Sneak peek at “A republic, if you can keep it”

It's a wonderful day to sit on the deck with a cuppa and enjoy the blue sky and rustling leaves with a good book. But because it's so lovely, the lawn crew has shown up and there's a very loud mower just a few yards away, so I'm back inside. Even after 18 years here in this delightful spot with mature trees and a creek, I'm still thrilled to have them doing it and not Bob.

I'm loving "A republic, if you can keep it," by Neil Gorsuch. In the introduction he introduces us to his roots and branches, some fascinating people. All of us should have to write a paragraph or two about parents, grandparents, great uncles, etc. and their challenges and contributions so we understand how we got here.

Of his mother (pgs 13-14): "My mother was brilliant and a feminist before feminism. Born in Casper, Wyoming, she graduated from the University of Colorado at 19 and its law school at 22. That was a time when almost no women went to law school. She studied and taught in India as a Fulbright Scholar and went to work as the first female lawyer in the Denver District Attorney's Office. There, she helped start a program to pursue deadbeat dads who had failed to pay child support, long before efforts like that were routine. Her idea of daycare often meant me [Neil] tagging along. She never stopped moving. When she ran for the Colorado state legislature, where she was soon voted the outstanding freshman legislator, she wore out countless pairs of shoes walking the entire district again and again. As kids, we just had to keep up. Later, she served as the first female administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington."

With a mother like that, how could he be anything other than a great lawyer and judge.

720,000,000 million women off to the salt mines

With Trump, we know who's in charge. If Biden were elected, who knows. Did you hear that child care proposal to put 720,000,000 women to work? Yikes. And at a union event.

Let's ignore the number which was more than twice our population, and look at child care tax credits. Currently it's $2,000 and Trump is doubling that for next year. Also, do you really know women who aren't working because of the tax credit? Of course not. The unemployment rate is ridiculously low now, and any qualified parent can name his/her price (his comment was also sexist). There are thousands of doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, teachers and academics who think they are better qualified to raise their children to school age, and that marriage and home are too important to give up for a tax credit. Besides, they want to stay home and listen to the record player.

Hitler and the disabled—the slippery slope of the left

https://www.lifenews.com/2019/09/13/before-the-nazis-killed-jews-they-euthanized-hundreds-of-thousands-of-disabled-people/

The article he refers to appeared in the NYT in 2017, and there's a pay wall, but this is a decent summary--if there can be anything decent about the Nazis. The Democrats, Antifa, BLM, Occupy movement and pink hat Trump haters and Hollywood celebs have cheapened that word and its memories. I had read about this years ago, but many people don't know that methods were tested on the disabled. Germany actually had some outstanding facilities for children and adults with challenges. Imagine the horror of the parents and siblings who came to visit or look for them! Hitler also learned from the Turks who slaughtered many thousands of Armenians. It's the power of the state--National Socialism (aka Nazi)--and it's the very thing President Trump is resisting. But Trump's enemies are clever--they know that most people don't know history, don't know the meaning of words, even, and that the big lie can be repeated and repeated until their minds are mushy. Hitler's socialist model first killed his own citizens before moving beyond the borders.

A nice birthday week

Today my friend of 45 years, Nancy, and I went out for lunch at the OSU Golf Club, and I’d had a hair cut and style with Melissa earlier, so I felt good.  We both had the quiche.  Our condo association had Monday and Tuesday set aside for drive way/street resurfacing, so we’d all been doing a little extra walking, since everyone’s cars were parked in the parking lot of the church next door.  Fortunately, the weather was bright and sunny, and except for wet shoes in the morning, it all went well.

I'd been carrying 2 Barnes & Noble gift cards in my purse for a year, so today I stopped in and purchased, "A Republic, if you can keep it," by Neil Gorsuch, (2019) and "Call sign Chaos" by Jim Mattis, (2019). I rarely buy books, but these looked like keepers. In fact, I think it was Hugh Hewitt who said the Mattis book would still be read 100 years from now. I doubt that, but in today's environment a few months would be good.  So I’m calling them a present to myself, even though I think I got the cards for Mother’s Day.

But the big splurge, not intended for birthday, but coincided is a new car.  We now have a white Chrysler Pacifica Touring L with heated seats and steering wheel and all the latest gadgets for safety and audio.  It’s going to take a while to learn all the new features, like keyless entry and start and the motor turning off at stop signs.

Then Saturday evening we’re going out with our daughter and son-in-law to try a restaurant in Grandview.

Equity for Muslims

I received a notice today that OSU is having a "health equity" lecture on care of Muslim patients. Usually when liberals use the term "equity" they are discussing oppressed or low income groups, but according to Pew Research American Muslims have a higher education level than Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Adventists, Baptists and Catholics, and we're told that education translates to income. So what inequity will be discussed? FGM perhaps? And isn't that a cultural/religious issue? Pork on hospital menus? How women are gowned or how hygiene standards are kept by Muslim staff? I know there are sharia concerns, but that doesn't sound like "equity." Since we have so many foreign and non-Christian medical staff, are there lectures on how to treat Christians? https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2016/07/creeping_sharia_in_health_care_.html

Pop corn sales

I'm a sucker for a guy in uniform. I just paid $10 for a container of popcorn (2.5 lbs) I didn't need. But the Boy Scout was adorable, well spoken, clear about his product and prices, and the scout leader was standing near buy.  We invited them in, chatted a bit. He was a young boy any parent or scout leader would be proud of.

What is happening in our country?

Driving to the fitness center today I heard a caller to a local radio (610 a.m.) show say she'd hired a teen to do some work (didn't say what--I assume yard work or repair) and discovered he didn't know how to use a ruler. She showed him a ruler and a tape measure, and he didn't know what to do with the numbers. She also said Columbus, OH school board had removed all American flags from classrooms. I'm not in the Columbus district so I’ve never heard.  She said the American Legion and VFW were planning to replace them because no one knew where they had been stored. Her final comment on public education supported by citizens in Columbus was that during the 2016 election cycle neighborhood children told her she shouldn't vote for Trump because their teacher told them they would lose their welfare. I asked about this on Facebook, and one Columbus teacher said she had a flag in her classroom, but another friend had this shocking comment.

Brian responded:  “I posted 57 educational videos to YouTube last month, all videos are for my business and all open with and have thumbnails that have the American Flag on them. We had zero copyright violations, and broke no community standards with content. Our account was shut down permanently they cited the fact the videos all have the American flag on them as hate speech. I appealed the ruling and lost. This is your country in 2019.”

The American flag is hate speech?

Opening the book—sermon series, audio and visual

We’re starting a new sermon series at UALC, called Open Book, an initiative to read and teach through the Bible.  So this Sunday will be Genesis 2.

  However, last Sunday, September 8, a few in-house details needed to be addressed as there are changes in scheduling taking place and worship services are being condensed or merged.  You can not change worship styles even in the same Lutheran congregation without causing some conflicts or hurt feelings.  Last night at dinner in a restaurant  for our church’s art ministry one of the spouses of a member declared how much he dislikes organ music and only enjoys what I call the “clangy bangy service.” (loud guitars, many amplification speakers, quartet leading—X-Alt)  Bill honors God in a different way than the Bruces who like liturgy, hymns, scripture and written prayers.  So Senior Pastor Steve Turnbull at the Lytham Road services (9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.) preached on this. http://www.ualc.org/clientimages/38787/ministry_guide-handout_pdfs/09-08-19_lrsermonnotes.pdf  I’m listening again to the audio, and can tell it wasn’t the 9 a.m., but essentially the same words for the 10:30.  http://tech.ualc.org/mp3/audio/190908STLR.mp3

To prepare for tomorrow’s service (Sunday September 15) I looked at (on-line) the Biblical story of the creation of the earth and Adam and Eve. What is so annoying about listening to it on-line while reading is the advertisements.  First, there was a woman’s blouse flashing on the left in teal and black.  I paused to close it, and it was quiet for a minute, then brought up a stationary ad of a dress, so I closed it.  Then a few seconds later it posted a car advertisement (we were looking at new cars yesterday), so I closed it.  Three interruptions in one Chapter! Cookies left along the way on my computer have told advertisers that a female who is car shopping is now reading Genesis 2.

Also, a professional actor is reading (in the NIV audio by Gateway), and although he has a wonderful voice, after a few sentences they all start to run together, so I find the audio of the reading done by our own layperson more pleasant.  Unfortunately, it isn’t available until the sermon is recorded.  To get around this, I can click on what was being read last week at Mill Run which will be the selection for this week at Lytham. http://tech.ualc.org/mp3/audio/190908ATMR.mp3

These on-line interruptions in my vision are similar to what I experience auditorily in some worship services—loud noises, odd music, abrupt changes, difficulty hearing what is being said due to fluctuations in voices (dropping voice at end of sentence) or people whispering behind me. Aural comprehension has always been a problem for me from the time I was told in school or at home I wasn’t paying attention or I was lazy, to this day when someone asks about a point in a sermon and I don’t recall a word.

Comment on patriotism by Diane McDermott

“Just for the fun of it, I randomly checked the Facebook walls of six left-leaning friends of mine who use the site on a regular basis.

Not one of them mentioned 9/11, in any form.

I usually play this game and see similar reactions on major patriotic holidays as well ... 4th of July, Veterans’ Day, etc, so now apparently you can add 9/11 to that list.

I know it doesn’t really mean a whole lot but, to me, it just reinforces my belief that they have very little love for this country...or at least no desire to openly display it.”

Fifty nine years ago today

 

 

Tonight we're going out for dinner with neighbors Jerry and Joan who will be married 60 years tomorrow.  119 years.

Remembering Nine Eleven, 2001

There are 2,977 flags representing the victims of the 9/11 attacks posted on the west lawn on the Ohio Statehouse. When seen from above, the design represents the World Trade Center towers, with a space in the shape of a Pentagon and an open strip representing the field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. 

Elizabeth Warren wants your wealth

The Democrat candidates are "monkey say monkey do" and they climb on the socialism clown wagon daily. O'Rouke wants your 2nd amendment rights destroyed, Elizabeth Warren wants your retirement savings destroyed with her "Accountable Capitalism Act." They all have a blood lust for the unborn and fragile. You need to speak up. Old people don't have income, they have wealth. . . to support them in their old age. Our progressive tax system already takes huge amounts of our money. Congress is profligate spenders and once they get ahold of your pensions, they won't let go.

Seventy-two percent of the value of all domestically held stocks is owned by pension plans, 401(k)s and individual retirement accounts, or held by life insurance companies to fund annuities and death benefits. This wealth accumulated over a lifetime and benefits all Americans. . . 
Socialism always destroys wealth; it doesn’t redistribute it. Unfortunately, this great truth is far from self-evident. Whether current and near-retirees will stand up and fight for their retirement savings will effectively gauge the survival instinct of our country, and our willingness to preserve the economic system that built it.  Phil Gramm, Wall St. Journal. Sept. 10, 2019

Nancy Crist 1927-2019, a good friend to all

Yesterday we said good-bye to Nancy Crist, a dear church friend of many years. Many Bible studies in her home, lots of laughs, many visits in hospital or nursing homes over the years, dinners together, and pick ups at the airport. She was always willing to help and give a hug and an encouraging word. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dispatch/obituary.aspx… She loved teaching at the deaf school and in church you could often see her signing as she listened to the sermon and hymns. Yes, 92 is a long life, but we also knew her father, a WWI vet and he lived to be over 100 as I recall.

I'm not sure when the photo was taken of our couples group from UALC called SALT, but Nancy and her husband Rod are in the back left, so it's probably about 1992--Bob had hair and I had big hair. What fun we had.

So many in this photo are gone now—only Charlene (center), Bob and I (back right) and Andrea (in front of Bob) are left.

Illinois and Indiana budgets

I'm sure there is more to this story--cartoons and memes never tell the whole story. Perhaps someone from Illinois knows?  Is Illinois dying?  Is it Chicago mismanagement and corruption?

Democrat media gives Trump so much free publicity, just like 2016

Worth reading again. President Trump lives rent free in the heads of the Democrat media. I heard that Trump gets 11x the publicity, all negative, from cable and broadcast news than all the Democrats running against him. Also that he has 94% support from Republicans.

“Do not underestimate the Trump voter. When they channel-surfed cable news, or heard of the antics that took place on college campuses, or saw street-theater demonstrations on television, they boiled at the idea that they had often worked at minimum wage, saw their jobs outsourced, never discriminated against anyone, and yet were being damned by smug youth who in a few years would draw on their college B.A. cattle brand, their parents’ lobbying, and the good-old-boy network of being rich, white, and from the proper zip code to inherit their rightful place in business, investment, politics, entertainment, the media, or the university. Google all the rich, white, privileged pundits who at one time or another, both in jest and in all seriousness, have called to deport the deplorables and in their stead give amnesty to illegal aliens or import “better” people from abroad.” Victor Davis Hanson,

Native American speaks out against latest racism, guest blogger, Candace Brown

As a Native American woman I have never seen so many people use race as an excuse to push an agenda. I grew up in a time that racism was actually beginning to be called out and attitudes, stigma, and stereotypes were seen for what they are. We had come so far from the racial separatism from my youth by the time Obama became president. As a young girl, I remember white people refusing to allow classmates to visit my home because I lived on a reservation. One woman I knew drove one hundred miles out of her way in order to avoid going through the reservation, on her way to a large city.
We actually overcame this kind of racism. We learned, we grew, and we became stronger for it. Then Obama happened. In the 8 years he was in office, he destroyed the progress this country had made and set us at odds once again based on skin color. I voted for him his first term, but watched as he took years of knocking down barriers of color and ethnicity to be a country of American people and turned us into a pathetic politically corrupt, victim mentality, shadow of our once great country. I remember hearing over and over his words, “ that is not who WE are” he used us against each other, he turned once strong relationships into victim and perpetrator.

If we do not end this kind of political hate mongering that uses color to justify hate, we are no better than him.

Charges of White Privilege

The charge of “white privilege,” or “White supremacy” hurled at Americans of European and other area countries is a way to shame, bully and induce guilt, whether or not you personally intended it that way. Shaming and bullying are also how abused women, slaves, trafficked children, and elderly are kept quiet. It’s as old as slavery. And Trump voters and conservatives of any stripe are the victims. The Left knows this well—their ideology killed 100 million in the 20^th century, and it didn’t all start with gas chambers, reeducation camps, or storm troopers. Right now, the charges are justifying creating data bases of Trump supporters so they can be publicly shamed or lose their incomes; it justifies Google CEOs for creating winners and losers in elections via social media; it justifies attacking people wearing read hats, with or without MAGA stitching; it justifies 95% of academic faculty being liberal and only those promoted and tenured; it justifies knocking down buildings and statues not just of Confederate generals (all of whom were pardoned by the U.S. government) but founders and current members of Trump cabinet.

I am more concerned about parents dragging children (and some not their own) across thousands of miles in very unsafe conditions subject to weather, assault and separation from grandparents, extended family and home than I am of well run detention centers where they are well fed and housed, and safe from traffickers (which was the intention of that regulation). Millions have been subjected to that illegal border crossing—only hundreds to detention centers, which are quickly emptied as parents’ (or other adults) cases are resolved, most to float out into the general U.S. population. I’m very concerned that U.S. border patrol is babysitting rather than keeping the borders safe for both Americans and Mexicans from all the non-Mexicans, including ISIS fighters, who cross without a problem.

I’m very concerned that the Leftist organizations and politicians have made illegal immigration an issue of race and color (and over 80% are NOT “people of color”) because they know charges of racism turn on the white guilt to shut people up and garner donations from Democrats. We have more children on the streets with brain addled homeless parents than in detention centers, but they would probably be safer, cleaner and better educated if instead of the squalor of San Francisco, they were in an Arizona facility.

Socialism by guest blogger, Michael Smith

"Socialism is like a Ponzi scheme, it only works for the ones at the top and only then if they an keep everyone in the game. The major difference is that where Ponzi schemes depend on greed, socialist regimes depend on coercive force.

Socialists always promise Norway (which is a capitalist country with a massive welfare state funded by oil an gas - not socialist at all) but socialism is not scalable - it doesn't have a volume knob that goes from one to ten, Socialism is binary, it only has an on/off switch. When socialists shoot for Norway, they always wind up with Venezuela."

Pizza for lunch and OSU football

So I picked up a pizza a Walmart.  Wondered what beef patty crumbles were.  Here’s the list. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Marketside-Ultimate-Meat-Pizza-Medium-29-5-oz/366231555

Ingredients:

Crust (Enriched Unbleached Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid], Water, Yeast, Palm Oil, Sugar, Contains 2% or Less of: Vegetable Oil[Soybean Oil and/or Olive Pomace Oil and/or Extra Virgin Olive Oil], Salt, Natural Flavor. May Also Contain Acacia Gum, Calcium Sulfate, Ascorbic Acid, and Enzymes), Low Moisture Mozzarella Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Sauce (Tomato Puree [Water, Tomato Paste], Sugar, Contains 2% or Less of: Spices, Salt, Soybean Oil, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Dehydrated Onion, Garlic Powder), Cooked Italian Sausage (Pork, Spices, Water, Salt, Corn Syrup Solids, Dried Garlic, Paprika, Paprika and Annatto Extract, Sugar, Lemon Juice Powder [Corn Syrup Solids, Lemon Juice Solids, Lemon Oil], Flavoring), Pepperoni, BHA, BHT, with Citric Acid Added to Help Protect Flavor (Pork, Salt, Contains 2% or Less of: Beef, Dextrose, Flavorings, Lactic Acid Starter Culture, Oleoresin of; Paprika, Sodium Nitrite, Spices, Sodium Ascorbate, BHA, BHT, Citric Acid), Sliced Beef Steak, Water and Modified Food Starch Product with Natural Smoke Flavor Added (Beef, Water, Dextrose, Sodium Phosphate, Modified Corn Starch, Salt, Autolyzed Yeast, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein.; Coated with: Dextrose, Salt, Sodium Citrate, Modified Corn Starch, Sodium Diacetate, Natural Flavor, Spices, Garlic Powder, Mustard, Onion Powder, Paprika, Grill Flavor, Natural Smoke Flavor), Cooked Seasoned Beef Topping, BHA, BHT, and Citric Acid Added to Help Protect Flavor (Beef, Water, Salt, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Spices, Dextrose, Sodium Phosphate, Dried Onion, Dried Garlic, Dried Worcestershire Sauce [Distilled Vinegar, Molasses, Corn Syrup, Salt, Caramel Color, Garlic Powder, Sugar, Spices, Tamarind, Natural Flavor], BHA, BHT, Citric Acid), Not Smoked Provolone Cheese (Cultured Pasteurized Milk, Salt, Enzymes), Fully Cooked Beef Patty Crumbles (Beef, Water, Textured Vegetable Protein [Soy Flour, Caramel Color], Salt, Spice, Granulated Onion,; Granulated Garlic), Contains 2% or less of Fully Cooked Bacon Bits (Pork Cured with Water, Salt, Natural Smoke Flavoring, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite; May Contain Sugar, Brown Sugar), Grated Parmesan Cheese (Parmesan Cheese [Pasteurized Part-Skim Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes], Powdered Cellulose [Anti-Caking Agent]), Grated Romano Cheese (Romano Cheese Made From Cow's Milk [Pasteurized Cow's Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes], Powdered Cellulose [Anti-Caking Agent]), Dehydrated Garlic, Dried Oregano, Dried Parsley.

A list adjustment for Democrats in 2020

We need to adjust the list of campaign promises by Democrat candidates and their supporters:

• Abortion and infanticide for American babies plus black and brown babies in developing countries.
• Dox, threaten, blacklist and bully anyone who votes for or donates to Trump, threaten their livelihood and their children.
• Destroy as many freedoms in the Bill of Rights as possible--religion, speech, guns, and assembly.
• Eliminate borders and citizenship so Democrats can guarantee a "free and fair election."
• Rewrite history so that any invention, literary work, business success, song, building, statue or school that has the name (even on a memorial brick) of an American of western heritage is destroyed, maligned or forgotten.
• Continue to deny that anti-Zionism isn't anti-Semitism.
• Increase taxes to fund more government employees for Climate Change. Assure only the “rich” will be affected—they already pay 95% of the taxes.
• Outlaw red baseball caps.