Friday, February 11, 2005
Yahoo! News - State Seeks to End 'Power Hour' Drinking
In an attempt to end the practice of "Power Hour" birthday celebrations where young people try and down 21 shots of alcohol in the first hour they are 21, North Dakota lawmakers want to pass a law making it illegal to purchase alcohol until 8am on your 21st birthday.
Ok, drinking 21 shots unless you weigh 7 or 800 lbs is just stupid. Bars should not help people try and kill themselves and anyone of normal size stands a pretty good chance of just that depending on what they decide to shoot during their 21 shot 'Power Hour' marathon.
One man has already died in ND as have many young people all over the country. It is becoming a large problem and one we must do what we can to solve.
But passing a law to change the time you can buy beer and shots is not going to do it. What are these guys and gals thinking? If the kids do it at midnight, why wouldn't they just do it the next day? Changing the time is not the solution, it just gets nice press for those who drafted such a silly law.
Here is my suggestion: Make it illegal to do the 21 shot celebration. Fine bars if they serve this potentially fatal dose of liquor to such inexperienced drinkers and fine the friends and others who allow it to happen.
If someone tried to kill themselves in the middle of a crowded bar and no one did anything to stop it, I'm sure charges would be filled and someone would be found guilty of a crime, probably the bar owners themselves for not providing proper security. Why should it be any different with shots on your birthday?
Don't add another stupid law. Make a good one and just make it illegal to kill yourself with booze on your B-day or serve others who try, not change the time you are legally able to do it. That's just stupid.
In an attempt to end the practice of "Power Hour" birthday celebrations where young people try and down 21 shots of alcohol in the first hour they are 21, North Dakota lawmakers want to pass a law making it illegal to purchase alcohol until 8am on your 21st birthday.
Ok, drinking 21 shots unless you weigh 7 or 800 lbs is just stupid. Bars should not help people try and kill themselves and anyone of normal size stands a pretty good chance of just that depending on what they decide to shoot during their 21 shot 'Power Hour' marathon.
One man has already died in ND as have many young people all over the country. It is becoming a large problem and one we must do what we can to solve.
But passing a law to change the time you can buy beer and shots is not going to do it. What are these guys and gals thinking? If the kids do it at midnight, why wouldn't they just do it the next day? Changing the time is not the solution, it just gets nice press for those who drafted such a silly law.
Here is my suggestion: Make it illegal to do the 21 shot celebration. Fine bars if they serve this potentially fatal dose of liquor to such inexperienced drinkers and fine the friends and others who allow it to happen.
If someone tried to kill themselves in the middle of a crowded bar and no one did anything to stop it, I'm sure charges would be filled and someone would be found guilty of a crime, probably the bar owners themselves for not providing proper security. Why should it be any different with shots on your birthday?
Don't add another stupid law. Make a good one and just make it illegal to kill yourself with booze on your B-day or serve others who try, not change the time you are legally able to do it. That's just stupid.
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Yahoo! News - Wis. Man Says Beer Choice Cost Him Job
Isac Aguero, 24, of Racine Wisconsin and a forklift driver for four years at CJW Inc., a Miller Brewing distributing company, was caught by the local paper while out partying on a Saturday night drinking a Bud Light.
When his picture hit the streets on Monday in the "On the Town" feature of the paper covering the local night life, his employers were none too happy to find him drinking the competition and fired him on the spot.
He says he knew there was trouble when he arrived at work and his fellow employees told him he was in big trouble over the photo. A little while later he was called into the general manager's office and fired.
He says they gave no reason, and sales manager Thomas Bey says the company doesn't talk about past or present employees.
Looks like the beer folks are as bad as the drug folks. Step out of line and they might not shoot you, but they will surely fire you.
I hope he sues the crap out of them and that Anheuser Busch sends him a lifetime supply of his favorite brew for helping them get such great publicity.
Isac Aguero, 24, of Racine Wisconsin and a forklift driver for four years at CJW Inc., a Miller Brewing distributing company, was caught by the local paper while out partying on a Saturday night drinking a Bud Light.
When his picture hit the streets on Monday in the "On the Town" feature of the paper covering the local night life, his employers were none too happy to find him drinking the competition and fired him on the spot.
He says he knew there was trouble when he arrived at work and his fellow employees told him he was in big trouble over the photo. A little while later he was called into the general manager's office and fired.
He says they gave no reason, and sales manager Thomas Bey says the company doesn't talk about past or present employees.
Looks like the beer folks are as bad as the drug folks. Step out of line and they might not shoot you, but they will surely fire you.
I hope he sues the crap out of them and that Anheuser Busch sends him a lifetime supply of his favorite brew for helping them get such great publicity.
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Yahoo! News - Station Offers Free Valentine's Divorce
This is just gross. But we have all learned to expect such things from rock radio stations whose listeners eat this up. They need to make their listeners happy, so I won't blame the station like many.
K-rock in Syracuse NY is giving away a divorce for Valentines day. It has a retail value of over $1400 and is for the people whose valentine's day is unhappy because of their marital problems.
Local clergy called it tasteless.
Think this is wrong? Or do you think it's funny? Visit the
This is just gross. But we have all learned to expect such things from rock radio stations whose listeners eat this up. They need to make their listeners happy, so I won't blame the station like many.
K-rock in Syracuse NY is giving away a divorce for Valentines day. It has a retail value of over $1400 and is for the people whose valentine's day is unhappy because of their marital problems.
Local clergy called it tasteless.
"A divorce is a death, the death of a dream," said the Rev. Joseph Champlin, rector at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. "You wouldn't make a joke out of someone who died, would you?"Oh, yes Reverend, they would. They do it all the time and listeners love it.
Think this is wrong? Or do you think it's funny? Visit the
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Yahoo! News - Glitch Puts Gas Price at 19 Cents a Gallon
If the gas pump machine makes a mistake and only charges you .19 cents for gas you know costs much, much more, what would you do?
Customers in Overland Park Kansas would steal the gas, that's what they would do.
It seems a computer glitch at George Riley's Phillips 66 gas station lowered the price of gas from $1.83 per gallon to .19 cents for an entire night last weekend. No body at the station noticed until a TV reporter caught wind of the savings and called to inquire about it.
Callers to the local talk radio shows knew all about it and one truck driver reported it was all over the CB radio. During the time of the glitch, 1200 gallons were pumped by people excited to find such an unexpected bargain.
But did they know it was a bargain? Did the signs say .19 cents? Did any of these people really believe the gas was that cheap for this weekend?
I don't think they did. Perhaps a few, but I'm sure most people knew what they were doing and felt they were screwing the big oil guys so stealing the gas was OK.
Mr. Riley feels the same way, but amazingly he understands and has refused an offer from a church to help him with the $2000 he has lost. Riley says: "It's hard to blame people, Most people don't realize a small individual owns this business. They think they're getting the big oil company."
But they didn't get the big oil company. Instead, they got poor Mr. Riley who is just a regular guy trying to run a business while his neighbors knowingly steal his product and hurt him and his family with their greed.
Not one single person has shown up to give back what is owed. Not one. What does that say about the fine people who live in Overland Park Kansas?
You decide, I already have.
If the gas pump machine makes a mistake and only charges you .19 cents for gas you know costs much, much more, what would you do?
Customers in Overland Park Kansas would steal the gas, that's what they would do.
It seems a computer glitch at George Riley's Phillips 66 gas station lowered the price of gas from $1.83 per gallon to .19 cents for an entire night last weekend. No body at the station noticed until a TV reporter caught wind of the savings and called to inquire about it.
Callers to the local talk radio shows knew all about it and one truck driver reported it was all over the CB radio. During the time of the glitch, 1200 gallons were pumped by people excited to find such an unexpected bargain.
But did they know it was a bargain? Did the signs say .19 cents? Did any of these people really believe the gas was that cheap for this weekend?
I don't think they did. Perhaps a few, but I'm sure most people knew what they were doing and felt they were screwing the big oil guys so stealing the gas was OK.
Mr. Riley feels the same way, but amazingly he understands and has refused an offer from a church to help him with the $2000 he has lost. Riley says: "It's hard to blame people, Most people don't realize a small individual owns this business. They think they're getting the big oil company."
But they didn't get the big oil company. Instead, they got poor Mr. Riley who is just a regular guy trying to run a business while his neighbors knowingly steal his product and hurt him and his family with their greed.
Not one single person has shown up to give back what is owed. Not one. What does that say about the fine people who live in Overland Park Kansas?
You decide, I already have.
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Yahoo! News - North Korea Demands Two-Way Talks, U.S. Refuses
North Korea says it wants to have direct talks with the United States because the only reason they are in possession of nuclear weapons in the first place is to defend themselves against American aggression. But the US refuses and want's them to talk to their neighbors first in six way multilateral talks instead.
Condoleezza Rice says "North Korea should have no reason to believe that any nation wants to attack them, that there's a proposal on table that provides the way forward for North Korea to eliminate its nuclear weapons program and to realize better relations with the international community when they make that commitment."
But I think I'm with Korea on this one, and that's something I never thought I would say because I do believe Kim Jong Il is crazy and does pose a threat to his neighbors and the rest of the world as an overly aggressive dictator.
But who are we trying to fool? Do we really believe the rest of the world has the memory of your average teenage stoner and forgets so easily our own aggressive posturing?
What do you mean no reason to think anyone wants to attack them? Are they not one of the three countries our president called "the axis of evil" and said they should be wiped from the face of the earth?
Have we not already invaded one of those countries and in our most recent state of the union address, our president once again threatened another of the "axis of evil", by suggesting Iran may be next if they don't abandon their own nuclear energy plans.
I think if I was one of those two remaining "evil countries" I would be posturing and developing whatever weapons I could to defend myself from the world's most technologically advanced military force ever. America is on a rampage, this "war on terror" seems to make up it's enemies on an almost daily basis and no one is safe from the wrath of the angered and wounded eagle and they know it.
How easy would it be for the US to destroy both these countries? How big is North Korea or Iran anyway? Florida? Alaska? How hard would it be for the US to completely annihilate them if we choose? Not very and they know it.
I've never understood the US position that everyone should get rid of nuclear weapons except us and our allies. We are the only country full of "good people" who should be allowed to have such dangerous weapons and everyone should just trust us?
I don't think we would think the same way if the tables were turned and I'm sure the rest of the world is not as trusting of us as we would like to think. Our foreign policy has always put the interests of the US above all else, which perhaps it should, but don't ask our enemies or our friends to get rid of the same weapons we stockpile like mad.
I'm so sick of hearing about how evil other countries are because they have the same weapons we have or worse, we gave them to them in the first place and now they are not our friends so we freak out.
Why shouldn't everyone have nuclear weapons if we can? IF they are such horrible things, why don't the good people of the US do everything they can to demand that we wipe this abomination from the face of the earth and make sure that no one ever gets to use nuclear weapons again?
I mean really, we are the ones who invented and used them in the first place. We killed tens of thousands in an instant, then we did it again a week later. We killed innocent women and children and wiped out two entire towns, not military targets or bases, but cities full of women, children and the elderly.
Who are we to be the only ones to have these weapons? Who are we to demand that everyone else give up all nuclear weapons and energy programs while we enjoy the benefits of this technology and continue our own research and development of more powerful and smaller tactical weapons?
Are we really the "good people" we like to think if we want to be the only ones in the world with the power to destroy entire countries with the push of a button?
America the great, home of the brave and land of the free? Or America the big bully who wants to run around the world demanding that everyone act and think like us or face our nuclear wrath?
I'd like to believe the first one, but our actions lately have the world convinced we are the second. And I'm not sure I blame them.
North Korea says it wants to have direct talks with the United States because the only reason they are in possession of nuclear weapons in the first place is to defend themselves against American aggression. But the US refuses and want's them to talk to their neighbors first in six way multilateral talks instead.
Condoleezza Rice says "North Korea should have no reason to believe that any nation wants to attack them, that there's a proposal on table that provides the way forward for North Korea to eliminate its nuclear weapons program and to realize better relations with the international community when they make that commitment."
But I think I'm with Korea on this one, and that's something I never thought I would say because I do believe Kim Jong Il is crazy and does pose a threat to his neighbors and the rest of the world as an overly aggressive dictator.
But who are we trying to fool? Do we really believe the rest of the world has the memory of your average teenage stoner and forgets so easily our own aggressive posturing?
What do you mean no reason to think anyone wants to attack them? Are they not one of the three countries our president called "the axis of evil" and said they should be wiped from the face of the earth?
Have we not already invaded one of those countries and in our most recent state of the union address, our president once again threatened another of the "axis of evil", by suggesting Iran may be next if they don't abandon their own nuclear energy plans.
I think if I was one of those two remaining "evil countries" I would be posturing and developing whatever weapons I could to defend myself from the world's most technologically advanced military force ever. America is on a rampage, this "war on terror" seems to make up it's enemies on an almost daily basis and no one is safe from the wrath of the angered and wounded eagle and they know it.
How easy would it be for the US to destroy both these countries? How big is North Korea or Iran anyway? Florida? Alaska? How hard would it be for the US to completely annihilate them if we choose? Not very and they know it.
I've never understood the US position that everyone should get rid of nuclear weapons except us and our allies. We are the only country full of "good people" who should be allowed to have such dangerous weapons and everyone should just trust us?
I don't think we would think the same way if the tables were turned and I'm sure the rest of the world is not as trusting of us as we would like to think. Our foreign policy has always put the interests of the US above all else, which perhaps it should, but don't ask our enemies or our friends to get rid of the same weapons we stockpile like mad.
I'm so sick of hearing about how evil other countries are because they have the same weapons we have or worse, we gave them to them in the first place and now they are not our friends so we freak out.
Why shouldn't everyone have nuclear weapons if we can? IF they are such horrible things, why don't the good people of the US do everything they can to demand that we wipe this abomination from the face of the earth and make sure that no one ever gets to use nuclear weapons again?
I mean really, we are the ones who invented and used them in the first place. We killed tens of thousands in an instant, then we did it again a week later. We killed innocent women and children and wiped out two entire towns, not military targets or bases, but cities full of women, children and the elderly.
Who are we to be the only ones to have these weapons? Who are we to demand that everyone else give up all nuclear weapons and energy programs while we enjoy the benefits of this technology and continue our own research and development of more powerful and smaller tactical weapons?
Are we really the "good people" we like to think if we want to be the only ones in the world with the power to destroy entire countries with the push of a button?
America the great, home of the brave and land of the free? Or America the big bully who wants to run around the world demanding that everyone act and think like us or face our nuclear wrath?
I'd like to believe the first one, but our actions lately have the world convinced we are the second. And I'm not sure I blame them.
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Yahoo! News - Parents Protest Student Computer ID Tags
An elementary school in Sutter California is requiring students to wear radio badges that track their every movement at school.
Some parents at Brittan Elementary are outraged their kids will be subjected to such seemingly unimaginable things. Administrators say it's a way to simplify attendance and will help cut down on vandalism. Principal Earnie Graham says he hopes to add barcodes so kids can pay for lunch and check out books from the library automatically.
Does this sound super weird to anyone? I understand the whole need for security at an elementary school, but isn't this taking it a little overboard? Should six year olds really have to pay for their school lunch by implant? Who gets to be student 666?
The plan was implemented without parental input and some wonder if there is a better way.
I have to agree with Mr. Cantrall, this is crazy and I wish him luck in his lawsuit.
An elementary school in Sutter California is requiring students to wear radio badges that track their every movement at school.
Some parents at Brittan Elementary are outraged their kids will be subjected to such seemingly unimaginable things. Administrators say it's a way to simplify attendance and will help cut down on vandalism. Principal Earnie Graham says he hopes to add barcodes so kids can pay for lunch and check out books from the library automatically.
Does this sound super weird to anyone? I understand the whole need for security at an elementary school, but isn't this taking it a little overboard? Should six year olds really have to pay for their school lunch by implant? Who gets to be student 666?
The plan was implemented without parental input and some wonder if there is a better way.
"There is a way to make kids safer without making them feel like a piece of inventory," said Michael Cantrall, one of several angry parents who complained. "Are we trying to bring them up with respect and trust, or tell them that you can't trust anyone, you are always going to be monitored, and someone is always going to be watching you?"
I have to agree with Mr. Cantrall, this is crazy and I wish him luck in his lawsuit.
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Yahoo! News - California Considers Ban on Pet Cloning Well, it's about time someone got around to this.
Got $50,000? One company in California will clone your cat and is currently working on a dog cloning process, but if one California lawmaker is successful, they might be out of business before they even start.
Citing the millions of unwanted pets euthanised in America every year, and the effect cloned animals could have on research, Lloyd Levine of the California Assembly says it's unregulated and targets vulnerable people so he plans to introduce legislation to ban the practice before it becomes epidemic.
One person from Texas has already had a cat cloned and four more are in various stages of development at Sausalito based Genetic Savings & Clone Inc who say this is all the work of animal rights activists and they will fight.
I can't believe we need legislation to stop this because there is a lucrative market for it. What are people thinking when we put to death so many perfectly good animals every year that they need to clone beloved Fluffy for the yearly wages of two families?
Let Fluffy go.... He's in a better place.... time to love a new Fluffy and you can build an animal rescue mission with the savings.
Can it really be emotionally healthy to feel the need to clone your cat?
Got $50,000? One company in California will clone your cat and is currently working on a dog cloning process, but if one California lawmaker is successful, they might be out of business before they even start.
Citing the millions of unwanted pets euthanised in America every year, and the effect cloned animals could have on research, Lloyd Levine of the California Assembly says it's unregulated and targets vulnerable people so he plans to introduce legislation to ban the practice before it becomes epidemic.
One person from Texas has already had a cat cloned and four more are in various stages of development at Sausalito based Genetic Savings & Clone Inc who say this is all the work of animal rights activists and they will fight.
I can't believe we need legislation to stop this because there is a lucrative market for it. What are people thinking when we put to death so many perfectly good animals every year that they need to clone beloved Fluffy for the yearly wages of two families?
Let Fluffy go.... He's in a better place.... time to love a new Fluffy and you can build an animal rescue mission with the savings.
Can it really be emotionally healthy to feel the need to clone your cat?
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BBC NEWS | Middle East | Abbas sacks security commanders
Looks like Abbas is very serious about the ceasefire between Palestine and Israel. He just sacked a General in charge of security and their national police chief because they failed to stop a rocket attack by Hamas.
Hamas says it's not bound by the ceasefire until it sees Israel completing it's part of the bargain, but Abbas has given strict instructions to his security forces will prevent a repeat attack or those who don't may be fired.
What a great way to get action and something very new to the entire conflict. Maybe now if people start losing their jobs they will do them instead?
Or will it just get rid of a lot of talented people and send them over to Hamas instead or create some civil war or a coup attempt?
We shall see.
Looks like Abbas is very serious about the ceasefire between Palestine and Israel. He just sacked a General in charge of security and their national police chief because they failed to stop a rocket attack by Hamas.
The dismissals are "punitive measures" against officers who failed to do their duty, a spokesman for Mr Abbas said."
Hamas says it's not bound by the ceasefire until it sees Israel completing it's part of the bargain, but Abbas has given strict instructions to his security forces will prevent a repeat attack or those who don't may be fired.
What a great way to get action and something very new to the entire conflict. Maybe now if people start losing their jobs they will do them instead?
Or will it just get rid of a lot of talented people and send them over to Hamas instead or create some civil war or a coup attempt?
We shall see.
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Thursday, February 10, 2005
I thought with Valentines day coming up and all I would do a post on Love. This is a talk I gave two years ago at a church young adult group's Weekend of Christian Living and is the best thing I think I've ever written on the subject of what love is to me. It was quite a hit with the audience then, so I thought I would share it with the rest of you now.
Keep in mind some of this references other talks given at the weekend, but I think I recount the important parts so you will all get the point without having to hear the other very fine talks. The names have been deleted to protect the innocent.
We all know what love is. Companies spend millions to make products and magazines to help us find it. We write songs, stories and poetry to celebrate it and to warn it can destroy us if it is gone.
Love is a wonderful thing. It is something to be sought out and cherished when found. It makes us feel wonderful. It makes life worth living. It is the greatest thing in the whole world. We all need love.
And most of the time we are talking about romantic love. We all want to "be in love". We must seek out that one person in the whole world who will make us whole. The one who will understand us no matter what we do, accept us for who we are and overlook our many failings and annoying habits. That one person who will bring joy into our lives, make all our problems insignificant and help us feel as if we have a reason for being, a purpose in life bigger than ourselves.
With someone to Love, we can finally be important and joyful, if only we can find that one special person. And when we think we have found them, we are so happy. Our very skin glows, our eyes gleam, our outlook on life becomes extremely positive and we feel as if we are walking on air.
When you are "in love" life is fun and exciting. Everything goes right and it's not so bad even if things didn't. Your smile is so big, those around you can't help but notice and share in your joy.
But, as V mentioned on Friday night (in a talk about a bad breakup she experienced), when love is gone we are destroyed. One of the most tragic and life changing events in anyone's life is when the one they love leaves them, particularly if it is for another.
We feel betrayed and useless. "What is wrong with me? Why don't they love me anymore? What did I do to deserve this? Life will never be the same." A large chuck of our life, perhaps our very reason for living is gone. There is an emptiness inside that hurts with a pain unlike any other.
How can we ever live without happiness? How can we go on with this pain? Most country music is about this aspect of love, and I can relate well with most of the saddest country songs!
Each time it was difficult to lose that someone special.
When I was 18 I fell in love for the first time. It was one of those "across the smoky room" stories. I was sitting in a restaurant with some friends waiting for their cousins visiting from Germany to come in. Then suddenly I looked up and the entire room tunneled to the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
Robyn, this young cousin from Germany, was incredible. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I felt like I was outside my body, the world just didn't feel the same. I don't remember much about the rest of that night, just her.
For two weeks I walked on air, the happiest man alive. My heart ached when she was not around and I could hardly contain my joy when she was. I felt like I had known her my whole life and she thought my annoying habits were "cute". I could be myself around her.
I thought I had loved before, but never anything like this. It was a glorious feeling! I loved everything about her. She was the one and I had found her without even looking! I was on top of the world; nothing could go wrong….
Then it was time for her to go home. I had never felt so alone. I couldn't stand the sadness I felt. I cried for days. I couldn't imagine life ever being joyful again. I felt a strange emptiness; there was a giant void in my heart where happiness used to live. I would never be happy again. I may have even blamed God for taking her away.
But over time I learned to love again and found "the one" at least four more times. Each time we parted I felt the same deep ache within myself. I felt useless, that something was wrong with me.
And, like in V's story, many of them said "it's not your fault, things just changed" and that just made it worse. How could it not be me? Something is seriously wrong with me or they all would not have left. How could anyone love me if they did not? I'm worthless and annoying.
I often used alcohol and drugs to fill my void while I searched for "the one" and sometimes I just settled for "the one" right now. It helped for a while, but not really.
Lucky for me, as T shared in her friendship talk, you still have your friends and family and mine were always there. They don't think you are worthless or annoying. They love you for who you are and will support you no matter what you do. They will help to fill that void you feel inside.
As J so poetically put it in his community talk; "Like a cinderblock wall, one may crack, but the rest will hold it up." We all have some sort of community who loves us and holds us up when we feel cracked.
Most of us would say our families love us. It's easier to love ones family because you don't have to let them into your "inner circle", you can be yourself around them. They know what goes on in that little head of yours. They have looked out for you your entire life. They taught you most of what you know, especially about right and wrong.
Our families know us deep down where we don't let other people. They know our dreams and our fears; they know our successes and our embarrassing failures. They accept us for who we are and love us anyway. Besides, they are family; they have to love us, right?
Our friends are a different story.
Loving anyone comes with a great risk and too often we are reluctant to take that risk. We must expose our selves and let people see a little of the real us. This is a frightening thing to most of us. What if they don't like us? What if we tell them some secret and they spread it all around town? Are they really going to like me when they find out I like KISS?
But we always seem to find a few people on this great big earth that choose to like us no matter what. They keep coming around to spend time with us and share their lives. As T shared, they know our secrets and our failings and love us enough to help us through the hard times anyway. Our friends know we like KISS and while they don't understand why, they listen to it anyway, just to make us happy because we put up with them and their crazy stuff too.
Friends help to fill that void inside, to make life fun and exciting. It's good to have friends to share our lives with. What would we do without them?
So Love is not a romantic thing. While the feelings we have when we are "in love" are wonderful, this is not true love. Don't get me wrong, love has a lot to do with it, especially in a long term relationship, but one does not have to "be in love" to love.
We feel good when we are with that special person because we are constantly doing nice things for them. They in turn, are usually doing nice things for us. We have a purpose because we put their happiness before our own and worry about their success and safety.
They are counting on us to help them through Life. Which is only worth living because we are happy to share our lives and explore this amazing world with them. We allow them into our "inner circle" and let them see the true us.
It's the same with our friends and family. It's a big risk to expose yourself like that, but the payoff is love and that is the greatest reward possible. Love is not something automatic or that falls from the sky or magically happens when you meet one specific person.
We can all love each other and find that glorious feeling anywhere we go, with anyone we are with.
You can't love a candy bar, football or designer shoes. You don't love golf, grandma's cooking, pop music performers or even your country. We overuse that word a lot to mean everything we simply enjoy.
Love is not simply about enjoying things. You must understand, I see Love as the basis for everything. Love is what binds the universe together and makes things go. It surrounds us, fills us, gets us to work together and makes the world worth living in. No, it's not Yoda or the force;
It's the holy spirit of God. God is Love. And Love is the answer to all our questions, … the cure for all our ailments … and the solution to all our problems.
For example: I don't believe there are evil people in the world. I have never seen an evil baby. I believe there are the loved and the unloved; the happy and the unhappy.
We will never solve our drug problems by dropping poison on farmers in Colombia. We must love those who are addicted or at risk and help them to learn they are loved too so they can be truly happy and won't need to fill their void with drugs.
School shootings and other crime will continue until we can learn and then teach our children that it is wrong to tease and put others down because they are different. We push people to the point that hatred and revenge fills their void and they commit the most evil acts; and then we wonder what went wrong. Racism, hatred and poverty will only be destroyed once we learn we are all human beings, all the same, all children of God.
It starts with each of us; with our smallest actions. Imagine a world where everyone was loved and happy; a world without war, without crime, without poverty and without despair. It's only possible when we learn to love God and each other.
I said before when we are looking for romantic love, we seek that one person in the whole world who will make us whole. The one who will understand us no matter what we do, accept us for who we are and overlook our many failings and annoying habits. That one person who will bring joy into our lives, make all our problems insignificant and make us feel as if we have a reason for being, a purpose in life bigger than ourselves.
With someone to Love, we can finally be important and happy, if only we can find that one special person.
I found that one special person is Jesus. He will do all those things for you. He will fill that void you feel. You don't need drugs or alcohol, a significant other or party friends to fill it. He will be your friend if you will just let him into your "inner circle". It should be easy if we know he will never laugh at us or put us down, he accepts us for who we are and he will never leave.
We have learned this weekend that Jesus is love and the ultimate in understanding and compassion. He listens to our prayers, guides us in our lives and protects us from harm. He only wants what is best for us and will never leave us alone. He died for us so that we might know happiness and the ways of eternal life.
All we are asked to do in return is follow his example, to show our love for him by treating everyone with the same love he showed us and we get in return happiness, eternal salvation, all of God's kingdom and peace on earth. What a sweet deal!
In 1st John Chapter 3, Saint John tells us:
Love is an action. It's not a feeling really, although it seems we have a particularly special one reserved just for it. But you can't feel it with out doing it, as Saint John says; "not in word or speech but in deed and truth."
It's something you have to do. You feel good when you do it and when others do it for you. It helps to fill that void of emptiness. It makes you happy and feel worthwhile. Sounds like it should be easy.
Christ taught us to love our neighbor, to love them as if they were ourselves; to help those in need and treat everyone, as we would like to be treated. Everything depends on it.
And yet, we find it to be almost impossible. It's just too hard. We can't love everyone all the time. We yell at the poor lady behind the counter when our order is not right. We curse the policeman when he gives us the ticket for speeding when we were late for work. We push our way to the front of the line or take more than our fair share of what was meant for everyone. We play our music too loud or park our car in the wrong place.
Some of us even know the products our company makes are dangerous, immoral or defective, yet we keep our mouths shut and just do our jobs. We spend our spare time and money on entertainment and sports, all the while passing by the homeless and less fortunate who live in the poor neighborhood where the large public facilities are usually located.
We constantly make assumptions based on how people look or talk and tease those who are not like us. The list goes on and on. And each time we spread a little more unhappiness and despair in the lives of others; each time we slaughter our brother a little bit, just as Cain did.
Jesus showed us another way.
Love is an action, it's something you do. It is most powerful in the smallest of actions. Love spreads through contact, so the more loving things you do the more love you spread. Doing nice things for each other makes you feel good. It also brings you closer to Christ and shows your love for him.
Saint John said: "We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. Whoever does not love remains in death." If we want a life centered on Christ, we must show love in everything we do. Look out for your neighbor. Put their needs and desires before your own. Love them and treat them as you would want them to treat you. It will fill that void inside with love and overflowing joy.
Start with the little things. It's easy! Don't go speeding down the road, stop playing your music loud till all hours of the morning, be understanding toward the poor worker when things don't go right, refuse to help sell dangerous products or be selfish in your daily interactions with others.
If it were your sister behind the counter, your brother using those products, your mother in the car next to you on the highway or your sick, music-hating grandma living above you, you would not do these things. You love your family and would do nothing to harm or bother them.
Yet we are learning this weekend that we are all one family, one body, in Christ. The girl behind the counter is your sister, the cop your brother; the people around you on the highway are your fathers and mothers. They just want to be loved and happy too.
So show them a little love, spread a little joy and sunshine into people's lives. Follow his example and show Jesus you love him; open the door and tell God you obey his law and appreciate his great sacrifice and unconditional love for you. Ask him to fill your void with joy and love on faith.
Thank him for all he has done for you in prayer, then take action and do the same for everyone else you meet. Help spread the holy spirit of God by filling peoples voids with love … and God will always be with you, you will never be alone and you can find happiness and companionship where ever you go.
Keep in mind some of this references other talks given at the weekend, but I think I recount the important parts so you will all get the point without having to hear the other very fine talks. The names have been deleted to protect the innocent.
We all know what love is. Companies spend millions to make products and magazines to help us find it. We write songs, stories and poetry to celebrate it and to warn it can destroy us if it is gone.
Love is a wonderful thing. It is something to be sought out and cherished when found. It makes us feel wonderful. It makes life worth living. It is the greatest thing in the whole world. We all need love.
And most of the time we are talking about romantic love. We all want to "be in love". We must seek out that one person in the whole world who will make us whole. The one who will understand us no matter what we do, accept us for who we are and overlook our many failings and annoying habits. That one person who will bring joy into our lives, make all our problems insignificant and help us feel as if we have a reason for being, a purpose in life bigger than ourselves.
With someone to Love, we can finally be important and joyful, if only we can find that one special person. And when we think we have found them, we are so happy. Our very skin glows, our eyes gleam, our outlook on life becomes extremely positive and we feel as if we are walking on air.
When you are "in love" life is fun and exciting. Everything goes right and it's not so bad even if things didn't. Your smile is so big, those around you can't help but notice and share in your joy.
But, as V mentioned on Friday night (in a talk about a bad breakup she experienced), when love is gone we are destroyed. One of the most tragic and life changing events in anyone's life is when the one they love leaves them, particularly if it is for another.
We feel betrayed and useless. "What is wrong with me? Why don't they love me anymore? What did I do to deserve this? Life will never be the same." A large chuck of our life, perhaps our very reason for living is gone. There is an emptiness inside that hurts with a pain unlike any other.
How can we ever live without happiness? How can we go on with this pain? Most country music is about this aspect of love, and I can relate well with most of the saddest country songs!
Each time it was difficult to lose that someone special.
When I was 18 I fell in love for the first time. It was one of those "across the smoky room" stories. I was sitting in a restaurant with some friends waiting for their cousins visiting from Germany to come in. Then suddenly I looked up and the entire room tunneled to the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
Robyn, this young cousin from Germany, was incredible. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I felt like I was outside my body, the world just didn't feel the same. I don't remember much about the rest of that night, just her.
For two weeks I walked on air, the happiest man alive. My heart ached when she was not around and I could hardly contain my joy when she was. I felt like I had known her my whole life and she thought my annoying habits were "cute". I could be myself around her.
I thought I had loved before, but never anything like this. It was a glorious feeling! I loved everything about her. She was the one and I had found her without even looking! I was on top of the world; nothing could go wrong….
Then it was time for her to go home. I had never felt so alone. I couldn't stand the sadness I felt. I cried for days. I couldn't imagine life ever being joyful again. I felt a strange emptiness; there was a giant void in my heart where happiness used to live. I would never be happy again. I may have even blamed God for taking her away.
But over time I learned to love again and found "the one" at least four more times. Each time we parted I felt the same deep ache within myself. I felt useless, that something was wrong with me.
And, like in V's story, many of them said "it's not your fault, things just changed" and that just made it worse. How could it not be me? Something is seriously wrong with me or they all would not have left. How could anyone love me if they did not? I'm worthless and annoying.
I often used alcohol and drugs to fill my void while I searched for "the one" and sometimes I just settled for "the one" right now. It helped for a while, but not really.
Lucky for me, as T shared in her friendship talk, you still have your friends and family and mine were always there. They don't think you are worthless or annoying. They love you for who you are and will support you no matter what you do. They will help to fill that void you feel inside.
As J so poetically put it in his community talk; "Like a cinderblock wall, one may crack, but the rest will hold it up." We all have some sort of community who loves us and holds us up when we feel cracked.
Most of us would say our families love us. It's easier to love ones family because you don't have to let them into your "inner circle", you can be yourself around them. They know what goes on in that little head of yours. They have looked out for you your entire life. They taught you most of what you know, especially about right and wrong.
Our families know us deep down where we don't let other people. They know our dreams and our fears; they know our successes and our embarrassing failures. They accept us for who we are and love us anyway. Besides, they are family; they have to love us, right?
Our friends are a different story.
Loving anyone comes with a great risk and too often we are reluctant to take that risk. We must expose our selves and let people see a little of the real us. This is a frightening thing to most of us. What if they don't like us? What if we tell them some secret and they spread it all around town? Are they really going to like me when they find out I like KISS?
But we always seem to find a few people on this great big earth that choose to like us no matter what. They keep coming around to spend time with us and share their lives. As T shared, they know our secrets and our failings and love us enough to help us through the hard times anyway. Our friends know we like KISS and while they don't understand why, they listen to it anyway, just to make us happy because we put up with them and their crazy stuff too.
Friends help to fill that void inside, to make life fun and exciting. It's good to have friends to share our lives with. What would we do without them?
So Love is not a romantic thing. While the feelings we have when we are "in love" are wonderful, this is not true love. Don't get me wrong, love has a lot to do with it, especially in a long term relationship, but one does not have to "be in love" to love.
We feel good when we are with that special person because we are constantly doing nice things for them. They in turn, are usually doing nice things for us. We have a purpose because we put their happiness before our own and worry about their success and safety.
They are counting on us to help them through Life. Which is only worth living because we are happy to share our lives and explore this amazing world with them. We allow them into our "inner circle" and let them see the true us.
It's the same with our friends and family. It's a big risk to expose yourself like that, but the payoff is love and that is the greatest reward possible. Love is not something automatic or that falls from the sky or magically happens when you meet one specific person.
We can all love each other and find that glorious feeling anywhere we go, with anyone we are with.
You can't love a candy bar, football or designer shoes. You don't love golf, grandma's cooking, pop music performers or even your country. We overuse that word a lot to mean everything we simply enjoy.
Love is not simply about enjoying things. You must understand, I see Love as the basis for everything. Love is what binds the universe together and makes things go. It surrounds us, fills us, gets us to work together and makes the world worth living in. No, it's not Yoda or the force;
It's the holy spirit of God. God is Love. And Love is the answer to all our questions, … the cure for all our ailments … and the solution to all our problems.
For example: I don't believe there are evil people in the world. I have never seen an evil baby. I believe there are the loved and the unloved; the happy and the unhappy.
We will never solve our drug problems by dropping poison on farmers in Colombia. We must love those who are addicted or at risk and help them to learn they are loved too so they can be truly happy and won't need to fill their void with drugs.
School shootings and other crime will continue until we can learn and then teach our children that it is wrong to tease and put others down because they are different. We push people to the point that hatred and revenge fills their void and they commit the most evil acts; and then we wonder what went wrong. Racism, hatred and poverty will only be destroyed once we learn we are all human beings, all the same, all children of God.
It starts with each of us; with our smallest actions. Imagine a world where everyone was loved and happy; a world without war, without crime, without poverty and without despair. It's only possible when we learn to love God and each other.
I said before when we are looking for romantic love, we seek that one person in the whole world who will make us whole. The one who will understand us no matter what we do, accept us for who we are and overlook our many failings and annoying habits. That one person who will bring joy into our lives, make all our problems insignificant and make us feel as if we have a reason for being, a purpose in life bigger than ourselves.
With someone to Love, we can finally be important and happy, if only we can find that one special person.
I found that one special person is Jesus. He will do all those things for you. He will fill that void you feel. You don't need drugs or alcohol, a significant other or party friends to fill it. He will be your friend if you will just let him into your "inner circle". It should be easy if we know he will never laugh at us or put us down, he accepts us for who we are and he will never leave.
We have learned this weekend that Jesus is love and the ultimate in understanding and compassion. He listens to our prayers, guides us in our lives and protects us from harm. He only wants what is best for us and will never leave us alone. He died for us so that we might know happiness and the ways of eternal life.
All we are asked to do in return is follow his example, to show our love for him by treating everyone with the same love he showed us and we get in return happiness, eternal salvation, all of God's kingdom and peace on earth. What a sweet deal!
In 1st John Chapter 3, Saint John tells us:
For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another,
unlike Cain who belonged to the evil one and slaughtered his brother. Why did he slaughter him? Because his own works were evil, and those of his brother righteous.
Do not be amazed, (then,) brothers, if the world hates you.
We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. Whoever does not love remains in death.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.
The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him?
Children, let us love.
Love is an action. It's not a feeling really, although it seems we have a particularly special one reserved just for it. But you can't feel it with out doing it, as Saint John says; "not in word or speech but in deed and truth."
It's something you have to do. You feel good when you do it and when others do it for you. It helps to fill that void of emptiness. It makes you happy and feel worthwhile. Sounds like it should be easy.
Christ taught us to love our neighbor, to love them as if they were ourselves; to help those in need and treat everyone, as we would like to be treated. Everything depends on it.
And yet, we find it to be almost impossible. It's just too hard. We can't love everyone all the time. We yell at the poor lady behind the counter when our order is not right. We curse the policeman when he gives us the ticket for speeding when we were late for work. We push our way to the front of the line or take more than our fair share of what was meant for everyone. We play our music too loud or park our car in the wrong place.
Some of us even know the products our company makes are dangerous, immoral or defective, yet we keep our mouths shut and just do our jobs. We spend our spare time and money on entertainment and sports, all the while passing by the homeless and less fortunate who live in the poor neighborhood where the large public facilities are usually located.
We constantly make assumptions based on how people look or talk and tease those who are not like us. The list goes on and on. And each time we spread a little more unhappiness and despair in the lives of others; each time we slaughter our brother a little bit, just as Cain did.
Jesus showed us another way.
Love is an action, it's something you do. It is most powerful in the smallest of actions. Love spreads through contact, so the more loving things you do the more love you spread. Doing nice things for each other makes you feel good. It also brings you closer to Christ and shows your love for him.
Saint John said: "We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. Whoever does not love remains in death." If we want a life centered on Christ, we must show love in everything we do. Look out for your neighbor. Put their needs and desires before your own. Love them and treat them as you would want them to treat you. It will fill that void inside with love and overflowing joy.
Start with the little things. It's easy! Don't go speeding down the road, stop playing your music loud till all hours of the morning, be understanding toward the poor worker when things don't go right, refuse to help sell dangerous products or be selfish in your daily interactions with others.
If it were your sister behind the counter, your brother using those products, your mother in the car next to you on the highway or your sick, music-hating grandma living above you, you would not do these things. You love your family and would do nothing to harm or bother them.
Yet we are learning this weekend that we are all one family, one body, in Christ. The girl behind the counter is your sister, the cop your brother; the people around you on the highway are your fathers and mothers. They just want to be loved and happy too.
So show them a little love, spread a little joy and sunshine into people's lives. Follow his example and show Jesus you love him; open the door and tell God you obey his law and appreciate his great sacrifice and unconditional love for you. Ask him to fill your void with joy and love on faith.
Thank him for all he has done for you in prayer, then take action and do the same for everyone else you meet. Help spread the holy spirit of God by filling peoples voids with love … and God will always be with you, you will never be alone and you can find happiness and companionship where ever you go.
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Fun Facts about the United States Mint has a very interesting entry about how "In God We Trust" got on US money. Who says one man can't make a difference?
Since then there has been much controversy over these three simple words, but the Supreme Court refuses to hear the issue, so we don't actually know if it's constitutional or not.
But it's our country's motto since an act of Congress in 1956 which just goes to show you how far one man's thoughts can affect the rest of us so profoundly simply because he took the time to share how he thought things should be with those who could actually do something about it.
Keep writing those letters and let Congress know what you think! It might just change the world, you never know.
From Treasury Department records it appears that the first suggestion that God be recognized on U.S. coinage can be traced to a letter addressed to the Secretary of Treasury from a minister in 1861. An Act of Congress, approved on April 11, 1864, authorized the coinage of two-cent coins upon which the motto first appeared.So one man, writing one letter, has changed the course of history and caused controversy well beyond his own short existence on this earth by sending his thoughts to his public representatives.
Since then there has been much controversy over these three simple words, but the Supreme Court refuses to hear the issue, so we don't actually know if it's constitutional or not.
But it's our country's motto since an act of Congress in 1956 which just goes to show you how far one man's thoughts can affect the rest of us so profoundly simply because he took the time to share how he thought things should be with those who could actually do something about it.
Keep writing those letters and let Congress know what you think! It might just change the world, you never know.
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Wednesday, February 09, 2005
I went to a dollar movie tonight and there was a nice looking and well dressed family at the front of the ticket line. They had a lot of kids and I was trying to count them all as I heard the young 20 something mother inquiring if they needed four or five kids tickets because of the year and a half old baby in the father's arms.
At first she said she needed four tickets and the ticket lady started to punch them up while smiling at the well behaved, yet very excited children all pressing against the window eagerly awaiting their tickets to the Sponge Bob Square Pants Movie opportunity of their short lifetimes.
At this point the mother says, "oh, do I need four or five childrens because of the baby?"
Well, that explained how many kids there really were and a possible reason they are at the dollar movies. I can't imagine how hard it must be to raise five kids today and I'm glad they can still find something for the whole family to do that might cost them less than 20 bucks.
So the ticket lady asks how old the baby is and informs them, rather regrettably and with a very sad face, that the theater charges for anyone over a year old and she has to sell them a ticket for a dollar.
The lady humphs, but at first agrees saying "ok", then she gets all pissy about how she can't believe they charge for one year olds. She throws up her hands and turns to her husband who now looks rather embarrassed. The kids didn't look excited anymore and everyone trudged somewhat despondently into the theater while consoling the upset mother. It was sad.
And it made the ticket lady sad. It's not her fault. She felt bad for this large family too and was an older lady who probably remembered well her own tough days of making ends meet and still trying to entertain her family on a budget.
Talk to the big corporation honchos if you want change or have a problem, not the ticket lady.
They would fire her if she let everyone through, it's unfair to even suggest she shouldn't follow company policy and it's unfair to us to have to listen to it. It just brings us all down when people bitch about everything they can't change. For the next few customers the ticket lady was not as cheerful as she had been before. It affected all of us.
I do applaud the mother's honesty when she could have so easily lied. I doubt security was about to look through the bundle of blankets this supposed kid was all wrapped up in anyway. But she ruined her families great mood, and spread a little sadness into the world.
Imagine how many times that poor ticket lady gets the same treatment in a day.
At first she said she needed four tickets and the ticket lady started to punch them up while smiling at the well behaved, yet very excited children all pressing against the window eagerly awaiting their tickets to the Sponge Bob Square Pants Movie opportunity of their short lifetimes.
At this point the mother says, "oh, do I need four or five childrens because of the baby?"
Well, that explained how many kids there really were and a possible reason they are at the dollar movies. I can't imagine how hard it must be to raise five kids today and I'm glad they can still find something for the whole family to do that might cost them less than 20 bucks.
So the ticket lady asks how old the baby is and informs them, rather regrettably and with a very sad face, that the theater charges for anyone over a year old and she has to sell them a ticket for a dollar.
The lady humphs, but at first agrees saying "ok", then she gets all pissy about how she can't believe they charge for one year olds. She throws up her hands and turns to her husband who now looks rather embarrassed. The kids didn't look excited anymore and everyone trudged somewhat despondently into the theater while consoling the upset mother. It was sad.
And it made the ticket lady sad. It's not her fault. She felt bad for this large family too and was an older lady who probably remembered well her own tough days of making ends meet and still trying to entertain her family on a budget.
Talk to the big corporation honchos if you want change or have a problem, not the ticket lady.
They would fire her if she let everyone through, it's unfair to even suggest she shouldn't follow company policy and it's unfair to us to have to listen to it. It just brings us all down when people bitch about everything they can't change. For the next few customers the ticket lady was not as cheerful as she had been before. It affected all of us.
I do applaud the mother's honesty when she could have so easily lied. I doubt security was about to look through the bundle of blankets this supposed kid was all wrapped up in anyway. But she ruined her families great mood, and spread a little sadness into the world.
Imagine how many times that poor ticket lady gets the same treatment in a day.
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I went out to dinner and a movie today and once again I encountered more than my fair share of jerks while driving. The rudeness and dangerous behavior of what seems to be most drivers is just very disturbing to me and I think it shows an underlying problem in our society that is waiting to rear it's fully grown and very ugly head with many disastrous consequences.
People in general do not care about anyone but themselves and most of what we say we believe in is not really what we believe at all. Our attitudes and behavior as a society defies every religious and moral belief system we say we believe in as well as most of our own political and cultural ideals as well.
We all like to say we are law abiding, God fearing and "patriotic" but it only applies when it's our freedom, and when the laws, or even God, help us achieve our own selfish goals. Everyone knows how kind America is, except us Americans.
I find proof of this everywhere I go. Particularly on the streets.
Today I was doing the speed limit and every single car was passing me, even the grandmas. Most of the flashy, hot rod cars were going much faster than I and many people, both young and old, gave me dirty or threatening looks as they passed.
Does this sound like that kind America we hear so much about?
Other drivers would get within inches of my bumper, I guess to urge me to go faster, all while we are traveling at speeds up to 55mph in heavy rush hour traffic. At every single red light at least two cars went through after the light had already turned. Most of the other drivers around me responded by just going ahead anyway since the light was green. They probably think "It would be the other guys fault if I hit him anyway. I had the green light".
Does this sound like a bunch of good God fearing people looking out for each other?
I came up to a four way stop sign and as I went through, the van waiting his turn decided to jump the gun a second too early since I didn't go from 0-60 in five seconds like everyone else had been, and he just missed me by inches with his buddy in a car hot on his heals without waiting at all. He had a patriotic sticker on his bumper.
Does this sound like the way patriotic Americans should act?
Don't we have all kinds of laws and really simple signs and idiot proof symbols to avoid these very types of incidents? Would it really kill anyone to wait three seconds until it was safe to go or to suffer through the 60 seconds it takes for the light to change?
It might just kill you or someone else if you don't.
We wouldn't go to all the trouble as a society to print up all the expensive signs and install all those high tech cameras and hire all those traffic cops if it really didn't matter. There are much easier ways to create tax income.
Why are our cops so busy? Why are your taxes so high? Why don't you feel safe walking around in your own neighborhood? Why is everything so expensive? Why can't your kids get a decent education in a violence free environment? Why... most of those things we whine to politicians about?
Jerks who don't care, that's why. Speeders are jerks.
Speeding is not that big of a deal, most of us say, right? Our car advertisements always feature how fast the car can go and everyone knows a fast car makes the girls go wild. Some people actually believe their cars will be damaged if they only drive them at the posted limit and hot rod performance shops are the latest rage. Anyone can soup up any car to for only a few thousand dollars due to the popularity of high performance automobiles, yet our top legal speeds remain in the high 70's for most of the country.
The fines for speeding, if you are even caught or the cop even bothers to write a ticket, are always laughably low. "I mean it's not like I was selling crack to kids or had a meth lab in my trailer", we tell ourselves "I was just having a little fun or late for an appointment. I'm a good driver and I knew what I was doing the whole time". What's the big deal anyway?
Tell that to the little girl when your hot rod street machine antics cuts her mom's SUV in half killing her entire family when you and your friends decide to "see what this baby can do" right smack dab in the middle of rush hour.
Why do we tolerate anyone racing their cars on public streets? It's not just rude, it's criminal and immoral.
Think you don't do it? It doesn't take a bunch of hot rodding kids to cause major havoc. Most accidents are caused by the rest of us who are supposed to know better but just were not paying attention or decided that everyone else was doing it so it must be OK.
Speeding is a horrible crime. It shows a complete lack of respect for society's rules and for the safety of those inside and outside your vehicle. People do not realize the destructive power their cars can have and how quickly and easily it is to lose control of any fast moving vehicle. You might not be selling crack to kids, but children will still die if you make the slightest mistake.
I know I don't want to be the one to tell the young mother I'm sorry I killed her children because I was late for an important meeting. Do you?
People in general do not care about anyone but themselves and most of what we say we believe in is not really what we believe at all. Our attitudes and behavior as a society defies every religious and moral belief system we say we believe in as well as most of our own political and cultural ideals as well.
We all like to say we are law abiding, God fearing and "patriotic" but it only applies when it's our freedom, and when the laws, or even God, help us achieve our own selfish goals. Everyone knows how kind America is, except us Americans.
I find proof of this everywhere I go. Particularly on the streets.
Today I was doing the speed limit and every single car was passing me, even the grandmas. Most of the flashy, hot rod cars were going much faster than I and many people, both young and old, gave me dirty or threatening looks as they passed.
Does this sound like that kind America we hear so much about?
Other drivers would get within inches of my bumper, I guess to urge me to go faster, all while we are traveling at speeds up to 55mph in heavy rush hour traffic. At every single red light at least two cars went through after the light had already turned. Most of the other drivers around me responded by just going ahead anyway since the light was green. They probably think "It would be the other guys fault if I hit him anyway. I had the green light".
Does this sound like a bunch of good God fearing people looking out for each other?
I came up to a four way stop sign and as I went through, the van waiting his turn decided to jump the gun a second too early since I didn't go from 0-60 in five seconds like everyone else had been, and he just missed me by inches with his buddy in a car hot on his heals without waiting at all. He had a patriotic sticker on his bumper.
Does this sound like the way patriotic Americans should act?
Don't we have all kinds of laws and really simple signs and idiot proof symbols to avoid these very types of incidents? Would it really kill anyone to wait three seconds until it was safe to go or to suffer through the 60 seconds it takes for the light to change?
It might just kill you or someone else if you don't.
We wouldn't go to all the trouble as a society to print up all the expensive signs and install all those high tech cameras and hire all those traffic cops if it really didn't matter. There are much easier ways to create tax income.
Why are our cops so busy? Why are your taxes so high? Why don't you feel safe walking around in your own neighborhood? Why is everything so expensive? Why can't your kids get a decent education in a violence free environment? Why... most of those things we whine to politicians about?
Jerks who don't care, that's why. Speeders are jerks.
Speeding is not that big of a deal, most of us say, right? Our car advertisements always feature how fast the car can go and everyone knows a fast car makes the girls go wild. Some people actually believe their cars will be damaged if they only drive them at the posted limit and hot rod performance shops are the latest rage. Anyone can soup up any car to for only a few thousand dollars due to the popularity of high performance automobiles, yet our top legal speeds remain in the high 70's for most of the country.
The fines for speeding, if you are even caught or the cop even bothers to write a ticket, are always laughably low. "I mean it's not like I was selling crack to kids or had a meth lab in my trailer", we tell ourselves "I was just having a little fun or late for an appointment. I'm a good driver and I knew what I was doing the whole time". What's the big deal anyway?
Tell that to the little girl when your hot rod street machine antics cuts her mom's SUV in half killing her entire family when you and your friends decide to "see what this baby can do" right smack dab in the middle of rush hour.
Why do we tolerate anyone racing their cars on public streets? It's not just rude, it's criminal and immoral.
Think you don't do it? It doesn't take a bunch of hot rodding kids to cause major havoc. Most accidents are caused by the rest of us who are supposed to know better but just were not paying attention or decided that everyone else was doing it so it must be OK.
Speeding is a horrible crime. It shows a complete lack of respect for society's rules and for the safety of those inside and outside your vehicle. People do not realize the destructive power their cars can have and how quickly and easily it is to lose control of any fast moving vehicle. You might not be selling crack to kids, but children will still die if you make the slightest mistake.
I know I don't want to be the one to tell the young mother I'm sorry I killed her children because I was late for an important meeting. Do you?
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Yahoo! News - Sharon, Abbas Declare Cease-Fire at Summit
Do I dare hope? Do we all dare dream? Someone is actually working towards Peace in the Holy Land? Could it be true or is it all just another round of the same old same old?
"What we agreed upon today is simply the beginning of the process of bridging the gap," Abbas is quoted as saying.
Well, that's nothing new. Everytime the Palestinians and Israel get together for their "Peace Talks" they speak of "starting the long road ahead" or "Following the Road Map", but it all just never seems to go anywhere. No one ever takes real action and the unofficial acts of a small band of outlaws always plunge everyone back into the daily horrors that have become so common place in Israel and Palestine.
Israel will not give up on it's counterproductive counter strikes and the Palestinians seem either unwilling or unable to curb the criminal and radical elements that usually cause the violence. The same can be said of Israel and it's own illegal homesteaders who all seem intent on violence as well.
The area is tense and emotions run high. The history is long and complex and the current generations on both sides have much to be angry about. Compromise is difficult for everyone and it will be a long road to peace with many people's pride and egos taken out along the way.
But will this be the time they actually start the engines and at least coast to the starting line?
Perhaps. There seems to be some new developments we have not seen before.
But we also have the same old stuff from the same old people. The AP reports:
Egypt and Jordan have announced they will be sending their ambassadors back to Israel after a four year absence. This could happen in just a few days. Israeli foreign minister Silvan Shalom also encouraged other Arab states to restore contacts. He is quoted as saying " This could lead to a breakthrough with many other Arab countries, which could send ambassadors here" on Channel Two TV. Let us hope so.
And perhaps the most amazing thing, as simple as it seems, is the fact that Sharon has invited Abbas to visit him at his ranch in Israel and Abbas has agreed to go. I don't think we would have seen that kind of chumminess if Arafat were still in charge. Sharon must be taking diplomacy lessons from President Bush: "10 surefire ways to woo your friends and enemies with a Ranch Cookout".
Perhaps it does take a new face and a weekend at a ranch to get people to break out of their old ways of thinking and start a fresh new future. Perhaps this time both sides are serious about Peace and willing to make the necessary changes and concessions.
Both sides can not tolerate violence of any kind, from anyone, so we can put the past behind us and work towards the future together, as people, and forget all the hatred we have learned over the centuries and the anger from the last few years. Just stop the violence. It can be easy if everyone tries.
Let's pray this is so. It would be nice to see some Peace in the world, especially in such a troubled place that most have already given up on.
Peace.
Do I dare hope? Do we all dare dream? Someone is actually working towards Peace in the Holy Land? Could it be true or is it all just another round of the same old same old?
"What we agreed upon today is simply the beginning of the process of bridging the gap," Abbas is quoted as saying.
Well, that's nothing new. Everytime the Palestinians and Israel get together for their "Peace Talks" they speak of "starting the long road ahead" or "Following the Road Map", but it all just never seems to go anywhere. No one ever takes real action and the unofficial acts of a small band of outlaws always plunge everyone back into the daily horrors that have become so common place in Israel and Palestine.
Israel will not give up on it's counterproductive counter strikes and the Palestinians seem either unwilling or unable to curb the criminal and radical elements that usually cause the violence. The same can be said of Israel and it's own illegal homesteaders who all seem intent on violence as well.
The area is tense and emotions run high. The history is long and complex and the current generations on both sides have much to be angry about. Compromise is difficult for everyone and it will be a long road to peace with many people's pride and egos taken out along the way.
But will this be the time they actually start the engines and at least coast to the starting line?
Perhaps. There seems to be some new developments we have not seen before.
- 500 Palestinian prisoners will be released by Israel with 400 more to follow at a later date.
This is a big one. Israel believes these people are dangerous and they do have some history to back up their claim that if they let these people out they will just attack again. - Israel will complete the handover of five West Bank towns in less than three weeks. Officials are to meet as early as Wednesday to arrange for the handover of Jericho.
But we also have the same old stuff from the same old people. The AP reports:
"Osama Hamdan, the Hamas representative in Lebanon, said Israel did not fulfill Palestinian demands to release prisoners and halt aggression. Therefore, he said, the truce is not binding on Hamas."500 prisoners and 5 towns are not enough, so once again Hamas will not budge on their terms. But some others are and in places you might not expect.
Egypt and Jordan have announced they will be sending their ambassadors back to Israel after a four year absence. This could happen in just a few days. Israeli foreign minister Silvan Shalom also encouraged other Arab states to restore contacts. He is quoted as saying " This could lead to a breakthrough with many other Arab countries, which could send ambassadors here" on Channel Two TV. Let us hope so.
And perhaps the most amazing thing, as simple as it seems, is the fact that Sharon has invited Abbas to visit him at his ranch in Israel and Abbas has agreed to go. I don't think we would have seen that kind of chumminess if Arafat were still in charge. Sharon must be taking diplomacy lessons from President Bush: "10 surefire ways to woo your friends and enemies with a Ranch Cookout".
Perhaps it does take a new face and a weekend at a ranch to get people to break out of their old ways of thinking and start a fresh new future. Perhaps this time both sides are serious about Peace and willing to make the necessary changes and concessions.
Both sides can not tolerate violence of any kind, from anyone, so we can put the past behind us and work towards the future together, as people, and forget all the hatred we have learned over the centuries and the anger from the last few years. Just stop the violence. It can be easy if everyone tries.
Let's pray this is so. It would be nice to see some Peace in the world, especially in such a troubled place that most have already given up on.
Peace.
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Tuesday, February 08, 2005
US News Article | Reuters.com Lawyer Says U.S. Forces Abused Kuwaiti Prisoners reports this morning of more prison abuse accusations from terrorist suspects being held at Guantanamo Bay.
11 Kuwaitis being indefinately incarcerated by the United States as foreign terrorism suspects claim abuse at the hands of their American captors, the worst dating back to January of 2002 while they were in detention facilities in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Michael Shavers says: "It is important to note that al Qaeda training manuals emphasize the tactic of making false abuse allegations" but "U.S. policy "condemns and prohibits torture" and that "credible allegations" of illegal conduct by U.S. personnel are taken seriously and investigated.
Their attorney, human rights lawyer Tom Wilner says:
The worst thing, say the prisoners, was that they were mocked for being Muslim and their Korans were taken and even thrown in toilets while their body hair was shaved, sometimes in the shape of christian symbols like the cross.
They claim their confessions about being involved with the Taliban or Al Qaeda was only to stop the torture. Wilner is quoted as saying one prisoner told him "Look, when this is happening, you tell them what they want to hear to make them stop."
Now it's up to the Military to investigate after all these years and even the prisoners say their treatment once they arrived at Guantanamo has been much better.
So, were these guys beaten up, hung by chains, ridiculed and humilited at the hands of young Americans way back in 2002? Or are they just making it all up now, as the Petagon hints, because it is something they were trained to do if captured to garner the favor or assistance of bleeding heart liberals?
I think a little of both is probably true.
I remember the weeks after September 11th well, even if most American's do not want to so honestly, and the general concensus I saw, both online and off, was anger, outrage and the strong desire to strike back at somebody.
I remember well the emails I recieved from the kindest and gentlest people I know demanding that we "Nuke Afghanistan" or turn the entire Middle East into a giant parking lot. We were angry and there was no one to attack with our great weapons of instant death.
Instead, muslims all over America suffered a horrible terrorism of their own, all in the name of "patriotism" or showing that one "loved America" while most of the politicians that now say they were against all this war business, sang a very different tune in January of 2002.
There were very few who dared speak of peace and understanding and those who did were quickly accused of treason and told to leave the country. It happened to me more than a few times when I pointed out the entire Sept 11 tragedy was orchestrated by a small band of criminals and you couldn't judge an entire people on the acts of a few. I had never been called so many horrible things for such innocent comments before or since.
We wanted answers and we wanted revenge. We wanted it now and damned to those who stood in our way or tried to talk us out of seeking our instant revenge. So what if we had to hang a few guys by some chains or call them names because they are different then us?
They are the enemy and ever since the 80's most Americans have been lead to believe that all the Muslim world is dangerous and different, they should not be trusted and quickly became our enemy of choice when the Red Menace so suddenly evaporated. It was easy to make them enemy number one with over 3000 dead.
Am I surprised to hear of this news? No, unfortunately I'm sure there will be many more accusations as we go. Some will be true, and some will not. It's just the nature of war, law enforcement and prisons to have such abuses, as sad as that sounds.
But let's just remember as we may judge these military people so harshly now, that most of us agreed with them at the time and our glasses may have become rather rose colored indeed in the years that have passed since then.
If you were with the "Nuke Afghanistan" folks in 2002, be careful throwing your stones around now at those who did your dirty work while in the service then.
11 Kuwaitis being indefinately incarcerated by the United States as foreign terrorism suspects claim abuse at the hands of their American captors, the worst dating back to January of 2002 while they were in detention facilities in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Michael Shavers says: "It is important to note that al Qaeda training manuals emphasize the tactic of making false abuse allegations" but "U.S. policy "condemns and prohibits torture" and that "credible allegations" of illegal conduct by U.S. personnel are taken seriously and investigated.
Their attorney, human rights lawyer Tom Wilner says:
All of them were hung from their wrists and beaten, sometimes beaten with chains. At least one was hung upside from his ankles and beaten. They were all beaten, they said, until they would pass out..
They were stripped naked and kept naked for extended periods of time. They were taunted while naked by female guards. At least one of them was sodomized. At least two of them were subjected to electric shocks while hanging from their wrists,"
The worst thing, say the prisoners, was that they were mocked for being Muslim and their Korans were taken and even thrown in toilets while their body hair was shaved, sometimes in the shape of christian symbols like the cross.
They claim their confessions about being involved with the Taliban or Al Qaeda was only to stop the torture. Wilner is quoted as saying one prisoner told him "Look, when this is happening, you tell them what they want to hear to make them stop."
Now it's up to the Military to investigate after all these years and even the prisoners say their treatment once they arrived at Guantanamo has been much better.
So, were these guys beaten up, hung by chains, ridiculed and humilited at the hands of young Americans way back in 2002? Or are they just making it all up now, as the Petagon hints, because it is something they were trained to do if captured to garner the favor or assistance of bleeding heart liberals?
I think a little of both is probably true.
I remember the weeks after September 11th well, even if most American's do not want to so honestly, and the general concensus I saw, both online and off, was anger, outrage and the strong desire to strike back at somebody.
I remember well the emails I recieved from the kindest and gentlest people I know demanding that we "Nuke Afghanistan" or turn the entire Middle East into a giant parking lot. We were angry and there was no one to attack with our great weapons of instant death.
Instead, muslims all over America suffered a horrible terrorism of their own, all in the name of "patriotism" or showing that one "loved America" while most of the politicians that now say they were against all this war business, sang a very different tune in January of 2002.
There were very few who dared speak of peace and understanding and those who did were quickly accused of treason and told to leave the country. It happened to me more than a few times when I pointed out the entire Sept 11 tragedy was orchestrated by a small band of criminals and you couldn't judge an entire people on the acts of a few. I had never been called so many horrible things for such innocent comments before or since.
We wanted answers and we wanted revenge. We wanted it now and damned to those who stood in our way or tried to talk us out of seeking our instant revenge. So what if we had to hang a few guys by some chains or call them names because they are different then us?
They are the enemy and ever since the 80's most Americans have been lead to believe that all the Muslim world is dangerous and different, they should not be trusted and quickly became our enemy of choice when the Red Menace so suddenly evaporated. It was easy to make them enemy number one with over 3000 dead.
Am I surprised to hear of this news? No, unfortunately I'm sure there will be many more accusations as we go. Some will be true, and some will not. It's just the nature of war, law enforcement and prisons to have such abuses, as sad as that sounds.
But let's just remember as we may judge these military people so harshly now, that most of us agreed with them at the time and our glasses may have become rather rose colored indeed in the years that have passed since then.
If you were with the "Nuke Afghanistan" folks in 2002, be careful throwing your stones around now at those who did your dirty work while in the service then.
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IN A MINUTE: Boy, 4, gets behind wheel to get to store
Over in Sand Lake Michigan, about 15 miles north of Grand Rapids, there is a Sgt. Jay Osga who was amazed when he pulled over a four year old boy for driving a car late at night. It seems the boy wanted to go to the store while everyone else was asleep and decided to borrow his mom's car for the trip.
After learning the store was closed, and without being able to reach the accelerator or brake, the boy turned the car around and headed back to the apartment complex. He was swerving a little and had his headlights off, which caught the officer's attention, but he didn't hit anything until he got into the parking lot where he struck a parked car and then backed into the police cruiser.
Osga is quoted as saying "he knew how to go from forward to reverse. The mother said she taught him how to drive by letting him sit on her lap and steer." But no charges will be filed and the police chief says "He's 4 years old. His mom didn't even know he was up... I don't think he realizes what he did."
I can't help but think that no one seems to reallize what has been done.
WHAT? The mom lets her four year old sit in her lap and learn to drive the car? (not to mention the whole "getting out of the house in the middle of the night and running down to the store without anyone knowing about it" thing.)
Does this sound like a good thing to do and is it legal for one so young to sit on mom's lap while she is driving? Does this sound like something that might teach a four year old boy that driving is ok at his age?
I really hope these cops were like those on the show COPS and gave her a nice long, loud speech about properly restraining your child when driving and keeping the keys out of his reach if you taught him how to drive the stupid car.
Over in Sand Lake Michigan, about 15 miles north of Grand Rapids, there is a Sgt. Jay Osga who was amazed when he pulled over a four year old boy for driving a car late at night. It seems the boy wanted to go to the store while everyone else was asleep and decided to borrow his mom's car for the trip.
After learning the store was closed, and without being able to reach the accelerator or brake, the boy turned the car around and headed back to the apartment complex. He was swerving a little and had his headlights off, which caught the officer's attention, but he didn't hit anything until he got into the parking lot where he struck a parked car and then backed into the police cruiser.
Osga is quoted as saying "he knew how to go from forward to reverse. The mother said she taught him how to drive by letting him sit on her lap and steer." But no charges will be filed and the police chief says "He's 4 years old. His mom didn't even know he was up... I don't think he realizes what he did."
I can't help but think that no one seems to reallize what has been done.
WHAT? The mom lets her four year old sit in her lap and learn to drive the car? (not to mention the whole "getting out of the house in the middle of the night and running down to the store without anyone knowing about it" thing.)
Does this sound like a good thing to do and is it legal for one so young to sit on mom's lap while she is driving? Does this sound like something that might teach a four year old boy that driving is ok at his age?
I really hope these cops were like those on the show COPS and gave her a nice long, loud speech about properly restraining your child when driving and keeping the keys out of his reach if you taught him how to drive the stupid car.
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Monday, February 07, 2005
Girls fined for giving neighbor cookies: "DURANGO, Colorado (Reuters) - A Colorado judge ordered two teen-age girls to pay about $900 (480 pounds) for the distress a neighbor said they caused by giving her home-made cookies adorned with paper hearts."
Can anyone believe this? These teenaged girls, then 17 and 18, decided not to go to a teen dance scheduled for that night because they did not want to expose themselves to all the "drinking and swearing" that goes on at such teen events today, even in rural Colorado.
So, instead, they stayed home and baked cookies for their neighbors. They put little hearts on them saying "Have a great night" and dropped them off anonymously, which has been the custom for Christian giving since the crucifixion of Jesus. One might applaud such selflessness on the part of two so young.
But these girls made one mistake, they didn't deliver some of the cookies until 10:30pm, which the judge felt was a little too late and their late night knocking evidently stressed out one of their neighbors so badly that she had to go to the hospital the next day because of an anxiety attack.
The woman, Wanita Renea Young, 49, says "she thought someone was coming through the door" and that she saw "a strange figure in the window" while "no one responded" when she called out who is there a few times. She became so distraught over the late night knocking at her door that she felt like she was having a heart attack as they drove to a family members house to spend the night on the advice of the sheriffs department.
Even though the rest of the neighbors all wrote letters saying what a nice gesture they thought the girls actions were, the judge awarded Young $900 in medical bills, but thankfully, refused to award any punitive damages since he did not believe the girls had acted maliciously or intended their "victim" any harm.
Who knew it would be safer legally to go to the dance with all the underage drinking and swearing rather than do something nice for your neighbors? I think if someone is that anxious, they should at least post a sign on their door warning others of their condition before they sue for knocking on their door and leaving a tasty surprise.
Can anyone believe this? These teenaged girls, then 17 and 18, decided not to go to a teen dance scheduled for that night because they did not want to expose themselves to all the "drinking and swearing" that goes on at such teen events today, even in rural Colorado.
So, instead, they stayed home and baked cookies for their neighbors. They put little hearts on them saying "Have a great night" and dropped them off anonymously, which has been the custom for Christian giving since the crucifixion of Jesus. One might applaud such selflessness on the part of two so young.
But these girls made one mistake, they didn't deliver some of the cookies until 10:30pm, which the judge felt was a little too late and their late night knocking evidently stressed out one of their neighbors so badly that she had to go to the hospital the next day because of an anxiety attack.
The woman, Wanita Renea Young, 49, says "she thought someone was coming through the door" and that she saw "a strange figure in the window" while "no one responded" when she called out who is there a few times. She became so distraught over the late night knocking at her door that she felt like she was having a heart attack as they drove to a family members house to spend the night on the advice of the sheriffs department.
Even though the rest of the neighbors all wrote letters saying what a nice gesture they thought the girls actions were, the judge awarded Young $900 in medical bills, but thankfully, refused to award any punitive damages since he did not believe the girls had acted maliciously or intended their "victim" any harm.
Who knew it would be safer legally to go to the dance with all the underage drinking and swearing rather than do something nice for your neighbors? I think if someone is that anxious, they should at least post a sign on their door warning others of their condition before they sue for knocking on their door and leaving a tasty surprise.
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10 Previous Rants & Raves
- Stun Guns might Kill People so Cops Review
- 'Power Hour' Drinking and Stupid Laws
- Miller Brewing Fires Man for Drinking Bud Light
- Syracuse Radio Station Offers Free Valentine's Div...
- Glitch Puts Gas Price at 19 Cents a Gallon
- North Korea Demands Two-Way Talks, U.S. Refuses
- Robo Kids? School Requires Radio ID Badges
- California Lawmaker to Introduce Ban on Pet Cloning
- Abbas sacks palestinian security commanders
- Reggie on Love
Rant & Rave Archives
01/30/2005 - 02/06/2005 || 02/06/2005 - 02/13/2005 || 02/13/2005 - 02/20/2005 ||
