Memorial Day

Almost all of us get the day off tomorrow.  Many will have a BBQ or a picnic or just spend the day relaxing.

But, tomorrow is more than just a Bank Holiday.  Tomorrow is Memorial Day; that day set aside to remember those who have given their lives to gain our freedom and defend it from those who would enslave our country.  To those men and women and the families they left behind we owe an un-payable debt.  It will suffice to remember why we take the day off.

Our country is free because when she called many stepped forward to sign a blank check to pay her freedom debt.  They signed knowing the check could be filled in with any figure, up to and including their lives.  When they signed, they signed not only for their future, but that of their family.  Some of those blank checks were filled in for little.  Some were filled in for the entire amount.  

They put their lives on the line that you might be free.  Some never came home.

Many of us signed one of those blank checks or a family member did.  I think each of us knows how fortunate we were that the check we signed got filled in for just a little.  We all have friends whose check was filled in for the full amount.

Remember them on Memorial Day; remember their families.  Remember the sacrifice every time you vote.  Freedom is not free.  It never was, it never will be.

God -  Honor - Country

The Church of Rome extends an olive branch to Anglicans

The Roman Catholic Church holds itself out as the one true and original church to which one must return if one is to be a “True Christian.” The Eastern Orthodox Church holds the same view about themselves, but that is a subject for a later discussion. So to keep everyone happy and joined as one true church, one would have to join both I suppose.

Let’s look at the Church of Rome, shall we? The one true and original church was established some time after 60AD. The beginning of the Anglican Church came when by Joseph of Ariamethia established the first church at Glastonbury, in Britannia, in 37 AD. So much for the original part.

True?

The Anglican Church motto is Scripture • Reason • Tradition. Article Six of the Articles of Religion states:

VI. Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation.

Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation.

If you are having trouble deciphering that, what it says is if it not in the Bible you don’t have to believe it.

What is the Church of Rome’s motto? Not being really certain, one can only look at their actions and determine it is Dogma • Dogma • Dogma. The Church of Rome believes its dogma overrides Scripture. It discourages Bible reading because otherwise its adherents might ask why the Church says one thing and the Pope says another.

Examples?

Take the question of celibate priests and bishops. What does the Bible say? Let’s look at First Timothy Chapter Three

THIS is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (for if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

A True Church demands allegiance to God first. Where is Rome’s allegiance? To the “Church”, not the body of believers, but the Church of Rome. Example? Take a look at the handling of the various homosexual pedophile priests. When the Church found out, what did it do? Transfer them to another church jurisdiction and put them in charge of children’s programs.

It goes on and on. We returned to the Bible 500 years ago. There is no point in leaving it now.

This Anglican would be happy to have there be one Church of God. The Church of Rome is not the Church of God.

The Pope extends an olive branch to Anglicans, read Episcopalians, who are disturbed by homosexual priest and bishops. He offers to “let” them join a church which disregards the Bible and actively aids and abets homosexual pedophile priests and presumably bishops.

We can unify under our Lord when they return to Him. In the meantime, Hap to Pope, “NO!”

Just in case anyone missed the message, this Anglican is no longer acceptant of “Anglo Catholic” practices. We are a Protestant Catholic faith. We believe in the Bible. We accept the Protestant interpretation of the Book of Common Prayer to be as far towards Rome as we care to go. If you have any questions, ask yourself, “Is this supported by scripture?” Or, is it something invented by some guy with a backward collar to make himself feel more important.

Thoughts on the Roman offer of unity - Reception of Anglican Groups, etc.

It would seem that a united Christian church would be a grand idea and in keeping with the direction given us by our Lord. Yet, under what terms?

Recently Rome has offered up the prospect of receiving Anglicans in particular into their fold, thus increasing “unity.” Is this unity a good unity or a bad unity?

Before one can decide good or bad, one should look at the standard.

Are we to be a biblically based Christian church or not?

The answer for Anglicans is that we reformed our church to comply with biblical standards five hundred or so years ago.

And the Church of Rome? Do they conform to biblical standards?

The answer is clearly a resounding NO!

We wish to be catholic, as in universal, yet we are protestant. Is that a conflict?

Are we catholic? A loud YES! We believe in those things Christians have always believed in as defined in the Nicene Creed.

Are we protestant? Also a loud YES! We protested against the errors of Rome when that church left the Bible far behind. Rome consistently values tradition and self-serving, self-developed dogma over scripture. Their loyalty is to their “church” here on earth rather than to our Lord.

Would it be good to come together? Certainly!

On what terms? Simple, we can unify under our Lord when they return to Him. In the meantime, NO.

Blackberry 9530 Storm does not sync with Mac OSX - With MarkSpace or PocketMac

The Missing Sync for BlackBerry 2.0.2

Known Snow Leopard Compatibility Issues

• USB charging feature does not work for some devices on 64-bit systems.
• All other features, including synchronization, function properly with Snow Leopard.
• Phonebooks are wiped out or addresses are randomly duplicated.
• iCAL entries are randomly wiped out, reassigned or mixed up

This software is absolute rubbish and dangerous rubbish at that. The company apparently does know how to make software, the Windows Mobile software reportedly syncs perfectly. They seem to have abandoned the Blackberry software. Perhaps it is because RIM is coming out with Blackberry Desktop Manager for Mac. No way of telling.

Do not buy this software and if you did - DO NOT USE IT. Save yourself!

Anglican Church in North America

Anglican Church – The name the Church of England goes by around the world. A series of self-contained, self-governing national churches guided by the principles established in England in the mid-1500s when the national church was reformed to correct the errors of the church in Rome and to remove foreign influences.

Since the Revolutionary War ended the Anglican Church in the United States had been known as the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States (PECUSA). It later dropped “Protestant” and has now dropped “of the United States.”

About 135 years ago a group split from the PECUSA over an understanding of baptism and a feeling that the PECUSA was becoming too “Roman” in their understanding of the church. This group became the Reformed Episcopal Church (REC).

In the 1960s radicals began to take over leadership positions in the church, advocating pacifism, abortion, homosexual primacy and other similar positions. For a church which had spawned roughly 40 percent of the country’s presidents and military flag officers, that was unacceptable to many. People dropped out, priests dropped out, no bishops dropped out. The dropouts formed small groups, which coalesced into parishes and dioceses, even into nationwide churches. Often mocked by TEC, they were known as the Continuing Church.

Some of the Continuing Churches of the Anglican denomination in the United States are attempting to coalesce into what would be known as the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). This process is slow and cumbersome, yet on a fast track. It is slow and cumbersome because it is being lead by people without clear vision and good communications skills. Its Arch Bishop selectee, Robert Duncan, was a TEC bishop until about six months ago. He was one of three bishops who finally left TEC, apparently following his flock. With 20/20 hindsight he has managed to style himself as the leader of the Continuum. A leader who lead his flock to follow God after 95 percent of them had gone ahead.

The ACNA has adopted the English 1662 Book of Common Prayer as their standard. Apparently this was done as it is the “Standard” of the Worldwide Anglican Communion. This is flawed reasoning as the Anglican Church is designed to be a national church. The logical book to adopt as standard was the 1928 American Book of Common Prayer. That apparently could not be done as Bob Duncan and the other two leaders had backed the 1979 Book which claimed to be a Book of Common Prayer, but was not. The 1979 Book clearly paved the way for female and homosexual ordinations. They could not admit they were wrong. In addition, they want to be able to leave the 1979 book in place.

In addition, styling the new group as North American rejects the central concept of the national church. Although the Canadian Continuum is small, they deserve their own province.

The Continuum operates on a small budget. For instance, the REC’s Diocese of the West, covering about 40 percent of the country operates on a $30,000.00 per year budget. The ACNA being TEC retreads has full time paid staff and different ideas. They want each of the 700 parishes they expect to gain to give a one time “Thank Offering” of $1,000.00. That will give them a nice $700,000.00 nest egg from which to rule.

Below you will read the missive from the ACNA Chief Operating Officer. Before you read it, read my response. It will make your reading more interesting.

Dear Brad,

What, pray tell, should we be so thankful for that we should send you $1,000.00? Seven hundred parishes at a thousand a pop - $700,000.00. That is money. You tell us that this is a time that should be “marked by both celebration and gratitude.” For what?

The ACNA picked a guy who could not find his way out of the proverbial ecclesiastical wet paper bag. It apparently took him 40 years to recognize the TEC was headed to hell. In the mean time, he mis-led his flock.

We should be grateful the ACNA has decided to adopt the 1662 English Book of Common Prayer? I do not think so. The Anglican church was founded on a national model. We are Americans. Not North Americans, not English. We will use an American Book of Common Prayer. Perhaps you would like me to send you a copy of the 1928 American Book of Common Prayer?

We should be grateful that in the future your organization will live off the fat of our diocese with a tithe? How do you feel about 10 percent of $30,000.00? That is what you will get from our diocese.

I want an Anglican Church of the United States, not North America. I want a leader, not a follower.

Tell Bob and the boys, “No thank you.”

With all due respect,

Hap Arnold

Now, feel free to read the begging letter. Oh, yes – if this appeals to you send money.

-----Original Message----- From: news@theacna.org [mailto:news@theacna.org] Sent: Friday, May 08, 2009 10:50 AM Subject: [SPAM] Special ACNA Thank Offering

Greetings in the name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

I am writing to give you advance notification of a mailing that you should expect to receive early next week. It is a letter to you and your vestry from Archbishop-Designate Robert Duncan of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). Upon receipt I ask that you and your Vestry prayerfully receive this invitation of financial support with a gracious heart, and respond as generosity as you can for the sake of all that God has bestowed upon us and is doing among us.

This special Thank Offering was presented to and strongly endorsed by all of the Lead Bishops and Stewardship Group when our Provincial Council met last month to formally accept the 28 dioceses and dioceses-in-formation from all across North America. The idea is to collect an average of $1,000 from each of our more than 700 congregations. It will allow us to start-up effectively and meet the initial financial needs of the new provincial office. In the years ahead, the operations of our province will be funded by regular tithes from our dioceses, not extraordinary congregational offerings.

Full details of this extremely important offering including a sample bulletin insert, suitable for reproduction, and a return envelope will be enclosed in this forthcoming mailing. This offering can be taken on Pentecost and subsequent Sundays up to June 21st (the Eve of the Inaugural Provincial Assembly). We would also encourage your church to include news of this offering in leaflets and newsletters the next few Sundays.

This is an incredibly exciting time marked by both celebration and gratitude. No one among us doubts what the Lord has undertaken for us. The outcome of this offering will be instrumental to our start-up as we begin to fulfill our mission of "Reaching North America with the Transforming Love of Jesus Christ." Thank you in advance for your support and please do not hesitate to contact me directly should you have any questions.

I remain deeply grateful for the tremendous privilege of serving you and your parish.

Blessings, Brad B. Root

Chief Operating Officer Anglican Church in North America (724) 266-9400 brad.root@theacna.org

Barack Obama – Why do people think he is anti-business?

He is not just anti-business. 0bama is anti-American, anti-capitalism, anti-Christian and anti-freedom.

The now President Obama has never in his entire life had a real private sector job. Never. He has never had to work for a living where his output determined his pay. He was the victim of equal outcome education. This man’s first executive experience is the job of President of the United States.

Surrounded in his early years by homosexuals, socialists and communists, he came out pretty well considering. He looks good in a suit and doesn’t drool when not talking. That pretty much qualified him for Democratic office in Illinois, at least in the big city precincts he was elected from.

After eight years of constant mainstream media and Hollywood assault, the people thought they wanted CHANGE.

Now they have change. Not money, but the change that is left after the bills are paid. Not one heck of a lot of change, either.

Barack Obama ran for office saying he would be the agent of CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN. We suppose that is as opposed to change you cannot believe in.

We have change. The market (and our retirement) is at a bit less than half of what it was under President Bush’s watch. We are incurring a tax burden about double that under President Bush. We are turning over our health care to a CZAR for rationing to balance the budget. After all, old people are going to die anyway. Why waste treatment on them, merely to extend their otherwise miserable lives. It is clear that there is not enough access to infanticide, thus the government is decreeing that all health professionals are required to provide infanticide services. This is regardless of their personal beliefs. The right of those who wish to murder their child supercedes others right to not participate.

We bail out companies too big to fail with money taken at the point of a gun from those too small to resist.

KEEP YOUR CHANGE

Faith, Hope, and Charity

One of the more amazing stories from the Second World War is from the defence of Malta. The situation was desperate. There are plenty of accounts of the heroism of the people, of the sailors who managed to get supplies through to the island, and of the garrison who defended it. Due to the complete incompetence of the civil service and the lack of foresight on the part of the politicians, Malta's air defences were woefully under-strength at the outbreak of the war, and, by the end of 1940, the fighter defences were down to just three Gloster Gladiator fighters.

These three out of date and hopelessly slow fighter planes managed to give a very good account of themselves in battle, being flown by RAF officers whose skill must have been stretched to the limit by the Gladiator's upper high-mounted wing, paltry armament, and slow airspeed when pitched into battle against the faster Aeromacchi and other modern aircraft operated by the Italian Regio Aeronautica.

Note the names these three little outdated aircraft bore as they were thrown into frontline action way beyond their expected capability. They were "Faith", "Hope", and "Charity. Charity survived the longest, holding out until, finally, a squadron of Hurricanes could be flown in to Malta and then enhanced with more, and eventually even Spitfires. As most will recognise, the names come from St Paul's first letter to the Corinthians Chapter 13, which famously begins "Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." Ironic, too, that the word, which has now been debased to mean "free handouts" actually meant, in the days of King James 1, "love". And that in the sense of the Greek word "philos" and not, as the word again seems to have been debased, to mean "eros".

On Death and Dying

When we come in to this world, truly it is on only one condition, that condition is we must leave. All come in. All go out.

Through this world we all pass. Why? This world is a testing ground that each soul must pass through. When all the souls have passed through the earth, it will cease to be. We cannot just go to heaven now, we and all the rest must take the test. God does not test us. He does not put troubles on our back. The troubles we are tested with are the doing of man, random events and the devil. While He does not test us, He does watch how we do. As parents, our most important job is to insure our children get into heaven. Our second most important job is to be there to greet them. A measure of how you have done here is how your children do here. If you do your best and they do their best, all is well. No matter how much or how little you are tested, so long as you do your best (not merely claim to be trying) that is good enough with God’s help.

As imperfect beings with free will, we will never be perfect and will always make bad choices. God has a plan for us – JESUS. Jesus by one single sacrifice one time atoned for all mankind for all time. Recall Jesus’ words in the Gospel according to Saint John, beginning at the First Verse of the Fourteenth Chapter: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” So, if you accept the saving grace Jesus provides, you are heavenbound. He has a place for each of us.

What about those who are not Christians? In Mere Christianity on page 65, CS Lewis writes, “… the truth is God has not told us what His arrangements about other people are. We do know that no man can be saved except through Christ; we do not know that only those who know Him can be saved through Him. But in the meantime, if you are worried about the people outside, the most unreasonable thing you can do is remain outside yourself."

The real point of this is that we do not know what arrangements, if any, God has made for other people. We know what arrangements He made for us when He sent His Son to give His life that we might live. Why take chances.

What is ahead of us in heaven? That is not so clear. What we know for sure is that it is good. Jesus told us that this world is like heaven “viewed darkly, as through a glass.” CS Lewis refers to this world as The Shadowlands. Life there is like here, except real.

Too many people have been visited by both angels and their family members who have gone before to doubt we will join those who have gone before us in happiness. All things required for our happiness will be there. To questions like, “Will I be able to fly?” One must answer, ‘Either you will be able to fly if that is what you want or you will be so happy with what is there, you won’t remember you wanted to fly.” Not a perfect answer, but an honest one.

When we think of death, it seems so final. No one comes back from death. Not true, Jesus did and both Moses and Elias visited Jesus in the presence of the disciples. On the other hand, for the rest of us, it is a one way trip. Think of death as in years gone past, Australia. When one left England for their new life in Australia, they were never to come back. Because of the time involved in the sailing transit, they were for the most part never heard of again. Did they still live? But, of course. Was their life better than in England? But, of course. At the same time, it was a one way trip. In this sense, we all go to Australia; Christians, at least. Concentrate on reuniting with your family in Australia. Make sure you don’t miss the boat.

Concentrate not on the temporary separation, but rather unity in heaven for eternity.

A French OMLT infantryman describes interaction with the 506th Infantry (Airmobile) in Afghanistan

The US often hears echoes of worldwide hostility against the application of its foreign policy, but seldom are they reached by the voices of those who experience first hand how close we are to the USA. In spite of contextual political differences and conflicting interests that generate friction, we do share the same fundamental values - and when push comes to shove that is what really counts.

Through the eyes of that French OMLT (Operational Mentoring Liaison Teams) infantryman, you can see how strong the bond is on the ground. In contrast with the Americans, the French soldiers don’t seem to write much online - or maybe the proportion is the same but we just have less people deployed. Whatever the reason, this is a rare and moving testimony which is why I decided to translate it into English, so that American people can catch a glimpse of the way European soldiers see them. Not much high philosophy here, just the first-hand impressions of a soldier in contact - but that only makes it more authentic.

Here is a translation of the original article in French:

We have shared our daily life with two US units - the first and fourth companies of the 506th Infantry (Airmobile). To the common man, it is a unit just like any other. But we live with them and got to know them, and we henceforth know that we have the honor to live with one of the most renowned units of the US Army - one that the movies brought to the public as a series showing “ordinary soldiers thrust into extraordinary events”.

Who are they, those soldiers from abroad, how is their daily life, and what support do they bring to the men of our OMLT every day? Few of them belong to the Easy Company, the one the TV series focuses on. This one nowadays is named Echo Company, and it has become the support company.

They have a terribly strong American accent - from our point of view the language they speak is not even English. How many times did I have to write down what I wanted to say rather than waste precious minutes trying various pronunciations of a seemingly common word? Whatever state they are from, no two accents are alike, and they even admit that in some crisis situations they have difficulties understanding each other.

Heavily built, fed at the earliest age with Gatorade, proteins and creatine - they are all heads and shoulders taller than us and their muscles remind us of Rambo. Our frames are amusingly skinny to them - we are wimps, even the strongest of us - and because of that they often mistake us for Afghans.

Here we discover America as it is often depicted: their values are taken to their paroxysm, often amplified by promiscuity, lack of privacy, and the loneliness of this outpost in the middle of that Afghan valley. Honor, motherland - everything here reminds of that: the American flag floating in the wind above the outpost, just like the one on the post parcels. Even if recruits often originate from the hearth of American cities and gang territory, no one here has any goal other than to hold high and proud the star-spangled banner. Each man knows he can count on the support of a whole people who provides them through the mail all that an American could miss in such a remote front-line location: books, chewing gums, razor blades, Gatorade, toothpaste etc. in such way that every man is aware of how much the American people back him in his difficult mission. And that is a first shock to our preconceptions: the American soldier is no individualist. The team, the group, the combat te am are the focus of all his attention.

And they are impressive warriors! We have not come across bad ones, as strange at it may seem to you when you know how critical French people can be. Even if some of them are a bit on the heavy side, all of them provide us everyday with lessons in infantry know-how. Beyond the wearing of a combat kit that never seem to discomfort them (helmet strap, helmet, combat goggles, rifles etc.) the long hours of watch at the outpost never seem to annoy them in the slightest. On the one square meter wooden tower above the perimeter wall they stand the five consecutive hours in full battle rattle and night vision goggles on top, their sight unmoving in the directions of likely danger. No distractions, no pauses, they are like statues nights and days. At night, all movements are performed in the dark - only a handful of subdued red lights indicate the occasional presence of a soldier on the move. Same with the vehicles whose lights are covered - everything happens in pitch dark even fil ling the fuel tanks with the Japy pump.

And combat? If you have seen Rambo you have seen it all - always coming to the rescue when one of our teams gets in trouble, and always in the shortest delay. That is one of their tricks: they switch from T-shirt and sandals to combat ready in three minutes. Arriving in contact with the enemy, the way they fight is simple and disconcerting: they just charge! They disembark and assault in stride, they bomb first and ask questions later - which cuts any pussy-footing short.

We seldom hear any harsh word, and from 5 AM onwards the camp chores are performed in beautiful order and always with excellent spirit. A passing American helicopter stops near a stranded vehicle just to check that everything is all right; an American combat team will rush to support ours before even knowing how dangerous the mission is - from what we have been given to witness, the American soldier is a beautiful and worthy heir to those who liberated France and Europe.

To those who bestow us with the honor of sharing their combat outposts and who everyday give proof of their military excellence, to those who pay the daily tribute of America’s army’s deployment on Afghan soil, to those we owed this article, ourselves hoping that we will always remain worthy of them and to always continue hearing them say that we are all the same band of brothers.

The Beast devouring our Livelihood and Liberty

How the government tells us when they are lying and when they don’t.

The dilemma, the government needs to fund highway maintenance without cutting essential programs such as welfare and bureaucracy.

The Headline: National commission wants to hike fuel taxes, impose driving fees to pay for highways

The Story: The government wants to move to a new system that taxes motorists according to how much they use roads.

The real Problem: A gas tax hike was one of the reasons Democrats lost control of the House and Senate in the 1994 elections.

So, what? They want a mileage-based revenue system. This means equipping every car and truck with a device that uses global positioning satellites and transponders to record how many miles the vehicle has been driven, the type of roads and time of day. Creation and installation of such a system would take about 10 years. This clearly means a system that knows where you are, when you are and all the Orwellian consequence. So, what the government needs to do is assure the sheeple such a system will be designed to prevent vehicles from being "tracked in some big brotherish way."

Analysis – The American Sheeple are so stupid they will wholeheartedly agree. After all, these are the same people who find high school graduate 30 year patrolman police officers making about $100,000,00 a year, retiring at age 55 at $125,000.00 per year, plus medical, to be underpaid.

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.