded every Democrat be masked and silent as the 50 governors have done, one who will usurp all power of the states and shut down businesses and churches? I think not. Democrats would have really raged if that had happened. Oh yes, and he warned of an oligarchy--Bernie said the power is there. That sent everyone to the dictionary. That's a small clutch of power brokers. But that describes Big Tech and woke corporations, the ones who've bought into the "systemic racism" chant of the rioters and academics, who approve of NFL revolting (peacefully) against the national anthem, painting BLM on the streets of NYC, and forced pronouns in the work place.

Or do you, Bernie, want a president who is cozy (with his son Hunter) with the Communist Party of China, the country of origin of the virus that struck down the most powerful economy the world has ever seen? Team Biden loves authoritarian China that requires everyone with a cell phone have an APP for Xi Jinping so all citizens can be reeducated in the glorious words and philosophy of the president for life. That's the president you're seeking to install in the White House?

Will you get the vaccine?

"Less than half of American adults say they would get a government-approved [rushed, deadly] coronavirus vaccine if one becomes widely available, new data from the NBC News|SurveyMonkey Weekly Tracking Poll show, with the majority unsure about getting the vaccine or saying they're ruling it out entirely. Forty-four percent of American adults say they would get the vaccine, with 22 percent saying they wouldn't and 32 percent saying they aren't sure... Among Republicans and those who lean Republican, 31 percent say they aren't sure whether they would get a vaccine, while 36 percent say they would and 33 percent say they wouldn't. While a majority of Democrats and those who lean

Democratic -- 58 percent -- say they would get a vaccine, 30 percent say they're unsure and just 12 percent say they wouldn't get vaccinated. Independents align more closely with the Republican groups. Thirty-seven percent say they and their families would get vaccinated, 25 percent say they wouldn't and 38 percent say they aren't sure."

Are NBC news survey Monkeys that reliable, or do they get primarily Democrats? And look at the numbers, the vast majority say yes, or unsure (probably waiting on the "science" to settle a little instead of changing week to week).

I will get a vaccine eventually--but like a first year model of a car, I'd want the bugs worked out.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/poll-less-than-half-of-americans-say-theyll-get-a-coronavirus-vaccine/ar-BB185CwG

An old photo of Phil

Today I received a nice photo of our son Phil who died in April. My cousin Sharon who lives in Canada sent it in a letter. It was taken in 1981 at a gathering at my mother's farm in Franklin Grove for the funeral of my cousin, Sharon's brother, Richard Weybright who died when he was 43. Phil was 13. Phil loved our vacations at the farm. I remember being there, but didn't remember who else was there except for Richard's parents. Richard had died in November 1980, so apparently the ashes were brought "home" from Arizona for burial in Ashton, Illinois where my grandparents and their son Clare who died in WWII are buried.

From left: Phil, Aunt Muriel, Chris Corbett, Bob, Dale Jasper