Christmas 2008

As I sit before the fire this Christmas night, with my family in my line of sight, I reflect on the 30 years and two weeks I spent in the service of our country. For 25 of those years I was home not one Christmas. I don’t think that unusual, I don’t ask for sympathy. I did what I did because my country called. I did it so that my family could rest free. At the same time, the sacrifice was not so much mine as that of my family.

As I look on line at images from around the globe of deployed comrades in arms, I think of the families they have left behind to defend my freedom and that of my family.

Then I reflect on those with whom I flew. Thirty percent are dead, that is less than one a year, but the odds add up. You fly to the edge, you won’t always come back. But, they gave more than their lives, they gave so much of their family.

We live free because of those warriors who defend us.

Charge your glass, raise it high. Drink to them.

USMC Force Recon - Dateline - AFGHANISTAN

..... It's freezing here. I'm sitting on hard, cold dirt between rocks and shrubs at the base of the Hindu Kush mountains along the Dar 'yoi Pomir River watching a hole that leads to a tunnel that leads to a cave. Stake out, my friend, and no pizza delivery for thousands of miles.

I also glance at the area around my ass every ten to fifteen seconds to avoid another scorpion sting. I've actually given up battling the chiggers and sand fleas, but them scorpions give a jolt like a cattle prod. Hurts like a bastard. The antidote tastes like transmission fluid but God bless the Marine Corps for the five vials of it in my pack.

The one truth the Taliban cannot escape is that, believe it or not, they are human beings, which means they have to eat food and drink water. That requires couriers and that's where an old bounty hunter like me comes in handy. I track the couriers, locate the tunnel entrances and storage facilities, type the info into the handheld, shoot the coordinates up to the satellite link that tells the air commanders where to drop the hardware, we bash some heads for a while, then I track and record the new movement. It's all about intelligence. We haven't even brought in the snipers yet.

These scurrying rats have no idea what they're in for. We are but days away from cutting off supply lines and allowing the eradication to begin. I dream of bin Laden waking up to find me standing over him with my boot on his throat as I spit a bloody ear into his face and plunge my nickel plated Bowie knife through his frontal lobe. But you know me. I'm a romantic.

I've said it before and Ill say it again: This country blows, man. It's not even a country. There are no roads, there's no infrastructure, there's no government. This is an inhospitable, rock pit shit hole ruled by eleventh century warring tribes. There are no jobs here like we know jobs. Afghanistan offers two ways for a man to support his family: join the opium trade or join the army. That's it. Those are your options.

Oh, I forgot, you can also live in a refugee camp and eat plum-sweetened, crushed beetle paste and squirt mud like a goose with stomach flu if that's your idea of a party. But the smell alone of those 'tent cities of the walking dead' is enough to hurl you into the poppy fields to cheerfully scrape bulbs for eighteen hours a day.

I've been living with these Tajiks and Uzbeks and Turkmen and even a couple of Pushtins for over a month and a half now and this much I can say for sure: These guys, all of em, are Huns. Actual, living Huns. They LIVE to fight. Its what they do. Its ALL they do. They have no respect for anything, not for their families or for each other or for themselves. They claw at one another as a way of life. They play polo with dead calves and force their five-year-old sons into human cockfights to defend the family honor. Huns, roaming packs of savage, heartless beasts who feed on each others barbarism. Cavemen with AK 47's. Then again, maybe I'm just cranky.

I'm freezing my ass off on this stupid hill because my lap warmer is running out of juice and I can't recharge it until the sun comes up in a few hours.

Oh yeah! You like to write letters, right? Do me a favor. Write a letter to CNN and tell Wolf and Anderson and that awful, sneering, pompous Aaron Brown to stop calling the Taliban 'smart.' They are not smart. I suggest CNN invest in a dictionary because the word they are looking for is 'cunning.' The Taliban are cunning, like jackals and hyenas and wolverines. They are sneaky and ruthless and, when confronted, cowardly. They are hateful, malevolent parasites who create nothing and destroy everything else. Smart. Pfft. Yeah, they're real smart. They've spent their entire lives reading only one book (and not a very good one, as books go) and consider hygiene and indoor plumbing to be products of the devil. They're still figuring out how to work a Bic lighter. Talking to a Taliban warrior about improving his quality of life is like trying to teach an ape how to hold a pen; eventually he just gets frustrated and sticks you in the eye with it.

OK, enough. Snuffle will be up soon so I have to get back to my hole. Covering my tracks in the snow takes a lot of practice but I'm good at it.

Please, I tell you and my fellow Americans to turn off the TV sets and move on with your lives. The story line you are getting from CNN and other news agencies is utter bullshit and designed not to deliver truth, but rather to keep you glued to the screen through the commercials. We've got this one under control.

The worst thing you guys can do right now is sit around analyzing what we're doing over here because you have no idea what we're doing and, really, you don't want to know. We are your military and we are doing what you sent us here to do.

You wanna help? Buy Bonds America.

Saucy Jack

Semper Fidelis

Stir up Sunday Sermon - preached by The Reverend Charles Royden

I was given a copy of the Metro newspaper this week. It had ideas for Christmas presents. One was a T Shirt with a picture of Jesus, very like the Turing Shroud image. Underneath the picture it said, ‘Jesus is coming,’ ‘Look busy. ’

Today is the last Sunday in the church calendar, next week we begin Advent. The special theme for today in the church year is a celebration of Jesus as King. Of course today is also named a special Sunday after the collect which we use. We are on that special Sunday before Christmas which we call stir up Sunday. The collect uses those beautiful words

‘Stir up O Lord the will of thy faithful people. ’

Today is a day when we are meant to encourage each other, when we remind ourselves that Christ is our King. It is a day when we draw close to Advent, that season in which we prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. And as we think of King Jesus coming at Christmas, so we welcome him into our own hearts.

But what does Kingship mean?

This would have been a lot easier to answer once, when kings were great and celebrated figures. They held high honour and were seen as having God’s seal upon them. Kings had a divine Right, they were chosen by God to do be kings and they were accountable to no person except God.

Now we often regard kings with contempt, instead of them demanding taxes of us we demand that they pay taxes. But once kings were figures of power.

No wonder Pilate must have laughed when Jesus was referred to as a king. For Pilate, Jesus could not be a king, because he did not fit the mould of a king. Kings are powerful figures, they demand respect and get it. When Pilate put ‘King of the Jews’ over Jesus, it was not in recognition of the kingship of Jesus, it was rather a mockery, Kings did not belong on crosses.

Do we take the kingship of Jesus seriously?

Do we think of Jesus as our King? Or do we think that his kingship is something for the future and so no of much concern to us now? Today we ask the question of ourselves to whom or what do we give our allegiance? Who holds dominion over us? What are we living for? What energizes and gives meaning to our lives each day?

We pray in the Lord’s Prayer ‘thy kingdom come. ’ This prayer is not supposed to be a prayer asking God to bring the world to an end. Rather it is asking that God’s kingdom would be established in our lives. The kingship of Christ is something which Jesus expects us to be able to share now. This will happen if we let our lives be the place where God’s reign extends. Today, above all days perhaps, is the day when we are encouraged to own Christ in our hearts.

Many people do not think that Jesus should be king. Politicians think that Jesus does not belong in affairs of state and government. Many leading businessmen think that Jesus should not be king in matters of economy and business. Often we do not think that Jesus should be king in a whole range of ways that concern what we do out of church.

Today we stir one another up and we remind ourselves that Jesus should be king of every part of our lives, our manners, our behaviour towards other people, are decisions about important life choices.

The kingship of Jesus is not recognised by many of this world, Jesus is King, yet he is not a king who demands obedience. Jesus is a different kind of king. He is a king who leads by example to show us the way that we should behave. This is a new kind of kingship, and one not of the worlds standards. The kingship of Jesus is a radically different kind of kingship. While human kings gain power in order reign over us, Jesus in his kingship demonstrates his authority by showing his love for his people, so much so that he gave his life for us.

What the Kingship of Jesus means

I was watching a film last week, a good film called ‘We Were Soldiers. ’ The main character was played by Mel Gibson, it was adapted from Harold G. Moore and Joseph Galloway's 1992 book "We Were Soldiers Once... and Young." Moore was the lieutenant colonel who in 1965 led the First Battalion of the Seventh Cavalry (ominously, the same regiment headed by Gen. George Armstrong Custer at Little Big Horn) in the battle of Landing Zone X-Ray in Vietnam's Ia Drang valley.

Moore lost more than 70 men from his regiment alone at Ia Drang, and a total of more than 300 died during the Pleiku campaign of which it was a part.

Mel Gibson plays Moore, a devout Catholic family man with a wife, Julie (Madeleine Stowe), and five children.

One the best scenes involves Moore warning his troops before they go into battle. He uses the following speech.

"We are moving into the Valley of the Shadow of Death where you will watch the back of the man next to you, as he will watch yours, and you won't care what colour he is, or by what name he calls God. We are going into battle against a tough and determined enemy. I can't promise you that I will bring you all home alive. But this I swear... when we go into battle, I will be the first to step on the field and I will be the last to step off. And I will leave no one behind... dead or alive. We will all come home together."

A man of his word, Lt. Col. Moore set foot on the field of battle first only to find himself and approximately 400 of his men surrounded by roughly 2000 North Vietnamese soldiers. The ensuing battle was one of the most savage in U. S. history, and the first major encounter between the soldiers of North Vietnam and America.

The film shows the two scenes where he lands first and leaves last. He was in the words of Revelation this morning the Alpha and the Omega.

Now that is the kind of a leader that a soldier wants, somebody who will not tell them what to do, like an earthly king, but rather who will lead with his own life and if necessary lay his life down first.

That is exactly what Jesus did with his kingship. He warned the disciples that they would face death and horror, but he said that he did not expect them to do anything which he was not prepared to do himself first.

When Revelation was written the Christians faced horrors, the real horror of martyrdom. Contrary to what so many Christians have mistakenly thought, Revelation is not a prediction of some horror some time in the future, for which we are still waiting. Revelation described for the Christians the very real and present danger which they faced in their daily lives. This is significant because throughout history many faithful Christians have considered that their own times were the most dreadful things which had ever happened and that an end to the world must be nigh. This happened to Martin Luther who believed that the Pope was the antichrist and he saw the end time near. .... It has happened with the American revolution and the Crusaders

Many have wrongly interpreted Revelation as a prophecy about the end of the world. Actually it is a type of writing (apocalyptic writing), a genre that used to be around, just like soap operas are a type of writing today. That type of writing does not describe actual future events any more than we are supposed to believe that the actors of Eastenders or Friends are real.

The purpose of the apocalyptic writing of Revelation is to tell us that real evil exists, that it wins battles, but that ultimately good will conquer evil and that whilst that fight is going on we have Christ at our side.

Alpha and Omega, he is the first one over the trenches and he will be the last one to leave. Christ is in this battle with us, we are not alone. When we have Christian work to do Christ will be with us. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, Jesus is the beginning of all that we do and the end of all that we do. Are we the last generation? That question which Kate challenged us with last week. The message this week is that it doesn’t matter because in Christ all shall be made alive!

Sarah Palin 2012

Americans owe Sarah Palin an un-payable debt for exposing herself and her family to a lunatic fringe media feeding frenzy to run as John McCain's Vice Presidential candidate. She brought hope to a hopeless situation. John McCain, ever a non-partisan aisle crossing maverick, did not understand there was a partisan race on. Sarah Palin understood. Sarah Palin went into the fray knowing full well not just her reputation and honor would be attacked, but that of her family. She may have been surprised by the "Republican" attacks, but perhaps not. She did her best, it just was not enough to carry John McCain into the White House.

Sarah Palin is the only reason that John McCain did not get his head handed to him on a platter in the election he lost. Sarah Palin is the first presidential or vice presidential candidate with whom I am in complete agreement since Ronald Reagan.

John McCain, quick to defend the honor of the “Reverend Wright” who is clearly wrong and B. Hussein Obama, says nothing when his former aides trash her name.

Republican National Committee hear me well – Foxtrot Uniform. I will not give you another penny, not until I see real progress towards the Republican Party of Ronald Reagan and Sarah Palin.

Sarah Palin and Bobby Jindal in 2012!

Republicans who will change things to the way they should be. Change babies can live with.

If you don't vote for McCain, you vote for 0bama. Anyone who votes for Obama is an A+6.

If you don't vote for McCain, you vote for 0bama. Anyone who votes for 0bama is an A+6.

Think about this:

0bama has "always" been a Christian - CLAIM
0bama supports all abortion, in particular Partial Birth Abortion, for which there is no known justification - FACT
0bama's maternal grandparents were members of the Communist Party of the USA (CPUSA) - FACT
0bama's mother's family moved so she could attend a school where the principal was a member of CPUSA - FACT
0bama's father was a Kenyan Marxist Muslim - FACT
0bama's stepfather was an Indonesian Marxist Muslim - FACT
0bama claims he cannot speak any other language - CLAIM
0bama attended a Muslim madrassa in Indonesia under the name of Barry Sotero - FACT
0bama can recite the Muslim call to prayer in arabic - FACT
0bama was abandoned by his mother to his maternal grand parents - FACT
0bama's grand father (CPUSA) arranged for a male influence in his life while in Hawaii (age 9) - FACT
0bama's male influence was a pedophile CPUSA member who was a drug dealer - FACT
0bama had "someone" pay for his tour around the world - FACT
0bama had "someone" pay for his schooling at Columbia - FACT
0bama had "someone" pay for his schooling at Harvard - FACT
0bama "worked" for a law firm in Chicago, there is no released work he ever did, his name is not on any known documents - FACT
0bama became a "Christian" when he joined the Reverent Wright's church. He claim never to have been aware that Reverend Wright continually preaches racism and anti-Americanism, although he "religiously" attended the church for twenty years - FACT
0bama was paid as a "community activist" and his main claim is that he oversaw the spending of huge sums of money on "Afrocentric" education - FACT
0bama was a State Senator, the only thing that apparently accomplished was simultaneous employment of his wife at a lucrative make work job - FACT
0bama was a US Senator, the only thing that apparently accomplished was simultaneous employment of his wife at an even more lucrative make work job - FACT
0bama lamented the "Civil Rights Movement" did not get around to bringing redistribution of wealth before the Supreme Court - FACT
0bama wants to ban all civilian ownership of firearms (out of his own mouth) - FACT
0bama is the choice of Muslim dictators around the world - FACT
0bama wants to "spread the wealth" of "Joe the Plumber" - FACT
0bama wants to spread your wealth - FACT

If you don't vote for McCain, you vote for 0bama. Anyone who votes for 0bama is an A+6.

Apple Computer has superior products and inferior judgement

From the Apple Press Release -

"Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8."

There is no "right to marry" under the Constitution for homosexuals or anyone else. They do have a right under California Law to form domestic partnerships. That is not good enough for them. Four California Supreme Court Judges overturned a law passed by the people defining marriage as between one man and one woman. This Constitutional Amendment overturns that Supreme Court ruling.

Apple should stay out of politics. This offends me. I buy computers, lots of them. No point in offending me.

Colin Powell Endorses Obama - BFD

This is not a bad thing.

First, never trust a man named after a body part. (I realize colon is spelled with an “o”)

Second, I have no idea what Powell was like as a Company Commander in Viet Nam. I did not meet him until he was a LTC in Europe. After that, I know. Like the dwarfs, Powell has always been for Powell. He was then, has been and always will be a liberal politician with no sense of direction. He laments one thing, pursues another. He fired Norman Schwarzkopf for providing the President his opinion when asked. The man who singlehandedly kept Desert One from being a victory. The man who cut the legs from under the anti-Sadamn forces. For some reason, George W. Bush picked him as Secretary of State, a job he was eminently qualified for as he has always put the views of his principal above any principals he might or might not have. As soon as he was relieved of that job, he began stabbing his former boss in the back.

Anyone who things being endorsed by Powell means anything positive was going to vote for 0bama anyway.

Colin Powell, a man of no integrity, whose name lives in infamy. A general who has no followers. No one would follow Powell to the Gates of Hell because they would know he had already made a deal with the devil.

What a loser!

Huntley Brown - NO on Obama

Huntley Brown is a popular Christian music artist a who wrote this email to some friends who were inquiring if he was going to vote for Senator Barack Obama. He said he has problems with both candidates, but the differences he has with Senator McCain pale in comparison with the ones he has with Senator Obama.

Brown did not write this email to influence public opinion nor did he expect his response to be forwarded to others which resulted in wide distribution of his opinion on the super information highway. No matter the outcome of this election, Brown said as a Christian, he could be counted to support the President in prayer every day.

===============

Dear Friends,

A few months ago I was asked for my perspective on Obama, I sent out an email with a few points. With the election just around the corner I decided to complete my perspective. Those of you on my e-list have seen some of this before but it's worth repeating...

First, I must say whoever wins the election will have my prayer support. Obama needs to be commended for his accomplishments but I need to explain why I will not be voting for him.

Many of my friends process their identity through their blackness. I process my identity through Christ. Being a Christian (a Christ follower) means He leads I follow. I can't dictate the terms He does because He is the leader.

I can't vote black because I am black; I have to vote Christian because that's who I am. Christian first, black second. Neither should anyone from the other ethnic groups vote because of ethnicity. 200 years from now I won't be asked if I was black or white. I will be asked if I knew Jesus and accepted Him as Lord and Savior.

In an election there are many issues to consider but when a society gets abortion, same-sex marriage, embryonic stem-cell research, human cloning to name a few, wrong economic concerns will soon not matter.

We need to follow Martin Luther King's words, don't judge someone by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I don't know Obama so all I can go on is his voting record. His voting record earned him the title of the most liberal senator in the US Senate in 2007. Check it out here: http://nj.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/

To beat Ted Kennedy and Hilary Clinton as the most liberal senator, takes some doing. Obama accomplished this feat in 2 short years. I wonder what would happen to America if he had four years to work with.

There is a reason Planned Parenthood gives him a 100 % rating.
There is a reason the homosexual community supports him.
There is a reason Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Castro, Hamas etc. love him.
There is a reason he said he would nominate liberal judges to the Supreme Court.
There is a reason he voted against the infanticide bill.
There is a reason he voted No on the constitutional ban of same-sex marriage.
There is a reason he voted No on banning partial birth abortion.
There is a reason he voted No on confirming Justices Roberts and Alito. These two judges are conservatives and they have since overturned partial birth abortion. The same practice Obama wanted to continue.

Let's take a look at the practice he wanted to continue. The 5 Step Partial Birth Abortion procedures:

A. Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby's leg with forceps. (Remember this is a live baby)
B. The baby's leg is pulled out into the birth canal.
C. The abortionist delivers the baby's entire body, except for the head.
D. The abortionist jams scissors into the baby's skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge the hole.
E. The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child's brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed.

There is a reason Obama opposed the parental notification law. Think about this: You can't give a kid an aspirin without parental notification but that same kid can have an abortion without parental notification. This is insane.

There is a reason he went to Jeremiah Wright's church for 20 years. Obama tells us he has good judgment but he sat under Jeremiah Wright teaching for 20 years. Now he is condemning Wright's sermons. I wonder why now? Obama said Jeremiah Wright led him to the Lord and discipled him. A disciple is one in training.

Jesus told us in Matthew 28:19 - 20 'Go and make disciples of all nations.' This means reproduce yourself. Teach people to think like you, walk like you; talk like you, believe what you believe etc. The question I have is what did Jeremiah Wright teach him?

Would you support a White President who went to a church which has tenets that said they have a
1. Commitment to the White Community
2. Commitment to the White Family
3. Adherence to the White Work Ethic
4. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the White Community.
5. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting White Institutions
6. Pledge allegiance to all White leadership who espouse and embrace the White Value System
7. Personal commitment to embracement of the White Value System.

Would you support a President who went to a church like that?

Just change the word from white to black and you have the tenets of Obama's former church. If President Bush was a member of a church like this, he would be called a racist. Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton would have been marching outside. This kind of church is a racist church.

Obama did not wake up after 20 years and just discover he went to a racist church.

The church can't be about race. Jesus did not come for any particular race. He came for the whole world. A church can't have a value system based on race. The churches value system has to be based on biblical mandate. It does not matter if it's a white church or a black church it's still wrong. Anyone from either race that attends a church like this would never get my vote.

Obama's former Pastor Jeremiah Wright is a disciple of liberal theologian James Cone, author of the 1970 book A Black Theology of Liberation. Cone once wrote: 'Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. ' Cone is the man Obama's mentor looks up to. Does Obama believe this?

So what does all this mean for the nation?

In the past when the Lord brought someone with the beliefs of Obama to lead a nation it meant one thing - judgment.

Read 1 Samuel 8 when Israel asked for a king.

First God says in 1 Samuel 1:9 'Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.' Then God says 1 Samuel 1:18 ' When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.' 19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. 'No!' they said. 'We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.' 21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, 'Listen to them and give them a king.'

Here is what we know for sure. God is not schizophrenic He would not tell one person to vote for Obama and one to vote for McCain. As the scripture says, a city divided against itself cannot stand, so obviously many people are not hearing from God. Maybe I am the one not hearing but I know God does not change and Obama contradicts many things I read in scripture so I doubt it.

For all my friends who are voting for Obama can you really look God in the face and say; Father based on your word, I am voting for Obama even though I know he will continue the genocidal practice of partial birth abortion. He might have to nominate three or four Supreme Court justices, and I am sure he will be nominating liberal judges who will be making laws that are against you. I also know he will continue to push for homosexual rights, even though you destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for this. I know I can look the other way because of the economy.

I could not see Jesus agreeing with many of Obama's positions. Finally I have two questions for all my liberal friends. Since we know someone's value system has to be placed on the nation,

1. Whose value system should be placed on the nation.
2. Who should determine that this is the right value system for the nation?

Blessings, Huntley Brown

Standing on the shoulders of giants

When you see Arlington National Cemetery, World War II, Korean War and Vietnam Memorials, do you truly appreciate the sacrifice those men gave for our country by giving their lives so we might live free?

We stand with our heads above water because we stand on the shoulders of giants like them. We should never forget for even one millisecond the tremendous sacrifices made for our freedom. Freedom is not free. It never was and it never will be. Those to whom the monuments are dedicated gave all they had for this country. Not only did they give their future for ours, but their families' future. Never ever forget that, not for one millisecond. Those who answer the call to arms are those to whom the country owes a debt it can never pay. Each and every one put their country before themselves, their family and their fortune that we might be free. Not only did they give their lives, but they gave their mobility, their limbs, their minds, they gave precious time with their wives, sons and daughters that we might live free.

Charge your glass, raise it high. Drink to them.

Joe Biden's 14 lies at the debate

1. TAX VOTE: Biden said McCain voted “the exact same way” as Obama to increase taxes on Americans earning just $42,000, but McCain DID NOT VOTE THAT WAY.

2. AHMEDINIJAD MEETING: Joe Biden lied when he said that Barack Obama never said that he would sit down unconditionally with Mahmoud Ahmedinijad of Iran. Barack Obama did say specifically, and Joe Biden attacked him for it.

3. OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING: Biden said, “Drill we must.” But Biden has opposed offshore drilling and even compared offshore drilling to “raping” the Outer Continental Shelf.”

4. TROOP FUNDING: Joe Biden lied when he indicated that John McCain and Barack Obama voted the same way against funding the troops in the field. John McCain opposed a bill that included a timeline, that the President of the United States had already said he would veto regardless of it’s passage.

5. OPPOSING CLEAN COAL: Biden says he’s always been for clean coal, but he just told a voter that he is against clean coal and any new coal plants in America and has a record of voting against clean coal and coal in the U.S. Senate.

6. ALERNATIVE ENERGY VOTES: According to FactCheck.org, Biden is exaggerating and overstating John McCain’s record voting for alternative energy when he says he voted against it 23 times.

7. HEALTH INSURANCE: Biden falsely said McCain will raise taxes on people’s health insurance coverage — they get a tax credit to offset any tax hike. Independent fact checkers have confirmed this attack is false

8. OIL TAXES: Biden falsely said Palin supported a windfall profits tax in Alaska — she reformed the state tax and revenue system, it’s not a windfall profits tax.

9. AFGHANISTAN / GEN. MCKIERNAN COMMENTS: Biden said that top military commander in Iraq said the principles of the surge could not be applied to Afghanistan, but the commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force Gen. David D. McKiernan said that there were principles of the surge strategy, including working with tribes, that could be applied in Afghanistan.

10. REGULATION: Biden falsely said McCain weakened regulation — he actually called for more regulation on Fannie and Freddie.

11. IRAQ: When Joe Biden lied when he said that John McCain was “dead wrong on Iraq”, because Joe Biden shared the same vote to authorize the war and differed on the surge strategy where they John McCain has been proven right.

12. TAX INCREASES: Biden said Americans earning less than $250,000 wouldn’t see higher taxes, but the Obama-Biden tax plan would raise taxes on individuals making $200,000 or more.

13. BAILOUT: Biden said the economic rescue legislation matches the four principles that Obama laid out, but in reality it doesn’t meet two of the four principles that Obama outlined on Sept. 19, which were that it include an emergency economic stimulus package, and that it be part of “part of a globally coordinated effort with our partners in the G-20.”

14. REAGAN TAX RATES: Biden is wrong in saying that under Obama, Americans won’t pay any more in taxes then they did under Reagan.

As long as you are happy being poor and downtrodden, you should vote Democrat!

The Democrats are the party of the poor and the downtrodden. As long as you are happy being poor and downtrodden, you should vote Democrat.

In addition, isn't it interesting the Republicans bet the Union on freeing slaves (Civil War). The Democrats still had segregation as their official party plank until after the 1948 election. Democrats resisted the Civil Rights Act of 1964, finally passed by the Republicans. Democrats feel blacks can only exist with government protection and favoritism (note how ZeroBama got into Harvard). Note also, the Democrat’s position is remarkably similar to that of the Klu Klux Klan, not surprising in that they founded the KKK. Republicans choose the best qualified. That is why JC Watt, Colin Powell and Condelezza Rice aren't "black."

We are in the credit problem because of affirmative actions by Democrats, specifically Barney Frank, Joe Biden and ZeroBama, in resisting changes in regulatory environment and rules proposed by Republicans, specifically George Bush and John McCain. Yet, the problem is all the fault of George Bush and John McCain.

Let’s review the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Campaign Contributions:

Chris Dodd (S-D-CT) $165,400.00
Barack Obama (S-D-IL) $126,349.00
John Kerry (S-D-MA) $111,000.00
Harry Reid (S-D-NV) $77,000.00
Barney Frank (H-D-MA) $42,350.00

First question, if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are Government Sponsored Entities, what are they doing making Campaign Contributions? Second question, why are the Democrats who hold the only solution the biggest recipients of their largesse? I thought Barack Obama “warned us about this two years ago.”

John McCain sponsored legislation two years ago that would have increase oversight and tightened up lending requirements. Chris Dodd and Barney Frank kept the legislation in committee, never to see the light of day. Don’t remember those names? Look at the list above.

John McCain has been in Washington too long, 22 years. Sarah Palin has no experience, she was only a business owner, mayor and governor. She is the only one so far who suggested that if you can only afford a $100,000.00 house, perhaps you should not buy a $300,000.00 house. A more apt observation is yet to be made on the "crisis."

ZeroBama brings a fresh look to the presidency, he was elected senator about the same time Palin became governor. She ran the state every day, he managed to get to work 147 times. Joe Biden has invaluable experience, he as been a senator for 32 years.

If you have not puked yet, the headline Obama Fights Poverty $28,500 At a Time

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama took a hard-lined stand on 16 September 2008 for the poor and downcast. Knowing that if Big Government doesn't look out for the little guy no one will, Obama attended a fundraiser which had an attendance price of $28,500 per head. It is not known whether or not the poor or downtrodden were invited. It is certain no one rode for free.

After writing this up, AP comes out with a story on it, quoting Obama: Standing in the courtyard of the palatial estate, he said his campaign was dedicated to people who need jobs and health care and worry about their pensions and sending children to college. "It's about those who will never see the inside of a building like this," Obama said.

Skill Mismatch
* Barack Obama has put out an ad that simple minded John McCain cannot use a computer. [He has much difficulty typing due to torture by the North Vietnamese]
* John McCain has not bothered to point out the world's savior, Barack, cannot land a jet fighter on an aircraft carrier at night.

Double Standard - NO!

Why John McCain?

John McCain and I do not see eye to eye on a number of things, but Barak Nobama and I do not see eye to eye on anything. As they say in the Royal Navy, ‘Always choose the lesser of the two weevils.’

At the same time, while John McCain and I do not see eye to eye on everything, we do on a lot of things. Let me point out:

John McCain would die before doing anything he thought would prove harmful to his country. John McCain would choose death over dishonor. Both these are not mere suppositions or wild claims, they are fact. Fact that no one can dispute. John McCain proved who he was, not only in combat; but as a POW.

John McCain understands both the cost of war and the horrible cost of losing a war.

John McCain is a good man.

John McCain is an honest man.

John McCain is a Christian who is not afraid of letting people know. At the same time he has no problem with others practicing their own beliefs. He is comfortable with his own Christianity and understands it is not God’s desire for him to force it on others. He got his foreign experience in Vietnam and other foreign travel on government business; but, he never attended a madrassa in Indonesia. He never registered for school as a muslim. He did not begin attending church when his wife decided he needed to belong to a “white” church to get elected. He did not attend a racist anti-American church for twenty years without noticing its point of view. He did get into a bit of trouble over religion in one of his foreign travels. He was once dubbed a “Hell’s Angel” for rioting against his captors in Vietnam in order to hold Sunday church services.

John McCain is a real and good man. A person you would be delighted to have to your home for dinner. A person with whom you could trust your life and that of your family. After all, that is what you are doing when you vote for a President.

Drill Here, Drill Now and in my backyard preferably – BUT first, send water South, Death to the Delta Smelt

Drill Here, Drill Now and in my backyard preferably – BUT first, send water South, Death to the Delta Smelt

There is a water “crisis” in San Diego County, indeed in all Southern California. Why” Are we in a drought? Sort of? Sort of? Yes, a shortage of water caused by the government.

The California Department of Water Resources has reduced by 40 percent the water it allows Southern California to draw from the Sacramento Delta which in turn draws from the Sierra Nevada snow pack.

Why?

To protect the Delta Smelt.

What is a Delta Smelt? It is a two inch long non-gold fish.

Who cares about it?

A bunch of people without jobs who think you should not have water for your home.

Death to the Delta Smelt and none too soon.

Don’t think of it as endangered, think of it as obsolete.

Like almost all other problems, the Delta Smelt and no water is brought to you by the government. The water is there for us to use. The government just thinks the Delta Smelt is more important than you are. The same government that has not yet brought us a budget. But, don’t worry, the budget is on the way. Along with a huge tax increase to further bloat the stomach of the ever hungry government employees unions. You certainly would not want them to go without their nine square meals a day at your expense, would you?

Drill Here, Drill Now and in my backyard preferably – BUT first, send water South, Death to the Delta Smelt

A jar of marbles?

Things to think about
There is more to do in the world than we can or even really want to do. This came across my desk about two years ago and then again last week. I’ve edited the story to condense it slightly:

I overheard an older fellow talking about "a thousand marbles." I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say,

"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's "dance recital" he continued. "Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."

“You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.

Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part.

It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays." "I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here next to my desk.

Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life.

There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.

This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time.”

Why are we here on earth?
God put us here on earth to make a difference. In Genesis, it is written:

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

God gave us the earth and all that is therein with the charge that we should go forth being fruitful, subdue it and have dominion over it. What then is our charge, our commandment, our instruction?

To make a positive difference in this world, our world, more importantly God’s world, which he left in our charge. So our priorities are:

1 - If you are parents, your first priority is to make sure your children go to heaven;
2 - Your second priority is to be there to meet them;
3 - Your third priority is to prepare your children to meet the challenges of this world;
4 - Your fourth priority is to provide for the needs of your family;
5- Your fifth priority is to be of positive use to your friends
6 - Your sixth priority is to have fun doing the first five!

You have to take care of your country, so that your family will have an environment from which to get to heaven. You have to help your neighbors to the extent you can. Recall Jesus’ summary of the law:

THOU shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

If what you are doing is in conflict with what you are charged to do, change what you are doing. Eternity stretches from the past so far we cannot see it and into the future so far we cannot fathom it. Only today, the present, where the Hand of God touches the timeline to eternity, can we exist. While we remember yesterday and hope for tomorrow, today is where we live. Always. Yesterday was, tomorrow may be, but today is. Act today. Your actions will affect your today if tomorrow comes.

So, what are you doing and how does that fit into the plan? Do you need a jar of marbles to focus your life?

HughesNet - Hughes Net - hughes.net - Does not matter what you call it, it doesn't hack it!

The day Hughes Net has a product that doesn't suck will be the day they market a vacuum cleaner. (Not original, but Microsoft isn't the only company that sucks)

What kind of speed can you look forward to with your Hughes Net Satellite Service. Well, we have the Small Business Professional Plan and the DW7000 router, this gives us blinding speeds. Most of the time we get an uplink speed of around 4 - 5 Kbps and a downlink speed of around 14 - 15 Kbps. Tonight, the downlink is about 750 bps (no K, less than 1 K per second).

Now, there is a downside, if you do a major software update and exceed your daily limit, or if they think you might exceed your daily limit, you are put on restricted access due to the aptly named Fair Access Policy. Then you are limited to 128 Kbps maximum download speeds. Of course, you never get that speed ever. But the limit is there.

The only place Hughes Net is used is where you cannot get any other form of service. We live in the country and dial up is 14 Kbps maximum.

In the event cable, DSL, ADSL or fiber optics ever get here, Hughes Net can go to the dumpster. That DAY.

Mac OSX 10.5.4 Leopard Evolis Pebble Drivers that work!

You can download a BETA Pebble Driver package that worked on my MacBook Pro Intel machine running 10.5.4 here:

http://www.descansorodents.com/pebble_osx10.5.4_drivers/

The drivers are courtesy of Darcy Ryan of Australia who prevailed on www.interactcard.com.au to send them to me. Thanks Darcy!

I am so happy that I can use my Pebble again!

Thanks!

Mobile Me SUCKS and SO DOES APPLE

Due to Apple's Ego Centric renaming of the DOT Mac Service to Mobile Me (how me-centric can you get), they cannot renew my membership because of their own programming ineptitude. So, what to do? They will cancel my account and delete all the information in three days, if I do not renew. Of course, I cannot renew because their programmers are up and locked. Oh, yes - And I cannot even figure out how to sign in to my own account now. Great website, Steve O. What a bad joke. User friendly? If I wanted this kind of support, I would call Bill Gates!

They are AFU and I am supposed to lose my e-mail and web pages. There is no phone number, no e-mail address, no nothing. For this I have been paying $100.00 per year?

In the event my site goes down, I have already instructed our legal department to file suit. Let Apple get a taste of its own medicine!

First Memo to Steve Jobs - I find Mobile Me to be a very insulting name.

Second Memo to Steve Jobs - GET A JOB!

Women in the Priesthood and Bishopric

Today we hear the Mother Church of Anglicanism, the Church of England, is to allow the ordination of women bishops. This is not surprising to any with intellect and memory. The CoE has ordained women priests in violation of biblical direction, why not bishops?

Please read the following from the First Book of Timothy, Chapter One, Verse Five:

thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

Those who are in communion with the CoE are not in communion with the Bible. Your choice.

The Truth shall set you free!

Pebble 3 Card Printer and Problems with Mac OSX / OS X Leopard 10.5.1 and 10.5.2

Since we upgraded our computer system to Leopard 10.5 and then 10.5.1 we have not been able to print directly to the Pebble 3. We could print through another computer running 10.4 Tiger. After upgrading to 10.5.2, that no longer worked. We need the printer. Evolis has been ZERO help. Our card program operates in Filemaker, so we are going to try the Windows version under Parallels. Will post results.

Air Force Renewal - A Guest Editorial

In my humble opinion, the mess with the nukes on the bomber was inexcusable and people should have gotten fired immediately. For them to flunk the retest, means a few more needed to go but that's not what all this about. Simple solution, 1 bomber on alert for each of the B-52 and B-2 sqdn, the troops pull an alert tour ever 3 months or so and go through all the procedures--plus big clue, don't store nukes and fake nukes/conv weapons in the same bunkers/rooms and maybe splash a little paint or big stencils/logos on them if they are no longer a nuke. B-1s are now conventional only so they get a pass.

Gates has it in for the AF and is just paying back the pilots, for his time of AF service before his CIA service. He was a big wig when the CIA didn't see the wall coming down, USSR collapsing or Saddam Kuwait adventure, but he's suddenly a military genius.

The AF has spent a lot of money on the f/a-22 and taken forever to field it - it was the wrong choice back in 1990 but that's subject of another discussion. Now it has a few neat airshow machines and bunch of worn out airplanes which it can't afford to replace. The AF could buy 3 or 4 F-15Es for the price of a f/a-22 and be able to put bombs on target as well as shot missiles at anything that staggers into the air. Whether carrying 2 1000# GBUs (which it has to borrow from the Navy) or 8 250# SDBs, it is unlikely the f/a-22 would make a big impact as bomber and it would only be able to carry 2 AMRAAMs and 2 Aim-9s when it is going a bombing.

The last few AF Gens have been totally heavy on the F-15 background and for the most part much like their airplane don't seem to have a clue about the A/G arena. The stars in the desert/mountain/cities recently have been the bombers, A-10s, and I would image the AC-130s although you don't hear much about them.

The UAVs have become the FACs and Recee fliers. Unmanned and therefore fearless, they do the job of the O-1,O-2, OV-10s and the like. There's some magic number that the system is able to provide and it works out to around 25 orbits, covered 24/7, 365. I kind of wonder how many airborne FACs covered SVN which I believe is a smaller land mass then IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN but that's another subject.

The Army wants their own UAVs and the AF says they should control all UAVs so they can be deconflicted with other traffic. The AF could not generate enough UAVs to suit the needs of the Army for overwatch of its activities so the Army complains it isn't getting support and tries to buy its own system, which is just a little different from the AF predator.

Gates meanwhile runs around complaining about the AF want to fight the "next war". This is funny because it is commonly understood that most military forces are structured to fight their last war using the "lessons learned" and almost always start a war using the old tactics, equipment, etc. For example one study showed that the ARMY had 4000 tanks but only around 400 in the desert. The rest were concentrated in Europe. We've pulled almost all the combat aircraft out of Europe but the tanks are still there. Wouldn't they be better in some location were they could be rapidly put on fast boats and sealifted to a combat area?? Remember the fiasco when the AH-64s tried to self deploy to Bosnia?

Also constraining the ARMY vehicles so they will fit inside C-130s is dumb. Unless you are sending troops as a trip wire or special force team, the small vehicles are unsafe. IEDs and RPGs go right through the little vehicles. A hundred M-1s offloaded from a fast ship is much more threatening than a couple of C-130s loaded with Hummers and Strikers, without the armor cause then they are too heavy. The armor and ammo has to come in via another aircraft.

Another of Gates's great ideas is heavy emphasis on special ops and special forces. The fact is to get those kind of troops takes lots of training, years of time and then to pay them the same as you do some admin clerk, PA or JAG means they move on to better jobs or get out of the service. Also, the Army hates those types and doesn't promote them as a rule. Additionally, we now have a military culture controlled by JAGs who Monday morning quarterback decisions and go after servicemen who actually fight. How about a JAG in each combat platoon as point man, that way there won't be any problems about ROEs, etc?

Taking the space mission and cyber force is in keeping with the AF mission and also shows its biggest vulnerabilities. Everything is now tied into the GPS and comm links. Jamming a signal is usually the easiest way of defeating any electronic emitting system and doing it can be as simple as keying a radio on the freq as we all know.

The constant need to know where the forces are is a military requirement but it is also what killed the U-boats in WWII. The reporting in combined with the code breaking allowed the allies to find the stealth forces of the day and eliminate their threat. The f/a-22 is constantly mentioned as an ISR resource but it needs to reveal itself to provide the information to other, so what good is that? Encryption and all that cosmic electron pushing does wonders but when the system can be compromised by a luke warm allie who sells to anyone or espionage.

Lastly the AF and all the other services are too small. As they were downsized after the USSR collapse, the virus of downsizing kept going and now the military is actively engaged far more than any time in its post WWII past with a smaller force. Mao said "quantity has a quality of its own". The military should be doubled in size across the board and the number of aircraft being built each year should not be measured in double digits, including drones.

The unstated effect of the beheadings of the AF leadership is that when the reviews for funding start in Aug, there will be interim and inexperienced people representing the AF. The Navy will be front loaded with the JCS and Central Region and the Army will be next in line to allocate funds. The Army is supposed to grow in manpower like the Marines and the AF might just be able to stop it personnel downsizing if Gates keeps his word. Watch for the Army to get a big budget boost, navy to get some big bucks and the AF to get cut in funding. Probably no more f/a-22s as the f-35 is coming and will solve all the AF needs.

CMAC

The Air Force shakeup

The shift was long over due.

Somehow when the Bomber Generals got thrown out, along with there Peace is our Profession motto, they were replaced by the Air to Air Generals.

Air Superiority missions have another name, Defensive Counter Air. Defense never won a war, never will.

What wins a war is a grunt with a rifle saying, "This freaking piece of ground belongs to the US." Nothing less.

Neither the Bomber nor the Air to Air Generals would give the time of day to the people doing the fighting: Fighter Bombers, Attack Aircraft, FACs and Special Operations. The war in Southeast Asia was an anomaly. You had an air war in the North and a ground war in the South. The two were not in many senses connected.

Desert One was an Air War, followed by a Ground War. There was no follow-on.

Desert Two is only a Ground War, the Red side did not fly one sortie. The only need for the Air Force is for CAS and Transport. CAS is becoming a bit different, but it is still the direct support of our troops, mostly in contact.

So, what was the service priority?

The F-22.

What is the F-22?

It is an Air Superiority Fighter with very limited Air to Ground capability.

What use is it in the current war?

I have no idea, neither apparently does anyone else. Mostly, it looks cool doing fly bys at Langley.

What is the solution?

Gates had part of the idea.

First fire all the generals and colonels. Promote fighters. The people that should be running the Air Force are those who support the concept of winning wars against our enemies. The only way to do that is with Joint Action. Let's see FACs, SOP and Fighter Bomber / Attack people running things.

The UCAVs are interesting. They in some ways are the way of the future for limited wars, given our casualty aversion. Their use in a major war rather limited, however.

The last two Chiefs of Staff have managed to make the Air Force seem irrelevant.

One parting thought, even though the current war is a limited conflict, China can go to war at any time. They are our real current enemy and we need to be ready to defeat them. By the way, 180 F-22s won't do squat there either.

A plan, a plan, my kingdom for an Energy Plan

If we do not want to go back to the dark ages, living as manual laborers, eking out of a living from whatever we can, using draft animals, dying at an average age of 33, we need energy. The source is not critical, the form and cost are.

Is oil a renewable source of energy? We do not know. Many call oil a “fossil” fuel, yet no one can duplicate a process and artificially create oil. Is it a natural substance somehow produced in the earth’s core? We do not know that either. Junk science will not tell us.

We need a reliable source of energy, two to be more precise. One for fixed units: houses, offices, factories and the like. Nuclear power producing electricity will do fine for this.

Oh, but the danger!

Danger? What danger? How many people have been killed by nuclear power in the United States? To save time, not one.

The hazardous waste!

What waste? Most of what is currently classified as nuclear waste is in reality not hazardous at all. The totality of nuclear waste with a rational definition will fit in one shipping container for the whole United States for a year’s worth of waste. Less, if you allow recycling!

Nuclear power would also allow for the use of electric cars. Electric cars have a reasonable range of about 120 miles per day. That would take care of about 90 percent of US needs, hybrids could handle the rest.

What about aircraft, boats/ships and trucking?

Synthetic Liquid Fuel (SLF) Liquid combustible fuel is the only source of energy with sufficient energy density for aircraft and vehicles.

We need a Manhattan Project to manufacture SLF. Now.

So, what to do? How do we drop energy costs to a manageable level?

Simple:

1. Open all the US territory to drilling for oil. ALL of it.
2. Open the ANWR to drilling right now.
3. Federalize power, oil and gas production permitting requirements so that a single permit is all that is needed to build a powerplant, LNG facility, drill for oil or build a refinery.
These three items will drive the cost of energy down to the point that gas will be under $2.50 per gallon immediately in an effort to preclude these steps from being economical. Short range victory for the US.
4. Allow the immediate permitting and construction of nuclear powerplants. Change tax codes to encourage energy production.
5. Dedicate all resources required to develop a SLF, the patents to be United States property.
6. Encourage the production of stand alone solar energy units of the 1-25KW size in areas of appropriate weather. Make them easy to shop for and install.

Simple. Quick. Effective.

Oil, Energy and the Economy

A robust and growing American economy is due to a number of factors:

• Productivity of the American worker;
• Abundant natural resources;
• Low government overhead;
• Low energy costs.

The American worker is one of the most productive in the world, bar none. Toyota and Honda build cars here because they are better and cheaper than the ones built by Japanese workers.

We have abundant natural resources compared to any other industrialized country.

Although we complain of high taxes, they are the lowest in industrialized world.

Until now, energy costs have been relatively low. We have not been energy taxed to the hilt like the European countries. With the current spike in energy prices, our economy is in a precarious position. The European countries have the same problem, except made worse by their taxation. They do have the advantage of much smaller distances to overcome, but diesel at $9.50 per gallon is destroying their economy, also.

Energy prices need to come down. $140.00 per barrel of oil with the profit going to the various forces of evil that oppose our way of life is not good.

What is the solution?

We need CHEAP ENERGY. Period.

What does that mean?

Nuclear power, synthetic liquid fuel that can be burned in internal combustion engines, solar power that works cheaply, where it makes sense. Increased efficiency.

Most important, this all needs to be based on SOLID SCIENCE. Not the junk science of Global Warming.

SOLID SCIENCE will bring us a solution. It is inconceivable that a synthetic liquid fuel cannot be manufactured if we have access to unlimited capital, say 100 Billion dollars, unlimited talent and unlimited (nuclear) energy.

The time is NOW.

Airlines, Capacity and Survival

For airlines to survive the revenue per used seat mile must exceed the cost per used seat mile. For some this is “Rocket Science”, for others it is elementary math. For anyone in the airline industry it is an obvious fact.

Currently fuel prices are in an upward spiral, out of control and irrational. That does not change the fact that they are up 100 percent in the last year. Fuel would seem to be a constant fraction of costs, about 30 percent. Not true, the fuel fraction of costs is actually about 67 percent due to its influence in the other sectors.

The era of cheap travel is gone. So long as our governments allow the price of energy to be artificially inflated, the airlines have no choice. They either raise the yield, that is the revenue per aircraft mile or they go out of business.

The number of people traveling today is based on old energy costs. When the price of flying doubles, which it must, the number of people who can afford to fly drops about 75 percent. People who can afford the higher fares will not fly in the current cramped seating. Thus, the airlines need to cut their capacity by about 60 percent. With 40 percent of the aircraft flying at a lower load factor the airlines can make money.

There is an unintended consequence. Places that depend on drive in traffic will do okay; these are cities like San Diego whose tourism comes mostly from Los Angeles. Areas like Hawaii, whose tourists are almost exclusively air travel customer, will have a major problem as their lower end customers stay home.

Stand by for more economic bad news brought to you by the current administration. But, the Democrats have an even worse solution. We need an energy plan. Watch this space for a real one.

Tooth Violence

Dateline Today
In light of yesterday’s tooth violence incident, I am asking each of you sheep to write or call your legislators and local government officials. We have for too long been subject to the ravages of the wolves’ teeth. Please implore them to pass legislation calling for the immediate registration and then confiscation of all sheep teeth. For too long have we as a herd put up with sheep being eaten by wolves’ teeth. We must ban the ownership, possession or use of sheep teeth. Only if we are truly without a means of defense will the wolves quit eating us.

Some of you have been calling for all sheep to carry sharp teeth as a means of defense. Can you not see how ridiculous that would be? The only way for the sheep to be truly free of tooth violence is for none of us to have teeth.

What about the wolves? Don’t worry, be happy. Your herd management will protect themselves, I mean you.

Regards,

Leandro T. Sheep
Head of the Sheeple

BIG OIL makes WINDFALL PROFITS of a half TRILLION DOLLARS

Nice headlines aren't they?

What is the story under the headline?

On their sales last year the oil companies made $528 Billion Dollars. A lot of money. On that $528 Billion, they paid almost $300 Billion in taxes. The leftover $228 Billion was distributed as profit or share gain and will be taxed to the shareholders at figure of about 30 percent leaving a net real profit of about $150 BILLION, still not bad. Of course, it is only about 3 percent when the government gets their share.

Oh, the government. What does the government get?

Well, glad you asked. The taxes on the oil amounted to 1.3 TRILLION DOLLARS, plus the about 370 BILLION in taxes for a net take of 1.6 TRILLION DOLLARS.

Who is screwing you? Remember, Nancy Pelosi and Patty Murray tell us it is BIG OIL. After all, the government is here to help you. Actually, they are here to help themselves to your money. And, remember this also, they're not happy until you're not happy.

Boy, I sure am glad the Democrats got in to Congress and did something about the $2.30 per gallon price of oil when the Republicans were running things into the ground.

Oh, yes. And, could Barak Omama please call the EU and ask them what temperature my thermostat should be set at?

Baby Seals, NMFS and other Fairy Tails

Authorities Investigate Men's Rescue Of Seal From Net

SAN DIEGO -- Two men who ventured into a protected seal colony in La Jolla this week to free one of the sea mammals from a fishing net could face civil or criminal sanctions, a federal spokesman said Friday.

The baby seal has been tangled in a gill net for days, according to area news outlets. And omnipotent federal authorities had not done squat. All of the local federal authorities with the power normally reserved for God were suffering (or benefiting from) cranial rectal inversion.

The federal marine agency had been working with SeaWorld to come to the animal's aid and had a well-practiced plan of action in the works, according to Jim Milbury, a spokesman for the National Marine Fisheries Service the agency charged with ENFORCING the Marine Mammal Protection Act, not helping those same mammals.

Steve Eddy of San Diego and Mark Katona of Oceanside succeeded in rescuing the animal without harming it or other members of its colony while his agency sat on its backside doing absolutely NOTHING, Milbury acknowledged. Nonetheless, their actions -- while motivated by understandable and humane concern -- had the potential to "do more harm than good," since the men are not experts at handling sea mammals,d not EXPERTS at doing NOTHING like his agency, Milbury said.

Milbury's agency, specialists in sea life and backside sitting opined pompously the pup's predicament did not appear to be putting it in any imminent physical danger. Obviously Milbury enjoys being trussed like a turkey in a net like the little seal above. (actual photo of said seal)

"But obviously, we weren't going to wait forever," he added. JUST TILL THE THING DIED NATURALLY - No Doubt!

The men potentially could be fined if it is determined that they violated the marine-mammal act, which is designed to keep people from harassing seals and other sea creatures, according to Milbury - Also, the agency is concerned about its image. If people ever find out how lame they are, the only way they will keep their jobs is through the ADA.

China Camp

As the major nations of the world sink into the abyss of secular socialism and become paralyzed by their national socialist systems, the United States, which has resisted the anti-God national socialist disease, has become the single most powerful country on the face of the earth. At present the United States has roughly 45 percent of the military forces in the world. Combined with her two closest allies, the other two countries who have not yet slid into the abyss, Australia and England, they possess roughly 55 percent of the world’s military power.

With almost a quarter of the world’s population, China is attempting to fill the void of a “counter power” to the United States. Around the world, China is buying her way into every country she can. Scholarships abound to study in China. Military training exercises with Chinese PLA forces. Goods sold under market to gain entry into countries. With almost 1.4 Billion people, over three times the population of the United States and Australia combined, all under centralized control, all ready to act on the orders of the benevolent instruction of Hu Jintao. China, a country of post partum abortion, volunteer organ donors, laborers who work for the privilege of living, though perhaps not for long, is a force to be reckoned with.

China, mindful of the need to win the hearts and minds of the world, while working their hands around the world’s neck, has developed a new program, Peaceful Rise.

“We will not advance at the expense of others, but rather with others,” Hu Jintao.

China and Russia, our two “allies” are the original source of almost every weapon and round of ammunition used by Mohammedan terrorists around the world, as well as being the source of weapons for the drug cartels.

Good friends.

China – A force of evil, which bears watching. Russia, likewise, I am sure.

Christianity – The Church of Christ or Compassion and Kindness, the Church of Oprah

Many today profess Christianity as their religion, more so than at any time in the past in terms of simple numbers. Yet what do they profess to confess?

Kindness, consideration for others, love of family, many things. So, to be a Christian, is it these things we must believe?

Is it kindness?

Be kind to your web-footed friends
For a duck may be somebody's mother
Be kind to your friends in the swamp
Where the weather is very, very damp

No.

Is it, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”?

No, that is the Golden Rule.

Well, enough of that, what is it that must be believed?

Simply put, to be a Christian one must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, He came into this world and gave His mortal life here that we might have eternal salvation.

If you do not believe that Jesus was the Son of God, think what that means, listen to CS Lewis, "I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, The MacMillan Company, 1960, pp. 40-41.)

We know that when we die our bodies cease to hold our soul. To what end, what now?

Jesus tells us that through His death on the Cross, we gain the grace of God and eternal salvation.

How?

Frankly, that was not explained by Him. Why not? Who knows, it is certainly above my pay grade. CS Lewis, the greatest Christian writer of all time explains it like this in Mere Christianity, “We are told that Christ was killed for us, that His death has washed out our sins, and that by dying He disabled death itself. That is the formula. That is Christianity. That is what has to be believed. Any theories we build up as to how Christ's death did all this are, in my view, quite secondary: mere plans or diagrams to be left alone if they do not help us, and, even if they do help us, not to be confused with the thing itself.

The Church of Oprah would have you believe that Jesus was a nice guy, a great teacher, but certainly not the only key to heaven. What did Jesus say about that?

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14.6

The Church of Oprah and all their counterparts are picking and choosing what they want, the veritable smorgasbord of church theology. They pick what they want taking a few concepts from their poached egg, a few from Aphrodite, a few from Inanna, a few from Lara, a few from Baal and a bit of Molech and there you are. What is right for you may not be right for me.

Those churches are of this world. They do not worship the one true God, they worship Goodness. Goodness which they define and changes daily.

Our actions in this world are in anticipation of the world to come. We follow the lodestar of our God. There is right and there is wrong. It does not change. As Christians, we need to let Christ in to our lives, to let His Word be our guide. There is a tendency these days for people to believe that within each of us is God; a desire to believe that each of us has within themselves the necessary moral compass from which we can navigate our lives. Many “churches” advocate looking to within.

In the words of the song, “Christ within us.” A nice concept, but wrong. The words of the song, “Christ within us,” refers to the letting Christ into our lives to guide us. The Bible gives no credence to the thought that Christ is somehow buried in us and merely needs to be found.

We need to let Christ in to our lives as a point of reference, a polestar by whom we can navigate our lives towards that heavenly shore.

Spreading the Gospel requires each of us to plainly live as Christians and testify to others the value of such a lodestar in our lives. To be the New Man of Saint Paul’s letters, putting off the old. Not looking for God within our old, but rather putting on the new and following the new map with the new compass.

Message from Bishop Richard J. Boyce - Anglican Province of America - Diocese of the West

This message is in response to questions about the position of APA and the Diocese of the West in particular regarding the Common Cause Partnership (CCP).

You have asked each of us for our response in regard to CCP. Although you are aware of my general position already, the following is a statement of why I believe CCP is a necessary commitment for us at present.

1) Biblical Mandate: We are a province which is committed to the authority of Scripture, holding "the One Faith revealed in Holy Writ," maintaining the "Doctrines, Sacraments and Discipline of Christ as the Lord hath commanded in His Holy Word." (from "Solemn Declaration" of the APA Constitution). That Lord is specific in His desires "that they [believers] all may be one, as You Father are in Me and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me." ( St.John 17:20-23), among other passages, with the thought repeated by St.Paul that we are one Body. Although we have many optional practices, oneness is not, not only because you cannot in fact divide Christ but also because it is crucial to the salvation of those who watch us, "that the world may believe." It is a command therefore that we seek diligently to achieve oneness. Those who resist this are no more followers of Biblical authority than the Jesus Seminar or Spong.

2) Anglican Unity; "We declare this Church to be... in full communion with all traditional Anglicans throughout the world, as an integral portion of the One Body of Christ" (also from "Solemn Declaration"). If in particular, we are to be "classic Anglicans" it is clear both from this Declaration and from the very definition of what constitutes an Anglican, that the apostolic and episcopal nature of our Faith requires common cause with other faithful Anglicans. If, as we allege, some, such as the TEC leadership, have strayed from Biblical norms and Anglican Tradition and order, we are hypocritical to then do the same along a different path related primarily to Donatism or sectarian self-righteousness rather than sexual and authority issues. In short, Anglicans belong together unless separated by drastic deviations such as TEC has done. We have been going around saying for a decade or so the Global South, REC and Forward in Faith churches are orthodox Anglicans- therefore what excuse can we possibly use to not talk with them about our shared Faith?

3) What Are We Joining?: CCP is not a jurisdiction nor church. It is a voluntary association of orthodox Anglicans. I know some of our people are still traumatized by the big boot of ECUSA leadership back when they left the Episcopal Church. But this is not the same. We can quit as easily as we can join. To be sure, the clear purpose of CCP is to shape the formation of a new province. That is what Jesus wants (see point #1 above). Surely we don't need to spell out that it should therefore be what we want. Further, the opportunity to sit at the table and help shape the new province is a wonderful way to do mission for classic Anglicanism. Our input as the "elder brother" of American orthodox Anglicanism is invaluable and could reawaken the traditional sense in people who have had to live with pressure from the other direction for a long time. My impression is that Bp. Duncan in particular has gone out of his way to invite our participation in this and it is unthinkable that we would pass it up. Even if our input is not accepted to the point where we could become an integral part of a new province, at least we have had a chance to shape the future of Anglicanism. To withdraw from these discussions, as is now proposed, and then sit back and criticize the outcome when instead we could have shaped the outcome is totally irresponsible. It will have a negative impact not only on the new province but also on us, as we become a marginalized sect of soreheads with nothing Anglican to offer.

4) Polity We talk of the congregationalist mindset and bewail it. But if we leave CCP, we have confirmed it as our real polity. Anglicans, as all catholics, see the basic unit as the diocese not the congregation. We have the right to expect the integrity (sorry about the word, but it is a good one even if the wrong people sometimes claim it) of our dioceses and hopefully the decency to respect the rights of others. But we need to be where the Anglican bishops are.

5) Who Loves Ya? as Kojak used to say. The Global South churches have come to our defense, because we proclaimed the Gospel, the same one they proclaim. They have been punished for this and suffered financial loss, many in areas of desperate poverty. It has been a real blow for them, but they have stuck with us. Now are we to proclaim they are not good enough, either, to even talk with us about the Anglican future of America? No wonder the criticism of our stand has been pretty strong.

6) What Are the Fears?
a) Women will rule our altars.
b) People, especially bishops, we don't like are part of this.
c) We will be forced to change- our parishes will be incorporated into other dioceses, maybe even ones which ordain women, or are (choose one) Anglo-Catholic or Evangelical.
d) We will be forced to use the 1979 BCP, and/or wave our arms in the air at prayer.

To answer:

a) 1.CCP is a discussion group. It has no power to force anything.
2. The great majority of orthodox Anglicans in the world do not ordain women as priests. The situation is the reverse of the ECUSA experience, and it is the minority who ordain women who will be asking for tolerance.
3. Once out of TEC, many who endured women priests have renounced their past (witness Jeffrey Steenson of Rio Grande).
4. The Church of Nigeria does not ordain women as priests, despite rumors and silly statements to the contrary.
5. It appears each jurisdiction will be free to follow its own practice but not to enforce it on others; we could help make sure of this if we sit at the table; some may even phase out women priests.
6. The fail/safe: In the unlikely event the other 5 reasons all are wrong, we do not have to join a new province if it happens. We would be justified in not doing so if this were imposed on us, having tried in the formation talks to prevent it. It is certainly not a reason to refuse to talk to people, most of whom, like ourselves, find women's ordination incorrect.

b) Not liking some people has been the greatest sin in the Continuum and the primary cause of its failure, from 1977 on, to be more than a fragmented and continually fragmenting bunch of ineffective sects instead of the Anglican voice in America. Much of what is happening now would have happened decades ago and in a better way if it were not for our sinful ego preference to trash personalities instead of preach the Gospel. God in His patience and mercy is now giving us a second chance. Unfortunately, obnoxious people are ever with us, and CCP has no monopoly on them. Let us bear our cross about them, remembering Jesus died for them too. They are never a valid reason for dividing Christ's Body.

c) There is no evidence currently of attempts to force polity or bad theology on us. Indeed the opposite is true. Again, if this happens by some ugly turn of events, all we need to do is leave, having done our best in the formation discussion to avoid it. But leaving in anticipation of an unlikely event when unity and the relevance of our Anglicanism to the rest of the church is at stake is unseemly and unfaithful.

d) This kind of pressure is even less likely.

Rumors
Bearing false witness is not taken lightly by God. All the hen talk about which bishops are really running things and how they will pollute the new province with heresies and bad ideas is beneath us. I understand some people would prefer to have church by themselves and never confront the mission being asked of them. That feeling in itself defines them as not Anglican. When such people then employ weapons from rumor through threats of withholding money or "quitting the church," they have by such acts disqualified themselves from contributing to the discussion. When they do so over simply joining an exploratory group, it is clear they are at the least overreacting. I would appeal to anyone opposed to these talks to review what it is they are really afraid of, given that we can decline joining a new province if it is not going to be truly orthodox. They may or may not have a case when we are asked to be a part of a jurisdictional structure. They have no case regarding CCP.

8) An Anglican Church My group joined APA because it was open to Anglican unity. We need a united voice, a good seminary or two, a Christian education resource, a national magazine, a profile to help announce the Gospel to a needy nation. We need to be part of a world of inspiring orthodox Anglican leaders. Should I give all that up to join an isolated cult of complainers?

All this is not intended to offend, just to plead with the worried among us to rethink our CCP participation.

- Richard J. Boyce
Bishop of the Diocese of the West
Anglican Province of America