Art show reception this Sunday

 Reception December 11, 2022, 2-4 p.m.

Bob and Norma, married for 62 years and UALC members since 1976, have both been painting since 1972 and this show is the story of their years together with a few samples of their watercolors and acrylics. Both were interested in art as children, but only Bob pursued it as a career and avocation. Norma enjoyed a library career. He became an architect with fine arts and design classes in high school and college, plus some classes at an art institute as a child. Norma had the family dining room table with art supplies and paper, but no classes. Her teachers in kindergarten and first grade “featured” her art of a May pole dance, and horses were scribbled in the margins of school papers and books. The Bruces met at the University of Illinois in 1959 and married in 1960, but art really wasn’t a focus. Bob’s interest in painting was rekindled by his friend Ned Moore in 1972, so he dug out his old brushes from college art classes. That piqued Norma’s interest so she began taking a few workshops with local artists and later at Lakeside. 

They’ve chosen paintings that tell about their lives. In the library lounge are some stories about Illinois where Norma grew up and where they vacationed with their children, Phoebe and Phil, in the 1960s-70s. Norma’s mother had renovated her parents’ farm home in the 1960s near Franklin Grove, Illinois, as a retreat center and the Bruce family enjoyed roaming northern Illinois looking for farm scenes to paint. Included are paintings of family, two by Bob of Phil who died in 2020, Norma’s childhood friends and family from the 1940s, and her paternal grandmother in her wedding dress. Norma’s grandparents owned the Lustron in Mt. Morris on the postcard. It then was purchased years later by her father after her mother died in 2000.

 
In the hall in keeping with the rural and farm theme in the library lounge they’ve hung some flowers and vegetables, although they don’t garden. These are usually from a workshop at Lakeside or a “how to” book. Also in the hall are paintings of animals—Norma particularly liked horses, and owned one as a youngster (no paintings of him).

Also in the hall they’ve included paintings of travels after retirement in Ireland, Israel, Egypt, Alaska, and Spain—two borrowed from the current owners for this show. Bob went with the UALC mission group to Haiti for 10 years and taught architecture there. At the library door is Bob’s painting of three children from Westerville who were neighbors at Lakeside reading their Bible together. They are homeschooled and Bob helped with their art instruction. Also you’ll see Bob’s paintings of two UALC pastors who’ve had a big place in their lives.

 
The Bruce family began vacationing at Lakeside on Lake Erie in 1974 and owned a summer home there from 1988 to 2022. Paintings from those years are in the Fireside Lounge. Bob taught many classes at the Rhein Arts Center in Lakeside and both took advantage of the classes in watercolor, acrylic, pen and ink, jewelry making, silk painting and pottery. Bob has been in the Lakeside summer art show for over 40 years and in 2021 published a book of his Lake Erie paintings.

 
1. Driftwood, Lakeside - Norma
2. Lakeside Transportation - Norma
3. Romancing the Freighter, Lakeside - Norma
4. Bring Three Friends, Lakeside - Norma
5. Marblehead Lighthouse - Norma
6. Post cards of Lakeside – Norma
7. Ice Cream More Ice Cream, Lakeside – Robert
8. Lakeside Women’s Club – Robert
9. Werden’s Porch, Lakeside – Robert
10. Lighthouse Spiral Staircase, Marblehead – Robert
11. Mouse Island Race, Lakeside – Robert
12. Lakeside Orchestra – Robert
13. Keeping Watch, Norma’s father, 1944 – Norma
14. Playmates, Forreston, 1946 – Norma
15. Grandma’s Wedding Dress, 1912 - Norma
16. Phoebe and Phil at the Marblehead Lighthouse - Norma
17. Snow Horse, Forreston, 1950 - Norma
18. Shuffleboard at Lakeside, 1974 - Norma
19. Phil Bruce with Guitar, 2018 - Robert
20. Phil Bruce, 2012 - Robert
21. Daysville Road Farm, Franklin Grove, 1974 - Norma
22. Olive in her Garden, Franklin Grove - Robert
23. Red Barns Vignette, Franklin Grove - Robert
24. Whitney House, Franklin Grove - Robert
25. Reflection no Horizon, 1974, painted at Franklin Grove farm - Robert
26. Red Geraniums in Brown Pot - Norma
27. Pink Geraniums - Norma
28. White Daisies – Norma
29. Squash in a Bowl – Norma

30. Vegetables on Lace – Norma

31. Purple Iris – Norma 

32. Jackie’s Daffodils - Norma 

33. Hall Children Reading their Bible -Robert 

34. Pastor Dave Drumel - Robert 

35. Pastor Paul Ulring - Robert 

36. Mendenhall Glacier, 2001 – Robert 

37. Camel and Pyramids, 2009 – Robert 

38. Wailing Wall, Jerusalem, 2009 – Robert 

39. Haitian Girl, Ouanaminthe, Haiti – Robert 

40. Ireland Landscape, 2007 – Robert 

41. Street Scene, Grenada Spain, 2015 - Robert 

42. Postcards of Alaska, 2001 – Norma 

43. Bay Horse, 1974 – Norma 

44. Mustang – Norma 

45. Cat on a Hot Pink Porch, Lakeside – Norma 

46. Baby Duck – Norma 4

47. The Plaza, Grenada Spain, 2015 – Robert 

48. Corbett Lustron, Mt. Morris, 2001 – Norma 

49. Mark fishing at Lakeside, 2022—Robert 

50. Friend fishing at Lakeside, 2022—Robert

 #38

 #21 

Walking backwards

 This is supposed to have health benefits, but I know I would fall down.  But there was a day when I could do it. https://weather.com/health/video/walking-backward-may-have-surprising-health-benefits

Pesky little weasels

 You’ve heard of weasel words? Here’s a few weasel phrases to watch for. Usually, they mean some version of “it’s my opinion,” or “I want you to agree with me” or even, “shut up, dummy.” And although I have heard conservatives say these phrases, usually they are the territory of liberals. Liberals love the words "dialogue" and "conversation," but it's often a monologue or a lecture. My own failure is  adverbs. We need to break up.  You can call me on it.

“Some would argue. . .”
“We need a conversation on . . .”
“Research shows . . .”
“Let’s have a dialogue. . .”

Remembering her Dad, Bob Poisal

A lovely tribute from our niece Julie Kelle, remembering our brother in law, her dad.

"One year ago today I lost my step dad. Very few men are willing to be a father to another man's children. I also lost my biological dad in 2004. I know it is confusing when I use the words "my dad" you don't know which dad I'm talking about. I never liked calling my step father "step" father because he was "my" dad. He was the man that "stepped" up and became that fatherly role model me and my little sister were so longing in our heart. I'm so glad "I picked him" and glad he picked us back.

 
Dad was the hero of the family and a person that was always available to help family, friend stranger, or foe. He was the best at handling emergencies, the best at cleaning up sickness messes, the best jack-of-all-trades. My dad was the best. He came into our lives at the perfect time.

Please remember my mom,  my little sister Joan, and her husband Dan , his surviving biological children Richard , Robert and Luann, his brother Mike, and all his grandchildren and great grandchildren. Our dad, husband, brother, grandpa was the very best and he is greatly missed for he was always a main part of all our lives and holidays. We need your prayers. 

Someday we appear like we are doing good but inside we are still struggling.

 
My heart and prayers go out to each and everyone of you who that have lost a loved one that God will send the "Comforter" until we can be with our loved ones again.

"Even so, come, Lord Jesus." "

Robert Lee Poisal Obituary 2021 - Indiana Funeral Care

The Cat who Saved Books

I just finished The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa and we're discussing it at Book Club this afternoon. Here's my take, which probably no one will agree with. The grandfather could have been anyone other than a Used Book store owner.  Perhaps he could have been a former coach in professional baseball or a retired horse trainer--who has developed a different or related business to his career. His death devasted Rintaro--love, caring, wisdom and security are gone leaving him frightened and empty. The cat and two other adolescents, Sayo and Ryota, from his school come into his life of grief and insecurity as well as odd experiences with adults in a fantasy world with a talking cat. He experiences compassion and empathy, which help him develop courage and a sense of self. Really, it's about relationships, not books, which is why I decided no books need be abused in this story. The cat, yes.

Our parents

In the book The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom wrote, "Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of them. They move on. They move away. The moments that used to define them - a mother's approval, a father's nod - are covered by moments of their own accomplishments. It is not until much later, as the skin sags and the heart weakens, that children understand; their stories, and all their accomplishments, sit atop the stories of their mothers and fathers, stones upon stones, beneath the waters of their lives.”

Full court press

 Indictments for Trump.

 Conspiracy theories about Musk. 

More Billions for Ukraine with no accountability. 

Wide open borders, and if you disagree you're a racist. 

Hating on DeSantis ramped up. 

Weasel words from Disney CEO. 

People against child sexual abuse are prudes. 

And finally, old Uncle Joe is quoting his grandfather again.

Even when they Factcheck they lie.

John Kirby: "“The president has issued 9,000 permits for drilling on U.S. federal lands, Peter, 9,000 of them being unused. There are plenty of opportunities for oil and gas companies to drill here in the United States.” [This is known as gaslighting.] . . .

Biden himself pioneered the claim about 9,000 permits in March, though pointing to permits as a way to blame supposedly lazy and greedy oil companies dates back to Bill Clinton. “It’s simply not true that my administration or policies are holding back domestic energy production,” Biden insisted. “[Oil companies] have 9,000 permits to drill now. They could be drilling right now, yesterday, last week, last year.”

 
PolitiFact rated his bogus claim “mostly true.” . . and then explained . . . Oil companies don’t receive a permit and immediately fire up a drill later that afternoon. A lot of evaluation, exploration, and ramp up is needed because a permit doesn’t mean there’s oil in them there hills. Many of those leases are simply there to run out the 10-year clock because companies can’t extract anything. Biden blocked drilling in ANWR, where oil companies know there’s oil. " via Patriot Post, Dec. 1, 2022

https://patriotpost.us/articles/93227-the-truth-about-those-9000-oil-permits-2022-12-01

Respect for Marriage Act does not Respect the First Amendment

There is nothing in the respect marriage act that protects marriage. It was already protected in a 2015 SCOTUS decision. What it does do is weaken the first amendment which guarantees religious freedom--makes it easier and legal to attack citizens whose religious beliefs are that marriage is between one man and one woman. It could be Christian, or a religion you've never heard of, since the definition of marriage in all cultures has always been between a man and woman, even if some had polygamy or polyandry.  Don't be whiffed by any mention of church or non-profits; religious freedom means you don't have to be in a church to believe, worship or pray. The last two years have shown us that churches can't protect us. It created what is called a "private right of action" for anyone to sue any government agency, official, contractor, or partner who did not recognize gay marriage. It could, in other words, become a gay marriage lawsuit machine. Republicans have stabbed us in the back again. Sensible amendments were rejected.

Health problems for trans people

 Before someone with gender dysphoria decides he needs to be a she to solve his problems, he might take a look at the health problems, either before or after, listed by Cleveland Clinic Transgender Health Services.  To the casual observer, it would seem the first step is to fix the problem before cutting off body parts. And after all that "screening" is finished (see below), then what? 

Metabolic conditions: These conditions, such as high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes (glucose intolerance), liver dysfunction, and high cholesterol (dyslipidemia), can develop as a result of long-term hormone therapy (both estrogen and testosterone).

Obesity and heart disease: Transgender men and women have a slightly higher rate of obesity. Compounded with their long-term hormone use and higher rate of tobacco use, routine screening for heart disease is necessary.

Cancer: Transgender women (male-to-female) should have cancer screening for cancers of the breast, prostate, and anus. Screening for cancer of the reproductive organs should also be done for all symptomatic transgender men. Transgender men (female-to-male) should also need cancer screening for cancers of the breast, cervix, and anus, depending upon anatomy and stage of transition.

Alcohol and illicit substance abuse: Population studies have shown that the rate of substance abuse is higher in the transgender community than in the general population, and patients should routinely be screened for alcohol and illicit substance abuse. As such, patients should also be offered counseling and education regarding substance abuse and risk-taking behaviors.

Tobacco use: Population studies also show that transgender men and women have higher rates of tobacco use than the general population, and patients should be screened for this and provided with counseling and education about smoking cessation.

Depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): These medical illnesses occur at higher rates among transgender and non-binary individuals, often because of poor social supports, trauma, and challenges accessing affirming and knowledgeable providers. These conditions should be screened for regularly and be addressed by medical providers.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV and AIDS: Individuals who use drugs and other substances and have condomless sex are at risk for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV and AIDS. Patients who present with these risk factors should be screened for these infections and offered HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) if medically appropriate.

Who are the bad guys?

Can we talk? About hypocrisy?

I've never heard of that guy Nick Fuentes who's a "white supremacist" that Trump invited to his home. That said, the Democrats have been calling 80,000,000 Americans who voted for Trump racist, homophobic, Nazis for a number of years. So which is it? Only one or two guys? Are they more foul, evil and disrespectful of half of Americans than the ladies on the view, who disrespected black, white and gay? Didn't one of those mega-rich people dress in black face (as a costume) and one dissed the Jews? Democrats call every one white supremacists--even parents who want to know why there are boys using their daughters' locker rooms. Even people who won't bow to their little dictator, Fauci.

And hasn't the U.S. been doing business for decades (beginning with Nixon) with the Chinese Communist Party? The CCP killed probably 10x the number of their own citizens in the 20th century than Hitler did. And doesn't the CCP run concentration camps right now for their own Uyghur citizens who are Muslims? Isn't it an American company "woke" Nike who has contracts with slave labor for shoes? For SHOES! So now, across the board--CNN or Fox, and all the conservative bloggers and podcasters--they are running away from Trump. Let's line up the victims; who has done more damage and killed more people, our trading partners the Chinese or Ke and Nick?

Asking for a friend.

A Brethren group I didn't know about

 I was baptized on Palm Sunday, 1950, in the Mt. Morris, Illinois Church of the Brethren and have been a Lutheran (in 3 synods but same congregation and building) since 1976 when we were confirmed. I've watched from the sidelines what has been happening in the different Brethren groups from the original small group in 1708.  Today I came across a new split--the Old German Baptist Brethren New Conference. There seems to be a disagreement about foreign missions.

"On the heels of the Protestant Reformation, in 1708 a handful of believers under Anabaptist and Pietistic influence, embarked upon a journey of faith seeking a deeper reformation of doctrine and practice. Seeking a life that followed the Scriptures more literally, eight souls were baptized by immersion in the Eder River in Schwarzenau, Germany. This was a radical departure from the state churches’ practice of infant baptism. With a genuine desire to live the New Testament, these brethren were led to practices such as the Love Feast including feet-washing, the agape meal, and the emblematic bread and cup, non-resistance, the refusal to take an oath, and the practice of the holy kiss.

The group grew in Germany and Holland and migrated to America in the 1700’s establishing congregations beginning near Germantown, Pennsylvania. From there the Brethren migrated to Virginia and the West growing to a fellowship of approximately 70,000 members. In 1881, a small portion of these members, calling themselves Old German Baptists, separated from the larger group in a quest for a more godly and simple life. From this body of believers, the New Conference emerged in 2009." https://www.ogbbc.org/about

My relatives, the Shumans, who live near or in Pendelton, Indiana are members of the Old German Baptist Brethren, and this article is about them, presented by cousin Lois at the Pendleton Museum.  I see nothing about New Conference.  So I don't know how the churches decided which group to go with.  

"Addressing about 30 attendees, Shuman said the Christian religion was first organized in Germany in 1708.

The ruler of Germany at the time was tolerant to new religions, but when a later, less tolerant ruler took over, the German Baptists moved on to the Netherlands.

In 1719, the first members brought their religion to the United States. Like the followers of many other religions at the time, they settled in Pennsylvania, where William Penn had promised religious freedom, she said.

Old German Baptists are neither Catholic nor Protestant. They are recognized as Anabaptist.

Anabaptists establish rules that are to be strictly followed by the members of their sect, she said. Old German Baptists believe the newer sects are too progressive in their thinking.

The first group reached Pendleton in 1791.

“There are still descendants of the first families in our congregation today,” Shuman said.

Because the religious groups were so spread out in the state, one minister may have an area of 30 square miles to cover.

“It doesn’t sound like much now, said Shuman, but imagine how bad the roads were in the 1800s.”

About half of the Old German Baptists still live in Indiana and Ohio.

After Shuman’s talk there were many questions from the attendees.

She said her religion does not prohibit use of new technologies like some faiths. She has electricity, a microwave and many other modern comforts.

Shuman used a laptop during her presentation.

“We accept modern technology as long as it doesn’t get in the way of Christian living.”

She did point out that they do not have TVs, radios or the internet. She said “a computer without the internet is just a fancy typewriter.”

She uses her “fancy typewriter for her job with IU. While Shuman does have a phone, it is not a smart phone.

“I am able to text on my phone, but it’s a lot of work,” Shuman said with a laugh.

Church members do not vote or participate in government.

They are conscientious objectors and do not file or defend themselves in a lawsuit.

Children are encouraged to finish high school but for the most part are steered away from college, she said. They feel that college will cause children to question their beliefs.

Church services are different from what others might accustomed to seeing.

Meetings start with singing. There are no musical instruments.

“The minister reads the verse and the congregation sings it,” Shuman said.

There could be as many as five ministers for each service.

Ministers are appointed for life.

Normally, men and women sit on different sides of the church, but this is not a strict rule.

Old German Baptists have been called Dunkards and Tunkers. These names were used because they believe in full immersion baptism.

A person can become a member as soon as they reach the age of accountability, usually late teens or early 20s.

Children are encouraged to marry within the congregation.

Shuman said they have a 50% to 70% retention rate in their church.

Most women make their own clothes. Shuman said the cape is for modesty.

“When I became a member, I thought the dress was going to be very hot, but I got used to it, Shuman said.

Men wear plain coats and button-up shirts. Members of the ministry have a beard without a mustache. It is encouraged but not required among the membership.

Shuman finished her presentation by stating, “Everyone is welcome to visit our church.”" https://www.pendletontimespost.com/2022/03/10/history-talk-explores-old-german-baptist-beliefs/

Remembering the good old days before the church went high tech

This is an old photo taken at UALC on Thanksgiving Day--maybe 10 years ago. I don't know what's happening at your church or how other Christians stock food pantries for the poor, but I miss the days of this photo. Now in November we pick up smallish, printed bags with a list of ingredients/food items that will NOT be brought to the front of the church, but quietly whisked off to Lutheran Social Services for the food pantry before the actual holiday. Forgive me staff and pastors, but I think the "high tech, high touch" church has lost even "the touch," the personal involvement, and now it's all about making sure we follow the rules and check the church web page. In seasons past, I usually picked up $10-20 of non-perishable goods a week at the supermarket during November and put them in bags I kept in the kitchen. It helped me think about those who needed help. We were told how much more the food pantry could buy if we just wrote a check. But I also liked the idea I was supporting a local business who employed people who were taking the bus from parts of the city we suburbanites never see, or the truckers out on the free-ways, or the warehouse employees, or those who work in the processing factories and on farms to make sure we all can over-eat on a holiday. Call me crazy, but I liked seeing bags of groceries at the altar. I never remembered the sermon, but I knew my story.

How do you fix Tilapia?

I asked my Facebook friends:

"On Monday we had Tilapia for lunch. Bob came upstairs (studio on lower level) and said, "Something smells fishy." So I sprayed some air freshener and lit one of those stinky candles scented like apple pie. Now the house really smells strange, and it's been 3 days.

Tilapia is virtually tasteless. How do you fix it?"

• Jane said: I discovered a seasoning that I use on all meats and fish. It is delicious! You can get it from Amazon. Here is the name of it. Kinder's Premium Quality Organic Seasoning
• Joan wrote: I don’t like fish. I eat it because I know I should. Tilapia and Salmon are two of the few I don’t hate.
• Sue commented: Boil cinnamon in water or bake cookies! Takes over smells.
• Debbie chimed in: I bought some from Costco already marinated and seasoned. Just bake. Really enjoyed it. Don't remember house smelling fishy.
• Judy replied: I use Chef Paul Prudhomme's Cajun blackening spice mix on most every fish I cook. other than salmon.
• James suggested: I cook a lot of fish the way I get rid of the smell is I take vinegar and water and boil it while I'm cooking the fish works every time.
• Keith (who is a great chef) offered: Lemon paprika salt butter. Blacken/broil

Checking the Internet for an old friend

 Today I was cleaning out a drawer and found a stack of papers with old addresses.  In the stack was a 1987 letter from a friend I was intensely involved with in 1986. She lived in Upper Arlington, and although our children didn't date or even run in the same circle, they knew each other and went to the same high school. She had moved to Texas, so it was a catch-up letter with a 22 cent stamp and she promised to stay in touch.  Obviously, we didn't, because I hadn't thought of her in years.  So I of course turned to the internet.  She had a double surname, hyphenated with her husband's, which made the search easier. I found her professional activities and position in several places, the last being Washington. She was listed as a marriage counselor and other specialties, although I don't think she was a professional when I knew her. I recall she was getting some sort of accreditation for addiction counseling.  I looked at her photo (sort of looked like her), and in the final site I found she was using only her maiden name.  Still, I can't imagine she's still working at age 83--I don't know how old some of these web sites are, but the last one I could find had a 2020 blog which referred to the pandemic and the mental problems it was causing.  These problems for which one might need counseling were listed under her name:

Addictions
Abandonment and Rejection Issues
Abuse – Sexual, Emotional or Physicial [sic]
Adult Children of Alcoholics
Alcohol Abuse
Anger Management
Anxiety and Panic
Bipolar Disorder
Depression
Codependency
Family of Origin Issues
Inaction/Indecision
Life Issues/Transitions
Low Self Worth
Martial and Relationship Issues
Obsessive/Compulsive Issues
Parenting Issues
Post Traumatic Stress
Spiritual Issues
Stress Management
Trauma
Workplace Issues

This is not the kind of work I would want to take home every night--not at 83.  I'll keep looking.  I did find an e-mail address.

I also found a letter from 1983 from a friend who'd been through a divorce.  Too bad I couldn't have gotten them together--the counselor and the grieving ex-husband.

When God visited, Sean of the South, Nov. 23, 2022

You probably didn’t hear about it. But yesterday, God visited earth.

Contrary to what you’ve heard, God is a big fan of people. He’s a huge fan. In fact, that’s why he came.

His visit was an under-the-radar thing. It was non-publicized. God wasn’t in it for press.

First, he came to Birmingham, Alabama. Of all places.

He stepped into a sleepy hospital corridor last night, and wandered the aisles barefoot. He stopped in the room of a little girl with terminal brain cancer.

The little girl was sleeping. He touched her bald little head. She never even knew he was there. All she knew was that she was dreaming of “angels and stuff.”

When the little girl awoke, something wonderful had happened. Something almost too impossible to believe.

Her mother was seated beside her bed. Asleep in her chair. The little girl sat upright. She stretched her arms. She yawned. She remarked how good she felt. Doctors checked her out. They couldn’t believe she felt “good.”

Because for the last six months, the child has felt like heck. For the last six months, the little girl has been dying. But today, something had shifted. All the treatments. All the therapy. Something was working.

Turns out, the scans the doctor sent away had come back all clear. The child okay. Not just a-little-bit okay. She is totally fine. No traces of cancer. Not a single bit. This child will live.

“My baby will live,” said her mother.

After that, God went to Oklahoma City. It’s not clear how he got there. Maybe he took a Greyhound. Maybe he flew. Maybe God doesn’t take public transportation. Maybe he just did the Star Trek thing, and beamed himself up.

Either way, he landed in a little town outside Oklahoma City. A dusty town which shall remain nameless, because it is small, and everyone knows everyone’s business.

There was an old man who was was suicidal. He is Cherokee. He was locked in his bathroom. He had the gun. He was going to do it. Really going to do it.

But then something warm washed all over him and told him, in an audible voice, “Don’t do it. Rachel drew you a picture.”

He stepped out of his bathtub when he heard the phone ring. It was his granddaughter. She was Facetiming him.

“Hey Grandpa,” said the 6-year-old child. “I called because I just drew you a picture.”

Her name is Rachel.

Then God then traveled to Oregon. The 33rd state. A state with rainforests, mountains and harsh deserts. God must have taken a pretty fast plane because he got there in just the nick of time.

There was a young man named Rob who was having a heart attack in his home. Rob is 26. He was standing in his hallway, and he was so scared. It’s not every day a 26-year-old collapses in his hallway, clutching his chest in terror.

“Don’t let me die, God,” Rob uttered.

When he woke up, he was in the ICU. The doctors said he had been dead for several minutes before they revived him.

His mother, who was sitting beside his hospital bed asked what he’d seen when he was clinically dead.

Rob said, “I just met my father.”

The young man’s father has been dead since he was a toddler. He’s only seen pictures.

“What did he say to you?” his mother asked.

“He said something about Baltimore, Maryland.”

His mother started crying.

“Why are you crying, Mom?” the kid asked.

“I never told you this, but your father asked me to marry him in Baltimore.”

Listen, I don’t know where this letter finds you tonight. I don’t know what you’re doing right now, or where you are spending Thanksgiving.

I don’t know whether you’re happy or sad. I don’t care whether you’re religious or not. Thanksgiving is one day away. And I don’t give the tiniest crap what you’ve heard, I want you to know that no matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done, God is your biggest fan.

I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving this year.

Thanksgiving - Sean of the South (seandietrich.com)

Continental Congress Thanksgiving Proclamation

The first proclamation in the independent United States was issued by John Hancock as President of the Continental Congress as a day of fasting on March 16, 1776. The first national Thanksgiving was celebrated on December 18, 1777, and the Continental Congress issued National Thanksgiving Day proclamations each year between 1778 and 1784. The one I read today for my devotions was The Congressional Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1779. An on-line search reveals many such proclamations, including those from colonies, states, Congress and presidents. The importance of God comes and goes in these government documents, with President Trump the winner with 29 in only one term. Nixon and Ford didn't mention God at all in one of theirs. In number, because he had 4 terms, FDR said the most about God in Thanksgiving proclamations. But over the years, the theme of the Thanksgiving proclamations from our Presidents shifted from thanking and petitioning God to extolling American values.

(from the 1779 document) " . . . to beseech him that he would be graciously pleased to influence our public councils, and bless them with wisdom from on high, with unanimity, firmness, and success; that he would go forth with our hosts and crown our arms with victory; that he would grant to his Church the plentiful effusions of divine grace, and pour out his Holy Spirit on all ministers of the Gospel; that he would bless and prosper the means of education, and spread the light of Christian knowledge through the remotest corners of the earth; . . . "

The hero military veteran who saved lives in the Colorado club

Guy Benson (gay conservative Fox host/podcaster) told a very moving story about the military vet who tackled and beat up the shooter at the gay nightclub. Sounds like he beat him on the head with his own gun, and grabbed a drag queen to step on him with his spike heels. Guy described him as an absolute hero. But what if he'd killed him while saving many other lives? You wonder what the media would have done about a straight military vet killing a binary shooter that uses a plural pronoun in a gay club. He was there with his family, and his daughter's boyfriend was among the dead.

Here in Columbus a policeman in 2019 saved a young black girl from another black girl Ma'Khia Bryant threatening her with a knife. The girls were in the same foster home. The policeman was accused of racism and investigated even though he saved their lives. Sports and TV "celebrities" of course sided with the attacker with sayhername postings, and photos. Just like George Floyd.

Colorado Springs shooting: Army veteran speaks out about disarming Club Q gunman, says 'I tried to finish him' | Fox News

In the mail Saturday

This was the U.S. mail that comes through the front door. An appeal from Planned Parenthood to send money to kill more babies and provide more kids with chemicals to change their fertility options for life, and an appeal from Pregnancy Decision Health Centers (PDHC) to send money to save babies and their mothers. Hmmm. We're assessing our end of the year donations. Not a tough decision. Death to babies, or life for babies.

Longevity in women

I was reading an article on longevity in women. In addition to questions about menopause, age at first pregnancy etc., the questionnaire included questions on smoking and drinking. The alcohol question completely baffled me. It made no sense,

“Alcohol use was assessed using a health-seeking behavior questionnaire during the physical assessment. The question was “Do you try to avoid the use of alcohol?” The answers were “don’t try at all,” “try a little,” or “try a lot.” “

I was thinking how I would answer. I had a 6 oz. glass of red wine on November 4 and November 18 with dinner in a restaurant. That’s it. So am I “trying to avoid it” or am I “trying a lot to avoid it?” I didn’t order a 12 oz. or a second or third glass. There was no trying going on at all—I just know if I want to walk out of the restaurant rather than be carried out, I’ll just have one small glass. 

 The people being asked were centenarians born between 1881-1895 (study began in 1988). Those ladies were probably too polite to tell the researchers that they made no sense. And really, if a 105 year old woman wants a little libation, who is going to say, “It’s not good for your health, Grammy?”

When I looked through the “Discussion” section of the paper (2017) it used the weasel words meaning they didn’t find anything so therefore it needed more study. I did see one sentence that jumped out at me which they didn’t pursue at all: “ The introduction of “the Pill” [artificial hormones] in 1960 caused the fertility of women to change forever.” I wonder what else it has changed, don’t you? Maybe 3 generations of women on the pill produce a 4th who is a 10 year old who is confused about whether she’s a boy or girl?

Relationship of Fertility, Lifestyle, and Longevity Among Women | The Journals of Gerontology: Series A | Oxford Academic (oup.com)

St. Ephrem on how God speaks through metaphors

St. Ephrem often speaks of God as "clothing himself in names (or metaphors)" in the Old Testament, as a prelude to his 'clothing himself in the human body' at the Incarnation. But we should not abuse God's condescension in making himself known to humanity in this way by taking these metaphors literally:

Let us give thanks to God who clothed himself in the names of the body's various parts:

Scripture refers to his 'ears', to teach us that he listens to us;

it speaks of his 'eyes', to show that he sees us.

It was just the names of such things that he put on.

Although in his true Being there is no wrath or regret,

yet he put on these names too, because of our weakness.

We should realize that, if he had not put on the names of such things.

it would not have been possible for him to speak with us humans:

he drew close to us by means of what belongs, to us; he clothed himself in our language,

so that , he might-clothe us ...in his mode of life.

He asked for our form (Philippians 2:7) and put this on;

then, as a father with his children, he spoke with our childish state.

It is our metaphors that he put on— though he did not literally do so!

He then took them off— without actually doing so:

when wearing them, he was at the same time stripped of them;

he puts one on when it is beneficial,

then strips it off to exchange it for another!

The fact that he strips off and puts on all sorts of metaphors

tells us that the metaphor does not apply to his true Being;

because that Being is hidden, he has depicted it by means of what is visible

(Hymns on Faith 31:1-3) St. Ephrem, d. 373

The Bible in the Syriac Tradition by Sebastian P. Brock, p. 56-57
https://archive.org/details/TheBibleInTheSyriacTradition/page/n1/mode/1up?view=theater

Now thank we all our God, story of a favorite hymn

I confess. I had zero European history classes in college. So I'll take a non-recommended stop at Wikipedia for the 30 Years War, 1618-48. There are better, more complete sources--but it was 30 years, so I won't look for them.

"The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle, famine, and disease, while some areas of what is now modern Germany experienced population declines of over 50%. Related conflicts include the Eighty Years' War, the War of the Mantuan Succession, the Franco-Spanish War, and the Portuguese Restoration War."

I did learn in high school (1950s) that it was a religious war, but more recent scholarship has called it political. But Protestant and Catholic monarchs were certainly fighting each other. Based on the size of populations at that time, I'd guess not until the Communists killed 100 million in the 20th century was there a war that took such a large percent of the population. Famine and disease also contributed to the death toll in the 17th c.

I mention this because the beautiful hymn we usually sing on Thanksgiving Day, "Now thank we all our God," by Martin Rinkart (a Lutheran pastor) was written during this terrible war. At the height of the plague of 1637 he was the only minister left in his city to care for the sick and dying. If he could thank God at that terrible time in history, so can we.

Now thank we all our God
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things has done,
in whom his world rejoices;

who from our mothers' arms
has blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
with ever joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us,
to keep us in his grace,
and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills
of this world in the next.

All praise and thanks to God
the Father now be given,
the Son and Spirit blest,
who reign in highest heaven
the one eternal God,
whom heaven and earth adore;
for thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.

English translation Catherine Winkworth

Shooting at the gay night club

 Did you know that the man who killed the people in the gay club in Colorado along with the limp criminal system that let him roam the streets to murder despite his record of violence are not to blame? No. No. The media hardly mention that. They point to Matt Walsh, Tucker Carlson and Christopher Ruffo--outspoken child protectors who regularly publish and report on breast amputation and castration of children in the name of "queer theory." There are also drag queen and queer non-profits feeding their lies to the media.

Children don't drive themselves to the library to sit and watch men dressed in drag read stories about rainbows and confused toddlers. The libraries (very liberal) and their parents (confused) do that--suckers for the organized well-financed trans and queer (their word, not mine) agenda. Actually, those defenders of children (Tucker, Ruffo, Walsh) are defending our Democracy--to use a phrase the leftists have stolen from us. They are using their first amendment rights to call out a crime against children and a crime against humanity and a crime against civilization. A crime that until about 10 years ago, was recognized by all civilized people. Now the WH Resident recommends it and our usually incoherent non-verbal Vice Harris lauds it.

 
Soon we won't be able to use logic and Constitutional rights against this crime, just like the I-word and the H-word in fighting the c-word pandemic.

P.S. The man who murdered these people changed his name--male to male--because he had a criminal record. He had threatened to "harm his mother with "a homemade bomb, multiple weapons and ammunition," according to a news release from the El Paso County Sheriff's Office in Colorado Springs." But the Democrats and their lap dancing media mavens want to blame those trying to save children--from the womb to the library story hour.

2nd P.S.  Now he's "come out" as non binary.

Colorado suspect changed name, cited fear of dad (arkansasonline.com)

Colorado Springs LGBTQ club shooting suspect identifying as non-binary in court documents (msn.com)

Words are violence, unless spoken by Democrats and the Left

When a homeless, Canadian alien who crossed our porous southern border, hits Nancy Pelosi's husband in the head with a hammer even after Pelosi answered his door and let the police in, the Democrats blame Republicans, Trump supporters and even Donald Trump! Not a word from Democrats that San Francisco, a sanctuary city, has become a cesspool under her watch, or a peep about no care for the mentally ill, or the fact the home was being "guarded" by Capitol police which Mrs. Pelosi oversees.

Democrats denied that Rand Paul when attacked in his own yard was in danger, and laughed at his pain and suffering--especially Pelosi's daughter, who said "His neighbor was right." He could have died and he had lung surgery. Yet the attacker Rene Boucher got a misdemeanor charge and the Pelosi attacker is being charged with attempted kidnapping of a Congress person or something ridiculous plus other serious charges because the victim was a Pelosi and a Democrat.

When a mentally ill man Jared Loughner shot Arizona's senator Gabby Giffords 15 years ago Democrats, of course, blamed Sarah Palin because there was a "target" in one of her political ads and that was enough to make her the attacker. Washington Post even claimed she was at fault--and later had to walk back that story and say there was no connection "established." Nice work, WaPoop.

 
Now there's been a mass shooting at a gay nightclub, and I've heard (although I haven't researched it--could be Twitter gossip) some are again blaming Trump and people who voted for him for a "hate crime." Democrats, who make violent disgusting public statements like insurrection or more serious than the Civil War, seem to believe their words don't matter. Do they think no gay people voted for Trump? That there are no gay Republicans? Do they own gay voters?

About 18 years ago there was a nightclub in Columbus that was the scene of a shooting, where 4 men plus the perp were killed (police shot him). Heavy metal music, some sort of band feud. The shooter had a history of mental problems with a military discharge and had wanted to be in the band. As near as I can tell from the photos, all the men including the policeman were white. No one called it a "hate crime." Same crime, with some diversity and inclusion, and it would be a hate crime.

I'm guessing from watching many crime shows, the 4 white college kids murdered in Idaho were killed by a white male who knew them, or at least one of them. If he's ever voted for a Republican, the Democrats will probably say Trump did it.

When 5 black college football players at University of Virginia were shot (3 died) by a black former player last week, where were the Democrats calling out all black football players as violent and racist? The shooter had a weapons violation and got a slap on the wrist for a hit and run. Where were the Democrats demanding tougher sentences for crime, because the shooter should have been in jail? As it is, because all were black, Dems have nothing to say.
Democrats' words. If they can't get political gain from a crime (race, gender, homosexuality), they just don't care.

The GIFT in San Francisco

"On Wednesday, Mayor London Breed [San Francisco] announced the launch of the Guaranteed Income for Transgender People (GIFT) program, which will distribute $1,200 per month to 55 individuals over 18 months beginning in January 2023. GIFT is part of a series of basic income initiatives in the city, including the pilot program for artists affected disproportionately by the COVID-19 pandemic." (Them)

I wonder what the proof of need will be? We have a SCOTUS justice who can't define a woman, and girly-men who can't compete against men saying they are a woman (whatever that is). I looked at the application (8 pages), not that one could live on $1200 in SF. It's simply setting them up for robbery and more mental confirmation they are victims, instead of providing them with mental health care. Here are the categories: (check all that apply, since apparently they can be more than one)

Cis-gender woman
Woman
Transgender Woman
Woman of Trans experience
Woman with a history of gender transition
Trans feminine
Feminine-of-center
MTF (male-to-female)
Demigirl
T-girl
Transgirl
Sistergirl
Cis
Man of Trans experience
Man with a history of gender transition
Trans masculine
Masculine-of-center
FTM (female-to-male)
Demiboy
T-boy
Transguy
Brotherboy
Trans
Transgender
Transsexual
Non-binary
Genderqueer
Agender
Xenogender
Fem
Femme
Butch
Boi
Stud
Aggressive (AG)
Androgyne
Tomboy
Gender outlaw
Gender non-conforming
Gender variant
Gender fluid
Genderfuck
Bi-gender
Multi-gender
Pangender
Gender creative
Gender expansive
Third gender
Neutrois
Intergender
Maverique
Novigender
Two-spirit
Hijra Kathoey
Muxe
Khanith/Xanith
X-gender
MTX
FTX
Bakla
Mahu
Fa’afafine
Waria
Palao’ana
Ashtime
Mashoga
Mangaiko
Chibados
Tida wena
Bixa’ah
Alyha
Hwame
Lhamana
Nadleehi
Dilbaa
Winkte
Ninauposkitzipxpe
Machi-embra
Quariwarmi
Chuckchi
Whakawahine
Fakaleiti
Calaba

And it used to be such a lovely city.

Ukraine, Russia and WW3

I love the Russian people, and I love the Ukrainian people, and it grieves me to see 2 Christian countries with its young men killing each other and bombing cities filled with civilians. It is estimated that both countries have lost more than 100,000 soldiers since February. If that doesn't make you cry for the parents, wives and children then you are cold indeed. But after the stunt that almost put us in WW3 last week, I'm so done with Zelensky. His government is turning out to be as big a fraud as the Biden Administration. US taxpayers have paid billions to "protect" Ukraine's border while our own border welcomes intruders and criminals in the name of compassion and fairness. Thousands of Americans have died from the fentanyl that comes in with the cartels using our own non-profits to feed, cloth, and transport them. Biden cut and ran in Afghanistan--ran right to a border fight that is probably 1,000 years old, between two countries that used to be one--the USSR.

I have no way to prove this hunch, but I don't think we'd be in this danger if Trump were still president (although he won't be able to stop it if he were reelected). Obama made the first fumble in 2014 with Crimea; Putin pulled back when we had a strong man in DC after the 2016 election. But when Biden showed his dimness and bumbling in August 2021, Putin took advantage. Ukraine's corruption and Biden's crime family had shown their relationship and Trump was on to that (for which he was impeached).

 
Goodness, what a mess.

Very low labor participation for young men

Do we need more Harvard grads? Ask anyone who owns a company that hires people in the trades. We signed today for a new garage door. It will be 12 weeks at least--supply line, shortage of steel, and no workers despite good wages and benefits. Huge price increase since 2020. We've all heard that labor participation has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, but the truth is, it's been dropping since the 1960s. Hmmm. What was happening? The War on Poverty. 2nd wave feminism. The Pill. Huge drop in marriage rate and fathers in the home. Begins in academe and drips into the Potomac.

Good PragerU video on D.I.E.

 Good information. Don't be confused--diversity means divide and conquer. Inclusion means the opposite--exclusion. Equity is definitely not equality. D.I.E.

https://www.prageru.com/video/miseducated-the-decline-of-americas-schools

Why are schools obsessed with race and gender issues? Why are children learning revisionist history? Why are America’s schools teaching children to hate America—and each other? In Miseducated, PragerU Kids Director of Outreach, Jill Simonian, interviews experts who understand our K-12 education problem and are awakening America to the battle happening right now for the minds of our children.

Unpopular truths about education by Michael Smith, Utah

Here are some truths unpopular with the Democrats, the media and all their left-wing allies:
Preventing a third grader from reading pornography at school under the watch of a radical teacher is not “banning books”. If parents want their children to read such “literature”, they can check Amazon or a local bookstore and buy the book to read at home, under parental supervision - just as if they want their kids to see drag shows, there is nothing preventing parents from taking their tender age children to them. No law prevents it.

Teaching “Black History” is not banned from school curricula. What is banned is a radical, pseudo-historical agenda that teaches whites are evil and responsible for every bad thing that has ever happened, thereby advancing a leftist, anti-religion, anti-capitalist agenda.

J6 was not an “insurrection”. It was thousands of Americans upset by a government unresponsive to their concerns about the 2020 election. Democrats love to say that there was no evidence of fraud or corruption, which is easy to say after the agencies duty-bound to look decided not to look – the Supreme Court, the DOJ and even Congress refused to even consider how laws passed and executive actions taken at the state level, some in direct violation of their own state constitutions, could change the outcomes. So, this was a constitutionally protected “redress of grievances” that, based on information we now have about FBI informants imbedded long before the crowd formed, the fact Capitol Police were at least tangentially involved and President Trump’s requests for additional security was ignored, was ALLOWED to become a riot.

Overturning Roe and Dobbs did NOT ban abortion. It returned the issue to the states because the Supreme Court does not have the power to decide state issues. Some states will legalize abortion up to birth, some will ban it entirely – as is the right of the people of those states.

There is no “white supremacy”. Democrats have redefined “white supremacy” as anything that arose from the same Western civilization and culture that produced the ideas, ideals, principles, and philosophy that created America by declaring that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among them are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

There is no white supremacist pogrom against Asian, LGBQ, or transgender people. Almost all violent attacks on these classes are by members of non-white groups.

LGBTQ, transgender and minority characters are overrepresented in the entertainment and advertising industries. Studies have shown that the characters presented in advertisements and in entertainment programming are represented in excess of their percentage of the population. In fact, most minorities promoted as spokespeople were selected and promoted by white liberals in the media/entertainment management structure (MSNBC, the View, CNN, etc.) for political effect. No straight, cis-gendered, successful black conservatives are allowed.

The border is NOT secure (or even a concern for the Biden administration). An influx of over 5.6 million illegal aliens in the past two years, plus another estimated 1 million “getaways”, is simply a matter of government reporting. It is happening every day because this Administration wants it and has turned the Border Patrol into tour guides and paper processors.

The Great Replacement is not a conspiracy. Here it is Chuck Schumer’s own words from yesterday (note that Schumer unequivocally supports abortion of American citizens):

“Now more than ever, we’re short of workers. We have a population that is not reproducing on its own with the same level that it used to. The only way we’re going to have a great future in America is if we welcome and embrace immigrants - the DREAMers and all of them — cause our ultimate goal is to help the DREAMers but get a path to citizenship for all 11 million, or however many undocumented there are here.”

Crime is rising. Specially, but not limited to, minority dominated inner city areas, criminals are being returned to the streets with incredible velocity. That’s not an opinion, that is merely a statistical fact, state and federal statistics prove it.

The economy is not “strong as hell”. The unemployment statistics touted by the Biden Administration fail to note that there are still over a million fewer people in the active workforce than in March of 2020, that many of those people who are employed are working two lesser paying jobs, median family income has fallen drastically and what savings or retirement funds people have been able to squirrel away are being eaten by inflation created by the massive debt-based spending of the Biden Administration and the Democrat controlled Congress.

Inflation is real. It is not transitory, it is not a figment of our imagination, it simply costs more just to live today than it did two years ago, and the rise in inflation is directly correlated with the Democrats taking control of government.

Biden did not “cut the deficit”, nor did he create a historical economic turnaround. This bunch of prevaricators based their claims on the economic disaster created by the pandemic lockdowns that ran for almost a year after March 2020. These actions were mostly enacted by Democrat governors, and many of the “temporary” restrictions continue today, so they are claiming record success in recovering from disasters they caused. It may be mathematically true, but it is most certainly a lie of omission.
“Green” is a scam. “Green” energy simply cannot replace fossil fuels in the global economy, at least for the foreseeable future. We have decades of data to prove its ineffectiveness. Germany is a case in point. Perhaps more than any other country, Germany went all in on “green” energy only to face a cold winter now that its natural gas supply from Russia has been cut off. Sri Lanka is another. Government mandated “organic” farming was a disaster and Sri Lanka is now forced to import food to feed its people.

The GOP is not fascist or authoritarian, but the Democrat Party is. In almost every case, the real fascists are Democrats who, as in the case of abortion, want to take the decisions out of the people of the states as mandated by the Tenth Amendment, and “nationalize” them, forcing people in Texas, Florida, or Mississippi to accept the same limits as people in New York, California, or Pennsylvania, when the those are markedly different from cultural perspectives. The same in schools when they attempt to mandate the mainstreaming of subjects to which parents object. The Democrats are, and are doing, exactly what the accuse the GOP of doing and being.

This is the reality.

And this is what Republicans should be shouting to the heavens.

Words, words, words.

Words have always been political. No language has more words than English/American. But with today's deconstruction and destabilization of the 19th century Marxist thinkers, you particularly have to be careful about words. Take no words home to meet your parents until you know what they mean to your grandchildren (my proverb I just made up).

"Gender affirming care" is actually legalized child abuse which includes toxic hormones for children, and amputation of body parts. Pay no attention to those "medical" associations that approve it. There are virtually zero/zip clinical or long term studies, only hunches and hopes, what these zombized lab specimens will be when they are 80.

"Respect for marriage act" is exactly the opposite. It intends to enshrine same sex or any sex or any number of genders or any species into formal, cultural recognition of a relationship which will criminalize you if you don't agree. The most primitive of societies in the most far reaching regions and religions always had a way to formalize a marriage between men and women. They weren't confused. They knew concubines, mistresses, male temple prostitutes and adolescent boys who were sex toys of older men were not marriage partners. They were sex objects. Marriage was for the creation of a family, for procreation, even if that culture had no knowledge of Christ, Moses or Mohammed or a named Hindu God or gods. There are some things pre-history people knew that we're trying to legislate away today in order to destabilize society.

"Inflation Reduction Act" is exactly the opposite. Only governments create inflation, and only governments increase inflation by expanding the supply of money. Both the Trump and Biden administrations threw unreasonable amounts of money at the pandemic on the advice of people who claimed to know how to stop a virus. They then burdened the people who make the money and give it to the government in taxes with lockdowns. Even churches took money to stay closed--the very people we trusted with our souls and our first amendment.

"Climate change" is one of those, of course it does, phrases. But the political meaning is very different than the words. It actually means there is a huge cloud of power hungry bureaucrats who have enlisted science, entertainment, information giants and massive corporations to convince you the tax payer to believe puny, insignificant people, can control the universe. These are the same people who can't define a woman or properly fund the police or can use an attack on Paul Pelosi while police were in house to accuse Trump supporters.

So that's my word story for today. Now a few words from a career librarian: to the victor belong the archives. If you have to go to the victor (Biden administration, Bush, Obama, Clinton, JFK, LBJ, FDR, etc.) to get your information (data, knowledge, news reports, archives), you better have your eye on a deeper understanding of TRUTH before you start your journey.

-------------comment

"Gender affirming care" is probably the biggest lie, biggest inversion of language I can imagine. It's as fake as the penis that is inverted to create a vulva and then call the male victim an actual girl. You don't need a class or lecture in medical ethics to know that the doctors, nurses, and "counselors" are creating, not treating, Frankensteins. To call this abuse "bottom surgery" is absurd. If they actually told the truth of what they are doing, eyes would pop. And if you say "follow the money" and it enriches a huge chain of medical and support staff and leads back to the pharmaceutical companies who will then have a patient--or thousands of patients--for life with bad bones, bad kidneys, bad hearts from hormone blockers--the perps will pull out all those obfuscating terms for compassion and kindness and accuse you of being hateful, of being "transphobic." Would a ethical doctor amputate a leg if a patient demanded it? Why are they amputating breasts of young, under age girls?

And btw, why do lesbians and homosexuals want these goons and abusers in their camp? Haven't they spent decades claiming they are not pedophiles, and now they take the T and the Q into their acronym?

A strange old lady

A strange old lady has moved into my house I have no idea who she is, where she came from, or how she got in. I certainly did not invite her. All I know is She is a clever old lady and manages to keep out of sight for the most part, but whenever I pass a mirror, I catch a glimpse of her. And, whenever I look in the mirror to check my appearance, there she is hogging the whole thing, completely obliterating my gorgeous face and body. This is very rude! I have tried screaming at her, but she just screams back.

The least she could do is offer to pay part of the bills, but no. Every once in a while, I find a $5 bill stuck in a coat pocket or some loose change under a sofa cushion, but it is not nearly enough. And I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I think she is stealing money from me. I go to the ATM and withdraw $50 and a few days later, it's all gone! I certainly don't spend money that fast, so I can only conclude the old lady is pilfering from me. You'd think she would spend some of that money to buy wrinkle cream. And money isn't the only thing I think she is stealing.

Food seems to disappear at an alarming rate-especially the good stuff like ice cream, chips, and sweets. She must have a real sweet tooth, but she'd better watch because she is really packing on the pounds. I suspect she realizes this, and to make herself feel better, she is tampering with my scale to make me think I am putting on weight, too.

For an old lady, she is quite childish. She likes to play nasty games, like going into my wardrobes when I'm not home and altering my clothes so they don't fit. And she messes with my files and papers so I can't find anything. This is particularly annoying since I am extremely neat and organized.

She has found other imaginative ways to annoy me. She gets into my mail, newspapers, and magazines before I do and blurs the print so I can't read it. And she has done something really sinister to the volume controls on my TV, radio, and telephone. Now, all I hear are mumbles and whispers. She has done other things-like make my stairs steeper, my vacuum heavier and all the knob and taps harder to turn. She even made my bed higher so that getting into and out of it is a real challenge.

Lately, she has been fooling with my groceries before I put them away, applying glue to the lids, making it almost impossible for me to open the jars. She has taken the fun out of shopping for clothes. When I try something on, she stands in front of the dressing room mirror and monopolizes it. She looks totally ridiculous in some of those outfits, plus, she keeps me from seeing how great they look on me.

Just when I thought she couldn't get any meaner, she proved me wrong. She came along when I went to get my picture taken for my driver's license, and just as the camera shutter clicked, she jumped in front of me.

I hope she never finds out where you live!

Clues about the election outcomes

Maybe some clues about the election results.

 
I was listening to Matt Walsh last night and he had some interesting statistics about Gen-Z--both that generation and their lifestyles and voting patterns (born 1996-2015). Overwhelmingly, they voted Democrat--huge spread from other generations. Only 45% of Gen Z report having good mental health--many suffer from anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, Bi-polar, etc. and a high percentage have seen a professional or take medication. From Catholics to Lutherans to Bible Only churches, Gen-Z is turned off--but they are instead opting for pantheism, gnosticism and the occult. They are "spiritual" but not religious, so they have no real grounding in faith because those expressions are all interior focused and not based on truth.

And maybe that's a message about where Democrats, and our Democracy, are going. Mentally confused and ungrounded in reality voters reach out for big government to help them survive. This provides a ready made market for Big Pharma which helps to elect more Democrats with its profits. From the time they entered Kindergarten they've been told the world is going to crash and burn unless they do something, anything, like recycle, or stop using plastic, or rush into the streets and scream. They've been taught to look inward for strength, and that their bodies don't matter--that sex is now gender and can all be changed just through wishful thinking, amputating body parts, and making others change their pronouns. Then the lockdown came and they were left to their own company. A perfect storm.

Poor lil Gen-Z. They grew up in a country rich beyond any other generation's dreams and they believe they can/will destroy it, and that God isn't revealed in the Bible or the churches, but they personally will save the world if they just follow some guru or their inner light and swallow some pills.

 
Creepy Joe is just the president they need and want.

Uncle Joe goes to Indonesia

As I watched Biden walk across the stage with hand outstretched to meet the waiting and stronger Xi, I thought, "He doesn't have dementia, he's just a willing puppet/puppy." Pity the USA! Xi builds coal plants, buys up US farmland and makes deals with Africa for an even larger share of rare earth metals (which we need but don't have) while Biden preaches climate change politics at the bidding of his radical left wing. And so far, although they were mostly wearing masks at the table, no one mentioned a lab, a market, or a 1000 day pandemic. Sort of a late spooky Halloween look.

Biden, Xi may not discuss COVID or fentanyl during meeting (nypost.com)

Michigan has shamed the nation

Just as many young Americans in the 18th and 19th centuries grew up thinking Slavery was a natural right, so we've had 50 years of young Americans being told abortion is a "right." Michigan voters have failed the country by passing issue 3, abortion as a right. We must work harder. Al Kresta of Michigan reminds us that after completing his tenure as president in 1829, John Quincy Adams was elected to the House of Representatives. There, he served for the last 18 years of his life, waging war against slavery in a pro-slavery House. "Duty is ours, results are God's," he said. The House established the "gag rule" because he introduced 900 resolutions against slavery in one day! He fought slavery because it was the right thing to do. He didn't live to see success of his cause. Just as fighting abortion is the right thing to do regardless of how successful we are in the short term.

Benjamin Rush (one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence) said that on the final judgment day God will say to all those who belong to Him through a relationship with His Son Jesus, “Well done thou good and faithful — not good and successful — servant.”

The media as "influencer"

When President Trump would brag about actual, real accomplishments, the media would go insane with denials. When Joe Biden brags about a fictional win, the press swoons. If Trump had a hangnail the media would find 50 doctors to analyze his mental clarity; if Biden demonstrates confusion and fantasy, they smile and nod. Good old Joe.

So I'd call the media/press the #1 reason there was no red wave on November 8, 2022.

 
#2 would be the stupidity of Democrats who can't stop clinging to their party's lies about climate, sex and abortion hoping to get that old feeling of self-righteousness granny and gramps had during the Civil Rights era. They still think the party is working for them.

#3 Our youngest voters grew up being force fed lies in public school about American history--it was all about slavery and destroying Indian land and not about hard work, merit or heroism. Also, they get their current news from TikTok.

 
#4 The Republicans just don't know how to celebrate a win. They are winning over minorities despite all the lies and deception of the Democrats; they have won the House and may still get the Senate. The mess in Arizona has been exposed and the Secretary of State in charge of the election screwed up the primaries and the election to push the Democrats in order to win the Senate seat. It just confirms to millions that the 2020 election was too slick to be honest.

Republicans, 

• you need to kick out the RINOs, 
• fund your own causes, 
• continue to expose the corruption and killing going on among the Democrats, and 
• start turning those blue counties purple and then red. 
• Stop the trail of woke from college to corporation; 
• check out those schools before you spend $70,000 to miseducate your kid. 
• And while you're at it, make sure your church understands the first amendment. 
• You need to turn that slogan "question authority" on its head, because now the "authority" is Uncle Joe with the Obama 2.0 agenda and a bunch of aging socialist snoops who want a one party system--the party of the government.

Right wing conspiracy

 

Brain teaser, the buffalo from Buffalo

Bisons from Buffalo that the other Bisons from Buffalo bully, they themselves bully the other Bisons from Buffalo.

The report on the FBI

"President Biden has shown no problem in labeling his political opponents as racists, fascists, and domestic terrorists. The FBI under Director Wray has been willing to exert its law-enforcement tools in a manner guided by political calculations. Whistleblowers allege that the FBI is manipulating data about domestic violent extremism to support the Biden Administration’s political agenda. Other information suggests the FBI prioritizes investigations and uses differing tactics based on political considerations—using aggressive tactics against political opponents of the Biden Administration while going softer on, or outright ignoring, allegations against the Administration’s political allies. Perhaps the best case study of the FBI’s and Justice Department’s abuse of authorities for political purposes is the FBI’s use of counterterrorism resources to target moms and dads who spoke out at school board meetings in the fall of 2021.As a result, there emerges an apparent double standard in the enforcement of federal law" And now the full report is out.

You can download https://republicans-judiciary.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/HJC_STAFF_FBI_REPORT.pdf

And don't forget to vote. Stop the Democrats from ruining our country.

TikTok and gen Z

Deeply disturbing. "A new report from CM Group shows that 41% of gen Z obtains news and information on TikTok – more than any other generation. Not only that, TikTok is much more popular with gen Z than TV news, news radio or news websites. TikTok is not a fad that publishers can ignore. For gen Z, it’s a primary news destination."

TikTok is owned by its Chinese parent company ByteDance, which is based in Beijing--it's a collection tool for data about Americans, its biggest users. Chinese aren't allowed to use it. I wouldn't even look at it let alone use it. Democrats are using it for really stupid political ads--like white candidates dancing like it was 1985.

The Great Harvest of the Biden Administration

If you are a Democrat voter, or just someone who doesn't vote but speaks garbled Democrat, you must be proud of your harvest.

What happened to academic freedom? Wokeism

"As an evolutionary biologist, I am quite used to attempts to censor research and suppress knowledge. But for most of my career, that kind of behavior came from the right. In the old days, most students and administrators were actually on our side; we were aligned against creationists. Now, the threat comes mainly from the left. . .We each have our own woke tipping point—the moment you realize that social justice is no longer what we thought it was, but has instead morphed into an ugly authoritarianism." Laura Maroja

If you are a Democrat, vote like your life depends on it, because it does. Your party has let the margins and marginals take over. CRT and gendermandering in schools, millions of illegals storming the border, raging inflation, Americans held in foreign jails, abandoning our allies and principals in a Biden Bug Out in Afghanistan, children locked out of their schools and losing 2 grade levels, shortage of medical personnel and hospitals closing because of early retirements due to power struggles and your anti-science swampy government, fentanyl grown in China flooding over the border, demands to kill the unborn up to the day of birth, incompetent people in the White House, gaslighting so bad we could light up and heat Europe for the winter, and a media with no morals and no boundaries protecting politicians. What have I overlooked? Your complicity in destroying the best economy and strongest border because you didn't like Trump's snarky attitude? For that you sold us down the river?

Weep for the ignorance and power imposed on us

"From April 2020 through at least the end of 2021, Americans died from non-Covid causes at an average annual rate 97,000 in excess of previous trends. Hypertension and heart disease deaths combined were elevated 32,000. Diabetes or obesity, drug-induced causes, and alcohol-induced causes were each elevated 12,000 to 15,000 above previous (upward) trends. Drug deaths especially followed an alarming trend, only to significantly exceed it during the pandemic to reach 108,000 for calendar year 2021. Homicide and motor-vehicle fatalities combined were elevated almost 10,000. Various other causes combined to add 18,000. While Covid deaths overwhelmingly afflict senior citizens, absolute numbers of non-Covid excess deaths are similar for each of the 18-44, 45-64, and over-65 age groups, with essentially no aggregate excess deaths of children. Mortality from all causes during the pandemic was elevated 26 percent for working-age adults (18-64), as compared to 18 percent for the elderly. Other data on drug addictions, non-fatal shootings, weight gain, and cancer screenings point to a historic, yet largely unacknowledged, health emergency."

https://www.nber.org/papers/w30104?

NON-COVID EXCESS DEATHS, 2020-21: COLLATERAL DAMAGE OF POLICY CHOICES? Casey B. Mulligan, Robert D. Arnott. Working Paper 30104, http://www.nber.org/papers/w30104, June 2022.

White suburban women move to the right 27 percentage points

So white liberal suburban women are turning away from the Democrats. Good for them. It would seem that these women can be mama bears after all. Perhaps pushing boys onto girls' athletic teams and into their locker rooms is not such a great draw when momma had hopes her little girl could get a college athletic scholarship or place in the Olympics. Women who were always pro-choice perhaps figured out there was something different than expelling a 6 week old fetus with 2 pills than chopping up a 9 month unborn baby ready to take her place in life. Or maybe she knows some kids dead from fentanyl grown in China and brought through the loosey-goosey Biden border by Mexican drug cartels. Locking their kids out of school and forcing them to wear masks when all the "science" showed it was not only bad for the kids, it was a huge money maker for Big Pharma, and a peek at the sort of power grabs the Democrat Party has in store for the future. And never forget, even the upper middle class mom goes to the grocery store and gas station. They went to college. They know it is government policy that creates inflation.

White Suburban Women voters are shifting to Republicans in 2022  – USA Herald

WSJ Poll: White Suburban Women Shift 15 Points In Favor Of Republicans In Congress | The Daily Wire

There's some good news in endurance and recovery!

There's a guy in our church I've known slightly over the years--a fantastic musician and a gourmet chef. What a combination. So we "friended" on Facebook, but a year ago his name was on the church list for prayer. I learned he had a brain tumor--so over the past year I've sent five cards since he didn't seem to be getting better. But today on Facebook he posted this, and I was so happy to see it.

"Well, friends and family, I’m still here! One year ago today, I was admitted to Riverside Methodist Hospital for a “routine” craniotomy in order to remove a tennis ball-sized brain tumor (benign, thankfully). I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid as we had no idea what to expect after it was all over. Was that indicative of my lack of faith in God? Maybe. Or perhaps it was just simply my mortal fear of the unknown and what the future would hold manifesting itself.

The tumor removal surgery went fine, but as an added bonus, I earned three subsequent trips to the ER for bladder issues, sepsis, and blood clots; two by ambulance, (one of which I don’t remember at all), along with a 10-day stint in a rehab hospital. I’m not even going to approach the question of why some people are healed and others are not - I’ll ask God about that later. The point of this is to simply give thanks.

But where to start? There were so many people involved in this journey, all of whom played various roles along the way. First and foremost, I thank God for seeing me through this, even when I doubted Him. I thank God for the tumor (I know, that sounds weird), but it serves as a reminder and affirmation that good can come out of just about anything. I thank God for the multitude of doctors, nurses, and caregivers who attended to me while I was in the hospital. They are truly His angels on Earth facilitating His work. 

I thank God for First Responders (I still have flashbacks when I hear sirens). I thank God that we live in a place where we have access to quality healthcare and clean hospitals. I thank God for all of the additional support people, including Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapists, along with visiting nurses, who helped me re-learn everyday things that I took for granted, like walking, writing, and peeing, just to name a few. I thank God for an employer that provides good benefits along with bosses and co-workers who were understanding, accommodating, and genuinely concerned with my wellbeing and recovery. And most of all, I thank God for my wife and daughter, who, because of their diligence and attentiveness, literally kept me from dying on several occasions. 

I thank God for the Body of Believers - everyone who prayed and/or sent positive thoughts and well-wishes (too many to count!) I thank God for everyone who sent cards, provided meals, called, visited, and checked in on Connie and Alissa to see if we needed anything. I thank God for the men who provided us with a Christmas tree and decorations after we lost ours in a storage facility fire. And I thank God for everyone who otherwise contributed care and concern for us. 

“Thank you” just seems so inadequate compared to what you all provided. I am humbled and will be eternally grateful for each and every one of you. If this past year has taught me anything, it’s to take nothing for granted - every day is a gift from God and tomorrow is not guaranteed. If you’ve read this far, I honestly believe that the past year can best be summed up in the following scripture verse: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12). 

Amen! God bless all y’all!

The Digital Stasi--a term for Big Tech

"Digital Stasi"--what an excellent term for our Big Tech in cahoots with the Democrat power structure. I heard it on the Buck Sexton show--he has a podcast and is co-host of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton show. I used to see him regularly on the Glenn Beck program. But, just to be sure I caught the irony, I looked it up. It turns out that those in the know use it frequently. "The Stasi was one of the most hated and feared institutions of the East German communist government." It was established in 1950 but with no specific legislation (sounds familiar) and started small. It was "responsible for both domestic political surveillance and foreign espionage, and it was overseen by the ruling Socialist Unity Party. Its staff was at first quite small, and its chief responsibilities were counterintelligence against Western agents and the suppression of the last vestiges of Nazism. Soon, however, the Stasi became known for kidnapping former East German officials who had fled the country; many of those who were forcibly returned were executed." So you see, the original thought was to track down former Nazis, but it moved on to grabbing and executing "loyal" members of the party who had seen the light and fled to freedom. Sounds like the collaboration between Merrick Garland and YouTube.

Red cap, green cap, white and blue caps

There it sits on my kitchen counter. The lid to a plastic milk container. Bright red. Sometimes it's a lid to one of our innumerable (or so it seems) pill containers from the pharmacy. A hard plastic--different from the bottle it closes. Much harder to recycle. After 2 years of saving them for a youth project at Lakeside to create durable outside benches, I still feel the pull. Recycling and reuse will not save the planet, but then, neither does wearing masks and closing playgrounds. God has plans for his creation, and we sometimes kid ourselves about "helping." That said, it's a good idea, and the benches looked really good. It's a useful way to teach us all that we can do a little bit, we can be more careful, and we can take a closer look at how we use our resources. Does your youth group need a project? https://www.greentreeplastics.com/ (I don't know what organization Lakeside used, but there are a number like this.) If I can ever figure out who on our very large staff at UALC is in charge of projects, I'll suggest this. Meanwhile, I'll give it to you.

Which Charities Collect Plastic Bottle Tops? (reference.com)

Why Union Station?

Why did the Biden handlers book him for Union Station? It's filthy, with closed up businesses that failed due to government imposed lockdowns, surrounded by tents of homeless people (who were removed for this event). Surely he's not trying to smear Republicans again with his failures? He tries to kick the faithful in the butt with these stories about how wild eyed MAGA supporters are taking over the nation. Sure. 

In the colleges? Nope. 

In the entertainment industry? Never. 

The legacy news factories like WaPo and NYT? Guess again.

How about Big Tech? They can't even get a janitor's job. 

Maybe the deep swamp, like loyal FBI agents to go after parents or pro-lifers? Hardly. 

Oh, I know--in the public libraries--where only Democrats get hired? 

Did he tell that old story about how his son died in Iraq--or maybe it was the Ukraine?

https://nypost.com/2022/11/02/conservatives-mock-biden-over-speech-at-neglected-unsafe-dc-train-station/?

Beau Biden didn't die in or because of Iraq

One of Joe Biden's favorite lies is that his son died in Iraq, and if he's having a good day and remembers that his handlers told him not to say that, he corrects it to "because" he served in Iraq. And sometimes he gets it mixed up with Ukraine but says Beau was on his mind. Beau Biden died of glioblastoma, not from anything that happened to him in Iraq. (He was a military lawyer.) He can be commended for serving--a lot of sons of the privileged don't do that. He was certainly a greater man than Hunter Biden, who then consoled Beau's widow by going to bed with her. Glioblastoma also killed Ted Kennedy and John McCain, but that horrible, deadly cancer did not kill Beau.

Since our son died of glioblastoma in 2020 and I was his caregiver,  I try to read as little as possible about it. Here's a study of the last 10 days: "The most frequent signs and symptoms in the last 10 days before death were decrease in level of consciousness (95%), fever (88%), dysphagia (65%), seizures (65%), and headache (33%). Concerning medication, 95% received opioids. There was a high need for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (77%) and anticonvulsants (75%). Steroids were given to 56%." There really has been little new in that field, although other cancers have shown great advancements in treatment. It's slash and burn for glioblastoma. Cut the tumor out which lets it spread; then burn the brain with toxic chemo and/or radiation.

 
As awful as Iraq was for thousands of our military, it didn't kill Beau Biden.

Interim Report on the Origins of Covid-19

 Report An Analysis of the Origins of COVID-19 (senate.gov)

"A Senate investigation into the origins of COVID-19 has concluded that the virus most likely leaked out of a Chinese laboratory.

The interim report, released by Republicans on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Thursday, found a lack of evidence supporting the theory that COVID-19 was passed from animals to humans, and named China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology as the likely source of the virus." NY Post

What would be the motives of Democrats who refused to even consider the lab leak theory?  Fear of attacks by China?  Fear of loss of business if the Chinese were offended? Afraid Trump was right and they'd look even more stupid than they already do?  Or. Maybe they just didn't care.

The woke ads on TV

Has there been a break through? Last night I was watching an old movie (Sweet home Alabama, 2002, forgotten the channel) and there was a 10 commercial break. 8 of the 10 DID NOT have a minority as lead spox/actor, and the 10th was for Lincoln and had no people in it at all. Later I was watching another channel, forgotten the topic, and it was the same way. Let's hope this break out of sanity continues. I think the constant push for minorities in ads was working against the systemic racism message. Ads are unrealistic as it is and if you combine all that luxury, good life and fun and games with handsome, healthy POC, it just doesn't show well with the news media's woke messages about how evil and racist Americans are. Perhaps a stockholder or two noticed it.

The pandemic deniers--all Democrats with a few RINOs

 "School administrators often were more concerned with changing the name of a school rather than ensuring that students would receive an excellent education, or really any education at all. We were told to accept this whether we liked it or not. Educrats and teachers unions know best, little children. No wonder there was a massive parent revolt." 

In the long run, the Democrats will try to deny (talk about deniers!) that they had anything to do with this, that they were just following the science, which kept changing. That's just a lie. Even for the Republican governors and pastors who followed their bad lead. We had years of research and experience to show what to do with a massive health threat. 1) Protect the vulnerable, 2) allow the rest to keep life going. No matter how many times I wrote about masks studies (I was a medical librarian), some engineer would pounce and say I couldn't possibly know as much as he did. Some Democrats are now coming around, they see the economy is in shambles with their party being blamed, they've read the data on what has been done to the children. Now they say, "Well, sorry. We didn't know. Science is like that." Well, tough cookies. A lot of people knew you were wrong and instead of a "conversation" you destroyed their careers and reputations.

And since Democrats don't learn, they just lose, this will happen again. They are hoping the lies and clown show of January 6 trial and their October surprise at the "unguarded" Pelosi mansion will be enough to rekindled the hate, fear and angst in their faithful to get them to the polls. ‘Scientific-Technological Elite’ Is Destroying Self-Government in America (dailysignal.com)

"This is the crisis Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis frequently points to, citing Dwight Eisenhower’s presidential farewell address in January 1961. The speech is frequently remembered for Ike’s warnings about the military-industrial complex. Eisenhower also warned about a growing “scientific-technological elite” that would pervert both genuine science and public policy.

A federally funded and tightly interwoven system of science and research—such as what developed in the United States in the 20th century—made the industry susceptible to being captured by an elite clique and molded by powerful insiders rather than open-minded scientists and the ordinary Americans it was meant to serve."

Transparency in salaries

ABC is reporting on a new "transparency" movement on salaries led in part by a Tik Tok spox/influencer. I heard the usual, especially POC and pay gap. However, unless you also ask about benefits and history with the company, it's meaningless. Elementary school teachers, look it up, make about $75/hour according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics if you factor in benefits. And it's much higher for those in administrative positions. Nothing makes people more unhappy than saying teaching is one of the best paying professions in the U.S. Also, government workers, which are heavily female and black, make far more than the private sector. Norma has the facts. Media lie. Politicians lie. Unions lie.

Total benefit costs consist of five major categories and include 18 benefit costs:
• Paid leave - vacation, holiday, sick, and personal leave;
• Supplemental pay - overtime and premium, shift differentials, and nonproduction bonuses;
• Insurance - life, health, short-term and long-term disability;
• Retirement and savings - defined benefit and defined contribution; and
• Legally required benefits - Social Security [refers to Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program], Medicare, federal and state unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecec.pdf 

Look specifically at Table 2 and Table 3 by occupational group. If BLS is wrong about teachers, then it's also wrong about accountants and truck drivers.

That said, I think teaching is one of the most difficult and important jobs; it's just too bad that their union leaders are such crooks.